You can watch the sunrise and sunset over the water without leaving the county with 300 miles of shoreline. See thousands of acres of orchards, visit art galleries, devour cherry pie, sip on local wines and brews, splash along the bluffs in the lake or paddle, walk through five state parks or tour 11 historic lighthouses. Our 19 unique communities allow you to live life well no matter what you’re trying to get out of your holiday.

Door County is defined by its proximity to Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes. These waterways are why many nomadic settlers would camp here, and they’re how the earliest permanent settlers got around and sustained life. Residents have worked as fishermen, mariners, and shipbuilders, and others worked as loggers and farmers, relying on ships to transport their wares. In the 20th century, Door County’s shipyards were producing as many as five ships a day to keep up with the military’s demand for large boats and other sea vessels.

Door County is a lesser-known treasure chest of natural wonders, from a 93-foot sand dune and the jagged walls of Cave Point to The Ridges Sanctuary and Washington Island’s lavender fields. As demonstrated by enthusiastic locals who run nature-based enterprises, artists constantly inspired by the landscape, and those who have chosen to make their homes amid pines and rivers and wide-open spaces, nature and its endless splendors are woven into both town and city architecture as well as everyday life.