Door County Trip Cont...

After Jackson Port we stopped at a place called "The Ridges Sanctuary" located in Bailey's Harbor.  It is a nature preserve with many hiking trails.  It is home to a 1,600-acre wildflower preserve and is listed as a National Natural Landmark, Important Bird Area and Wisconsin State Natural Area. The sanctuary is also home to the Baileys Harbor Range Lights, which were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.  I read about it on line before our trip and knew I wanted to visit this place.  I was a little disappointed as nothing was actually blooming when we were there. 

After our hiking we kept driving into Egg Harbor. Here is some information about Egg Harbor:

Best Small Town in Wisconsin

April 29, 2011 at 1:56pm

Egg Harbor was recently selected to be “Best Small Town” in Wisconsin in a survey by Wisconsin Trails magazine. Editor Kristen Scheuing shared, “With so many great towns in Wisconsin, choosing the best ones was a tough task. So we asked for input from our readers, whose ringing endorsements helped us identify your town as one of the state’s greats.” The article included in the May/June 2011 issue reads as follows:

Population: 250. Small-town charm: endless. Egg Harbor has everything you seek in a small town: friendly people, unique shops, homey restaurants, and is situated on one of Wisconsin’s most treasured natural resources. Travelers across the nation have heaped praise on Egg Harbor – it was named one of the top ten “coolest small towns in America” by Budget Travel in 2010.

It’s a haven for artists with the performing arts, free live music in the summer, and so much more. It has a
quaint, small-town flair, and a lot of personality. The shopping is tremendous, even without the big box stores. A new beach and marina optimize the sparkling waters of Green Bay.

Right on the lake, beautiful scenery and access to all of Door County’s offerings, including theatre, wineries, shopping, galleries. It’s a great vacation destination and the people are friendly.”

Also highlighted as a top vote-getter for “Best Picture-Taking Town,” Egg Harbor’s neighboring community Fish Creek. The May/June issue of Wisconsin Trails hits newsstands May 10, 2011.

 

Somewhere along the way I found a good spot where the Cherry Blossoms were blossoming.  I made Kelly pull over for a picture.  We were a little early to see the blossoms in full bloom but we did get to see some.

We also stopped at Penninsula State Park.  It also had a look out tower we could walk up for another spectacular view.  Here is some info on the park.

Peninsula State Park, established in 1909, is a 3,776-acre state treasure on Wisconsin's Door County peninsula. Nearly seven miles of Lake Michigan's Green Bay shoreline wrap around a landscape of forests, meadows and wetlands. Rocky bluffs ascend over 150 feet while deer graze contentedly in abandoned farm fields. Considered Wisconsin's most complete park, Peninsula is also its most popular camping destination.

Recreational opportunities are boundless. Visitors can hike, bike, boat, golf and swim during spring, summer and fall. Winter offers cross country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding and snowmobiling. Camping, nature programs, and sightseeing are offered year-round.

On Saturday we went to a really cool place called "The Farm".  Riley and Austin would have loved this place but we did too.  It was a really cool spot where you could feed baby goats milk from bottles, cuddle baby kittens, milk mamma cow's, watch baby chicks hatch, hike in the woods, view historical buildings and learn interesting things about farming.  We were glad we stopped by.

After our farm fun we decided to lay by the pool and get some sun. 

We decided to get dressed up and go out on the town one night.  We went to the "Opera House" bar which was right down the street from our hotel and ordered two beers.  Then we went to another place that had a live band that was playing oldies music and had fun dancing and singing.

   

Our last night in Door County we went to a park to watch the sunset.

 
Before we left we had to drive by the "Mushroom House".  It is an abandoned house.

Our trip was amazing!  I felt sad leaving Door County but happy to be coming home.  There are so many more un lived adventures to come and there will be many more trips to look forward to in the future. 

Here are some more random pictures.