A much-needed teacher break!
We all needed a break. We didn’t care that it would be a little cold during Memorial Day Weekend. We didn’t care that the water would be too cold to swim in. We didn’t care that we might not even have reception. We just wanted to eat great food and just relax watching Lake Michigan sunsets together. So here’s my Door County, Wisconsin trip!
Day 1
We live approximately 4 hours away from Door County and wanted to hit some spots along the way. We first stopped at Gurnee Donuts which has the best Ube donuts. I asked the shop and they do not fry their donuts in lard. After munching on their old-fashioned donuts and their delicious fruity pebble donuts, we hit the road again!
Our next stop was Bay Beach Amusement Park near Green Bay, Wisconsin. Each of the kiddie rides is a quarter and the old-school wooden roller coaster was a dollar. We bought $25 dollars worth of tickets for a family of four and we still had so many tickets leftover. The rides are definitely not Six Flags level but we definitely had fun with the bumper cars, carousel rides, and train rides overlooking the beautiful Lake Michigan.
We made it to the hotel after a long day at the amusement park. The hotel was in Ephraim, Wisconsin. It’s a family-run hotel and we got a room facing the lake. Compared to the other cities in Door County, Ephraim is quiet and looks picturesque with more houses along the shore than major hotels. The view was unbeatable.
For dinner, we stopped at the Old Post Office Restaurant (Reservations are needed and we did the sunset timing) and tried the famous fish boil. This cooking style was brought over by the Scandinavian immigrants in the area a century ago. You have to go early to see the cooking process. The kids had their bones removed from their fish. We had some bones but it wasn’t too bad. The food was fresh and delicious and reminded me of eating in your grandma’s kitchen.
Day 2
The morning offered beautiful views again. We got coffee to go and breakfast to go from Ephraim Coffee Labs and Chef’s Hat Cafe. It was delicious and we ate by the tables in front of our room. Our hotel did not offer free breakfast but did have a restaurant, we did not try their restaurant on this trip.
We were on our way to take a ferry to Washington Island. Do not follow the GPS for this trip and take an old school map. We got lost and thought we missed the ferry. However, when we finally reached the port, there’s a huge line. The ferry leaves every 15 minutes so just be patient. I was about to get into an argument with Mr. Mir Teaching because I thought we missed the ferry. However, my better half smiled and said we were on vacation and there’s no rush to go anywhere. Phew, I needed that reminder.
Once we got off the ferry with our car, we immediately drove to Schoolhouse Beach Park which is one of the only few pebble rock beaches in the world. The water is crystal blue and the pebbles are so smooth. It’s the perfect opportunity to teach your kids how to skip rocks on the water. The water was too cold to dive in but it was still a great picture opportunity and I wouldn’t mind coming back when the water is warmer.
Our next stop was Mountain Top Lookout Tower. There are a bunch of stairs that lead you to the highest point on the island where you were supposed to see beautiful views. Alas, it was closed due to a structural issue. We still had fun hiking in the area so I would still visit for a small workout.
We ended our Washington Island adventure by visiting Fragrant Isle Lavender Farm & Shop. It was heavenly to walk in and smell all the lavender items. They had a bakery too and their ice cream was delicious. Get the lavender vanilla flavor! I bought small gifts for the family here. We left for the ferry and just napped in the car this time instead of going on the upper deck.
We stopped at Wild Tomato in Sister Bay on the way back. If you’re craving cheesy pizza and great appetizers, this is definitely worth a stop. The food didn’t stop there. While Mr. Mir Teaching and my little one were taking a nap, Mariam (my eldest) and I went to Wilson’s Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor near our hotel. It was a few minutes walk from our room. Their root beer floats were fantastic and the restaurant was nearly a hundred years old!
Day 3
We checked out of our hotel and took some family pictures of the beautiful Lake Michigan. We stopped at breakfast at Pelletier’s and they had the best cherry jam. If you didn’t know, Door County is famous for its cherry trees. I would come back in late summer to pick cherries for sure! We stopped at Lautenbach’s for cherry donuts and scones. The donut love just doesn’t stop!
We made a quick stop at Bay Beach Amusement Park again because we had leftover tickets. Got on the road and stopped at the best gas station ever! We got more donuts and drinks at Kwik Trip and finally on the road again. Since Milwaukee is on our way back home, we stopped at Kopp’s for frozen custard and amazing fried fish sandwiches. It was the best Wisconsin dinner before finally heading home.
Reflecting on this trip, everyone was nice and cordial. We didn’t really find a mosque in Door County, I actually didn’t see a single hijabi at all. However, I didn’t feel out of place, I felt at home. Our family is contemplating making Door County an annual thing because we still haven’t explored everything.