Head to Door County, WI This Summer for a Cherry Good Time
Door County, Wisconsin, a lovely summer destination, is located in the northern part of Wisconsin. Talk about an under the radar vacation destination! If you live in a hot, humid part of the country, Door County offers a respite from the heat. In fact, we suggest you pack a light jacket for the evenings. If you love cherries, or just love the outdoors, then you’ll want to visit Door County, WI for a cherry good time!
Cherry French Toast at the White Gull Inn
Voted best breakfast in America by Good Morning America, their Cherry French Toast is a superb choice for your first taste of Door County. Made with fresh, Wisconsin cream cheese, you’ll want to have some bacon or sausage to complete the meal.
Fishboil Dinners
Fishboil dinners are a longstanding tradition in Door County, WI. What began a long time ago as a way to feed hungry lumberjacks and fisherman, the dinners are a rite of passsage for every Door County visitor. Many of the inns and restaurants around Door County, host Fish Boil dinners. Each fish boil is made with freshly caught Whitefish from Lake Michigan. These weekly summer cookouts often sell out quickly.
Orchard County Winery
No visit to Door County would be complete without a visit to Orchard County Winery. The winery uses 3.5 million cherries annually. Who knew cherries could produce such tasty wines? If you like Rose wine, the wines produced at Orchard County Winery are a delicious alternative. Besides a tour of the winery, you can pick your own cherries on site and try your hand…er…mouth at the Cherry Pit Spit. How far do you think you can spit your pit? Trivia: Orchard County Winery had German POWs work on the farms here.
Renard’s Cheese shop
Can’t visit Wisconsin and not have some cheese. Rendard’s is a third generation family cheese shop.There are less than 60 master cheesemakers in the US and Chris Renard, owner, is one of them. Their signature cheese, a white cheddar cherry is a unique flavor, not found in most places. Oh and did we mention cheese curds are highly addictive and available at almost every meal you’ll have in Door County?
Seaquist Orchards
Seaquist Orchards supplies cherries to many local restaurants and businesses. But there’s more. Seaquist Orchards has a bakery on site too. Besides the tempting dips, spreads, james and jellies, the cherry pies are the specialty. They produce 1200 pies per week with 3 lbs cherries in each pie!
Island Orchard Ciders
Island Orchard Ciders opened in 2011. The small tasting room is open for samples of their crisp cider, made with both apples and cherries. Owners convince guests how much more cider is than a weak alternative to beer. Did you know? Cider pairs well with seafood, pork and spicy asian foods. Tip: In the fall, combined it with a bit of maple syrup for a terrific fall drink. Additionally, hops used in the ciders are grown locally.
If all the food and drink mentioned above isn’t enough to get you up to Door County, here are a couple more reasons. First of all, they’ve got truly beautiful, unspoiled vistas. While you can simply walk to many of these scenic points, a Segway tour is the fun way to do it. Next, Door County seems to be one of the last places in the United States that hasn’t been overtaken by chains (stores, hotels, etc). Here, you’ll find only locally owned businesses. I know I feel better about supporting small businesses than large chains.
Get ready to loosen your belt as you imbibe and indulge in all the cherry gastroventures and more in Door County, Wisconsin.