Great food. My wife had the blue gill and crab cakes and they were excellent. I had the scallops…read moreand the rice pilaf and sauce were excellent. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Service timing was great. The cocktails were had were excellent as well. The view from the water made for a great meal.

Short rib 3 nights ago was a very well sourced, well prepared and overall excellent dish for…read moredinner. Craig the bartender knows exactly how to mix, serve, be attentive and responsive. The menu has enough variety to return frequently. Many lake side or water front restaurants globally rely on their location. Sailors Pub has the view and the cusiine.

Awesome day on the island! We took the inaugural ferry of 2026 and had the inaugural tour at the…read morelighthouse! Just a really nice day hiking and having a picnic lunch. The lodge/boat house is really cool; take time to review the exhibits inside. (Enjoy some great soup at Jackson Harbor Soup Shop afterwards!)

This island is definitely worth the ferry rides to get there. You can tour the lighthouse and hike…read morethe entire island. The lighthouse attendants are so friendly and knowledgeable. Very beautiful place to see.

Lookout tower is something you really need to do if visit Washington Island, and are physically…read moreable. It's a pretty tall order scaling all the way from the lower staircase to the top of the observation tower. I am in pretty decent shape and I am not scared to admit I was pretty winded and my legs were not very happy with me when I finally crossed the last step to the top. The payoff, however, makes it 100% worth the effort, especially on a clear day. Obviously, this is the highest point that can be reached on Washington Island and offers fantastic views in a 240 degree arc from roughly NW to SE. You get a wonderful sense of the island, great vista to Rock Island, and on a clear day you can see clear across to the UP (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) as well as St. Martin and Little Summer islands up the Niagara escarpment. There is no cost to the park, and it is located right down the street from the from the Stavkirche, which is an outdoor church that is also worth a visit.

To be fair, I've only walked far enough into this park to visit the lookout tower, and that isn't…read moretoo far from the parking lot. The view isn't much, other than you can see nothing but trees and fields. You might just barely be able to see the water, if you look in the right direction. In fall, it's stunning, but the rest of the year it's just ok. 10/2025

Looking for a little peace and quiet in Door County? Whitefish Dunes State Park is a wonderful…read moreplace to kick back, relax, and enjoy the beauty of Lake Michigan! Pack a picnic lunch, beach towel, blanket, and swimsuit, and settle in for an afternoon of sunshine, sandy beaches, and waves gently rolling ashore. Ahhh, now that's my kind of afternoon! There's plenty of parking (be sure to pay the park admission fee!), restrooms, a small gift shop, vending machines, and picnic areas with grills. The dunes themselves are beautiful, although we've noticed they've gotten smaller over the years. And one little word of warning: Watch out for those seagulls! They're not the least bit shy and would happily help themselves to your peanut butter and jelly sandwich if given the chance. Please don't feed them! A beautiful, peaceful place to slow down, breathe in the fresh air, and simply enjoy everything that makes Door County so special.

I'm adding in an update since my last review was 4 years ago, but please also see my previous…read morereviews. This is a lovely park, and since my last visit they have rebuilt the access to the beach that is near the parking lot. They've also added a blue mat that makes it easy to walk along the beach between entrance 1 and 2. The beach is beautiful and a great place to look for fossils. After climbing back up to the trail at the second access point a park employee alerted us to the presence of orange slime mold on some stumps. Apparently it is a rare phenomenon and the bright orange goop is actually a collection of harmless amoebas. I learn something on every vacation! We hiked the loop and then continued on the new connection to Cave Point Country Park which made for a really nice half day hike!

Five stars, and this is based on a one day visit, of approximately 3 hours!…read more We were heading home from our stay at Peninsula State Park, and stopped in to check it out, since I had never been here before. What a lovely park! We picnicked down by the boat launch, which looks out over Sturgeon Bay and Sawyer Harbor. Our view actually consisted of two islands and the homes thereon. There is a shelter, of sorts, very near the boat ramp, and we learned that it is actually a place to process your catch....there are metal tables there to do what you need to do. After eating, we drove through the park to take in the sights and get a feel for it. We headed up to the tower, and as of our visit, it is still closed. We continued to the Old Ski Hill Overlook and got out to take some photos. We drove through more forest and ended up at the Nature Center and Park Store. Here you can rent bikes, canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards. You can also pick up a souvenir or two, or some snacks. We made a pit stop at the toilets (flushable and with nice showers) before heading out and on our way home. This park is located within a decent distance of Sturgeon Bay, but is also remote enough that you won't get the sounds of the city disturbing you at night. It is an easy drive up the peninsula from this location, and day trips are definitely doable. The only downside, as others have mentioned, is that there is no beach at this park. If that is a deal breaker, there are 4 more state parks in Door County to choose from. I don't know if we will ever camp here, but I can definitely say that I am not opposed to another visit! 49/2022

Lovely camping spot in Sturgeon Bay! My family and I stayed over the 4th of July holiday weekend,…read moreand really enjoyed our stay. We had an RV and a tent, so we chose an electric camp-site. However there are plenty of options without electric dedicated to just tents, too! The grounds were very well-kept, including the pathways that are paved around the grounds and the trails, which are easily accessible. Plus, the main check-in cabin at the entrance seemed brand new! Would say that the bathrooms/showhouses could use an updated, but they were still indeed cleaned daily. Also worth noting that the 'beach' on-site is all rocks, so it's not the sandy kind where you can park your stuff on for the day. Instead, we made our way into town to access the beaches there. Overall great location and nice park we would return to!

I'm adding an update since it's been 4 years since my last review of this park, but please also see…read moremy 2 earlier reviews. They have completely rebuilt the fire tower adding an accessible ramp. While we are able to climb stairs, we enjoyed the ramp a great deal. I'm not a huge fan of open stairs and found this wide ramp that is intended for both wheelchair users and walkers to be a very pleasant way to reach the viewing platform and return to ground level. The view from the top is amazing on a clear day. We also walked part of the sunset bike trail as an out and back which was lovely. We started at the beach, headed toward the lighthouse and continued on to the bluffs/cliffs before turning around. It was about 6 miles round trip and had lots of wildflowers and beaches along the way. This is a great trail for anyone who doesn't want to navigate a lot of tree roots or rocks. Other updates: The lighthouse is being refurbished and is scheduled to reopen later in June 2026. There are now food trucks near the beach if you don't feel like bringing a picnic lunch!

This is a review of the park of someone who went there on a rainy day to see some spots but did not…read morecamp or spend a lot of time. To access the park, you have to pay a vehicle admission pass at the visitor center. Daily pass for out-of-state plates is $16. The rates are different for Wisconsin plates and senior citizens. 12-month pass is available as well. The small gift shop in the visitor center has magnets, stickers, paper weights, shirts, etc. There are also comfort rooms inside. It was raining when we visited. The rain stopped for a bit and we were able to see Eagle Bluff Lighthouse. We weren't able to go in the lighthouse because it was still early and not yet open. It was okay from the outside. We also went to see the Eagle Tower. Since it was raining and dark clouds were all over, we did not see the nice view that this spot is known for.

Si the girl and I were taking a trip and decided last minute(that afternoon) to try and arrange…read morelodging for the night on Washington IS. Good luck, right? I called the Dor Cros on a direct line in the mainland ferry terminal. They had one last room! I booked it over the phone, and we caught the next boat over. At check in, the owner, was AMAZING. he had made a personal map of the island with highlighted attractions for us to choose from. He made a list of the local restaurants and business that told us their hours, menus, and payment options.. Needless to say, we were surprised and used them extensively. As we went to our cabin, there was a little personal note typed up on the bed wishing us a happy stay. I know it may sound chinsey, but that was the topping on the sundae. This place is cute, affordable, has a great location, nice amenities (fire-pit with wood, free if somewhat worn bikes for daily use) and personal attention from owners that really enjoy what they do. Yes, the rooms are dated and small, but they are also cozy, comfortable, and charming. I told the girl we might need to make this a regular visit...

This is a great place, extremely peaceful and relaxing. Don't come here expecting the Four Seasons…read moreand you will be fine. It's clean the bed was comfortable and as a 6'6 330 pound guy the shower had room. You can't beat the location to all thing amazing on the Island and Cory & Laura are excellent hosts. Even delivered a coffee maker for me when I overslept and missed the coffee shops hours. Things close early on Washington Island so be prepared.

Fantastic ! Very clean restrooms, and showers…read more Well maintained grass cutting, and tree trimming. Check it out . Pull your rig in here and set a spell. Take a hot shower . Enjoy the island on your bicycle,motorcycle, or car . Have fun !

My first Door County experience included driving up the peninsula to the car ferry (with a couple…read moreof stops on the way), and onto Washington Island for a weekend of camping and sightseeing. I believe Washington Island Campground is THE ONLY camping on the island. The island has an "old timey" feel to it where everyone waves as you drive by and is very kind to tourists from what we experienced. As one lady we spoke to put it "They are so nice it's almost creepy". But onto the campground itself...it's not right there once you get off the ferry, maybe a couple of miles away. Fairly easy to find if you use the map they provide at the ferry station. I have not been to a campground in a long time but this one seemed fairly comparable to most I've been to. They have RV/trailer camping, horse camping, tent (electric or non) and cute little cabins you can rent. The grounds have a main office that sells wood for $6 a bunch (tip: you can probably name your own price if you buy more than one) and other small items but it's not a huge selection or anything. Besides, you're camping right?! They also have an inside lounge type area with a TV, pinball and other games, a pool table and an ATM. This would be good if you were waiting for someone to shower or it ended up raining, but we never had a use for it. Onto the showers...they are pretty clean and they are the type where you pop in a quarter and 6ish minutes later you have to add it again. BUT... you do get the quarter back so it's a free shower. The showers and flush able toilets are connected to the main building, but there is one other set of pit toilets on the other side of the grounds. If you have a site further away you may want to drive if you need the flushing toilets. The campsites were okay, some are better than others. We camped in the non-electric tent side and because it was before the busy time hits on July 4th we had pick of the sites which was cool. We were literally the only ones there for two nights, aside from random RVs and horse campers. And please note, sites near the horses can hear the horses in the morning hours lol. Site #20 is a popular one and would be good for two tents and cars, but it had less grass than we wanted. Bug wise we had no ticks and we didn't really have an issue in late June with mosquitos or anything else. We saw lots of interesting bugs/wildlife on the island such as a tree frog that sat on our chair for two hours near the fire, a lot of tadpoles in the campground man-made pond, a snake in the road and bald eagles. Just a really nice weekend overall. I would camp here again for sure, but would also consider renting one of the cabins. Our only true complaint was this: the people who run the office are very nice and were very accommodating. However, they keep their dog tied up 24 hours a day outside of the office and that just bothers me a lot. One of the times we had to give him water because he was out and no one was around. I feel like he is a bit neglected being tied to a 5' rope all of time and that alone might prevent me from camping there again. I should also mention, they have their own black horse on the property with an electric fence around it. I guess most people know what an electric fence looks like (including my boyfriend who accidentally touched it and got shocked but was ok after his bad headache passed) but I think they need to have a sign on it so small children and those who do not know are warned. That's it. It's a nice campground and I would more than likely return sometime.

This place was the only love we ate at on Washington island and it was such a cute hole in the…read morewall! My garden salad with blackened fish was delicious, just a little pricey but it seems like everything on Washington island is expensive so it's nothing against this place. The service was okay, we had a big group so I know that is hard and it slowed things down a lot and our checks weren't right either but I can understand how different checks are tricky in that instance. I would come back!

The restaurant was actually closed, but their outdoor, The Granary, area was open…read more The environment was very relaxed, welcoming, and comfortable. The service was good. The good was very generous in portion and tasty. We shared a whitefish basket (a local delicacy). There was even a selection of draft beers available.

Starting the evening with a blue cheese martini means it'll be a good one! We go for the view and…read morethe food...and the drinks! Excellent whitefish chowder, excellent cast iron chicken, decent peach and blue cheese salad. Our waitress was great, had tables both inside and out so was ultra busy. But other staff worked alongside so all worked well.

This was our first time visiting the Shoreline and it was a nice place with a great view…read more The menu isn't huge but they have a lot of variety and some local fish. It's a very small place but you can't beat the view. We started with the Whitefish cakes which are source from local whitefish and a local fish company. They had great taste and were very crispy. I had the fish of the day which was grouper and I chose to have it blackened and it was served over a creamed corn grits, very interesting. My wife had the Sushi bowl which was very good but the tuna was a bit too over-cooked. All in all it was a good experience food wise but when I made the reservations on-line I could only choose between 5:00 or 7:30 for availability. We were there at 5:00 and the dinning room was less than half full until we left at 6:00.