Sturgeon Bay – The Experience

When an outsider thinks of Wisconsin, they might think of farm fields and forests, but to me, it’s much more than that. Our waters are probably one of the most underrated aspects of this state. And not just the lakes and rivers. Our shorelines are a true gem that are often ignored in favor of the ocean. The Great Lakes truly are a beauty though, and to ignore them is to miss out on a treasure of the senses. With over 820 miles of coastline, Wisconsin sits in the top 20 states based on coastline length. And, if it wasn’t for stupid Michigan and Minnesota, we’d have even more… the fact that the U.P. isn’t part of WI is a travesty in and of itself, but don’t even get me started on Isle Royale. And to add insult to injury, the northeastern part of Minnesota should also be ours. But that’s a post for another day.

First and foremost, I think we as a society need to admit that Sturgeon Bay doesn’t get the love it deserves. I wanted to do Sturgeon Bay as my first official blog post because of how underrated I feel it is. When everyone thinks of Door County, not many include Sturgeon Bay into that definition. As far as I can tell though, this city has everything and more that the rest of Door County has. Nature and hiking? Check – Potowatomi State Park. Supper Clubs? Check – The Mill and Nightingale Supper Club. Breweries/Wineries/Distilleries? Check – Bridge Up Brewing, Starboard Brewing, and Door 44 Winery. Downtown Shopping? Yup. Waterfront beaches? Obvi. Scenic views of the Bay? Duh. Orchards? Aplenty. And I can keep going. If you can find it in Door Co., then you can find it in Sturgeon Bay… because Sturgeon Bay IS in Door County. So I think it’s time we show the gateway to the Door the attention it should get.

This was not my first time in Sturgeon Bay, nor my first time staying in Sturgeon Bay, but it was my first time actually exploring it, the way I like to, and I was not disappointed. We arrived late Thursday after work, to Motel 57 (named after highway 57). The motel is a favorite of ours and our go-to when we travel to Sturgeon Bay. The rooms are small but include a small kitchenette, which is slowly becoming a must for us when we travel. As a teacher it’s nice to be able to cook our own meals, as it saves us quite a bit of money. Usually this means breakfasts are cooked, and dinners are eaten out, with plenty of snacks for lunch. For those that want to enjoy a weekend exploring but not break the bank, this is a great option, and one I highly recommend. Friday we spent most of the day visiting the Door County Maritime Museum, a quick trip to see the canal, and ate dinner at The Mill Supper Club. Saturday we went to a sports bar to watch the Badger game, shopped in the downtown area on the East side of the Bay/Canal, and finished the day at the two breweries. Honestly there was not enough time in the weekend to do all we wanted to do, but I have the luxury of having family close by so plenty of excuses to visit again.

I have to say the highlight of this trip, for me at least, was the Maritime Museum. I’m a bit of a nerd so museums are some of my favorite things in the world. (Quick aside here, I chaperone a yearly trip to Washington DC, and every year we are only allowed about 1 hour or so inside any given museum. Nothing frustrates me more than not having the time I need to read ALL THE INFO) Since we had nothing but time, I was able to peruse the museum at my luxury, take it all in, and read all the info I could possibly read. This museum is just as good as anything you’ll find in a big city, and I am not exaggerating. The museum starts out with a quick video explaining the area, and from there you take an elevator to the top of the building, the tenth floor. This is also the floor where you’re able to go to the roof and get some great views. Might I recommand these views in the fall? From there, each floor, 10-2, has a different focus, and you make your way down the building a floor at a time. Each floor’s area of emphasis is super cool and unique, and like I said before, it rivals the museums you see in major cities. You get to learn about the geologic history of the area, the history of the city and the peninsula, the industries of the area throughout time, some brief history of the peninsulas place in Wisconsin’s history, and of course, the role the maritime industry has played in this part of the world, and more. I spent three hours in the building, and would love to go back (and I will at some point… Sturgeon Bay has another museum I’ll need to do first though). The museum is perfect for adults and kids alike. Every floor is super informative and not overwhelming. I seriously can’t say enough about how awesome this museum is! So, I’ll shut up about it for now and get on with other topics… I can tell I’m losing 90% of my readers with my boring museum analysis. Ok just kidding, one more thing about the museum, and until visiting this museum I don’t think I would have done this, but I’m going to have to add a “Best Museums in the State” category to my best-of’s. I know I haven’t done this just yet, but it’s coming (best breweries, best cheese curds, best wineries, best antique stores, etc.).

Friday night means one thing in Wisconsin, and that’s a fish fry from a supper club washed down with an old fashioned. We headed to The Mill Supper Club for a nice meal. We started out by sitting at the bar for a few drinks. I take my old fashioned’s with brandy, sweet, and cherries. Great service by the bartender, great drinks by the bartender, and friendly patrons around us. After two mixed drinks we put our name in for a table, sipped on a beer while we waited, and headed to our table shortly after. I must take this next sentence to apologize however, as I did not get the fish fry. How, you ask, can I commit such an atrocity?!?! I have a semi-plausible excuse so please bear with me here. About two weeks ago I had a fish fry from a place that shall not be named, and my body doesn’t always do well with fried foods. So after that experience, I wasn’t quite ready to put my stomach through that again. I’m not naming the establishment because that experience was a one off… I’ve had their fish before and it’s never bothered me, so I’m not going to drag their name through the mud (to all 2 of you readers) and badmouth them. So, back to last Friday… and since this was a Friday, their fish menu was different in honor of the fish fry. As I mentioned prior, I wasn’t quite ready to accept a night full of stomach pain for some fried fish, so I ended up going with the ribeye. By the way, it was delicious, so if you’re wondering if their steaks are worth getting the answer is yes. Others at the table DID get the fish, and, being bolder than I, asked the waitress if they had non-fried fish, and of course they do and of course I’m just too introverted to ask but I had already ordered and… anyways, you get the point. It was whitefish and it was PHENOMENAL. 10/10 supper club experience.

Saturday’s highlight was the downtown shopping and breweries. A nice 3 -4 block stretch downtown of shops, including an antique store and a brewery made for a nice Saturday. We started the morning getting lunch at Door County Fire Company, a sports bar, so we could also catch the Badgers play. Great atmosphere, reasonable prices, and good food. They use Renard’s cheese for their cheese curds, so I don’t think I need to expand on that. The food is typical sports bar fare, so take that for what it is. It’s also the only sports bar in town (that I’m aware of… I could be wrong). Despite the absolutely abysmal play by the Badgers, the rest of the day made up for it. We met up with my sister and her boyfriend for half the game and then the shopping. The downtown included a few boutiques, an awesome book store, a good old-fashioned candy store, a game store, and antique shop to boot. Plenty to browse and keep you entertained and interested. Obviously it would be nice to have unlimited money, alas I don’t, but the stores were still great. For the record, I am not a shopper, but since the weekend revolved around museums and football (Packer game on Sunday too), I needed to throw this in the itinerary. And I didn’t hate this part either, I’m a sucker for books, so the book store was great, and I love a good antique store too.

Last but not least, a weekend getaway wouldn’t be complete without a visit to a brewery (or two). Sturgeon Bay host’s two great ones… Starboard Brewing Company and Bridge Up Brewing Company. Starboard is downtown near the shops, so we took a quick break for a flight there. The inside is tv-less, with some board games. If that’s not your thing, then hopefully the beer is, because it is very good. After my sister left for the day, we headed across the bridge to Bridge Up. Bridge Up Brewing Company is located under Sonny’s Italian Kitchen and Pizzeria. The basement is the brewery and has a record player and hundreds of records to choose from. It is right on the water so the view is great too. With the top two floors being dedicated to food, dinner was a no-brainer. And the great thing about the breweries location is the no wait for food if you play it right. The wait at the time we wanted to eat was over an hour (for a table), so instead we got a pizza to go and only had to wait 25 minutes. A final pint while waiting and then back to the Motel.

Lastly, I mentioned earlier that this wasn’t my first time doing things in Sturgeon Bay, so I do need to mention a few of the other things I’ve done here. First off it needs to be said that Sturgeon Bay hosts a state park: Potawatomi State Park. Part of the trails of this park actually overlap with the Ice Age National Trail for about 3 miles. This particular trail hugs the shoreline for the eastern part of this park, with great views of the water and shore. The Ice Age trail actually ends in this park (or starts here, depending on how you look at it). The tower trail connects to one of the better observation towers in the state, giving you great views of the Bay, both Green and Sturgeon. Hemlock trail takes you deep into a forest as well. Lastly, there is a short half-mile loop called the Ancient Shorelines trail. This trail traces the remnants of an ancient shoreline, left over from the glaciers and part of the Niagara Escarpment. With informational signs posted throughout, this trail takes you back in time.

Looking for a great fish boil? After all, these are a Wisconsin tradition. Waterfront Mary’s Bar and Grill has a great one too. When visiting a time prior, we ended up going to Waterfront Mary’s for a fish fry, but was unable to sign up for the boil in time (it was sold out). However I will be returning here for a fish boil at some point in the future.

An unexpected gem in this city is Cherry Lanes Arcade Bar. Everything about this place was awesome. The whole family came after our dinner at Waterfront Mary’s. They have about 20-25 old school arcade machines, both new games and the classics, air hockey, foosball, and billiards tables, and 4 lanes of bowling. And even the bowling is old school, where you keep score by hand. This is pretty fun by the way, don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it. A couple of pitchers of Oktoberfest for the adults and plenty of games for the kids. This place is a must no matter what.

If you are a person who visits Door County on the regular, and Sturgeon Bay is a place you haven’t visited in depth yet, please consider making one of your trips to this awesome city. If you haven’t yet been to Door County, I think Sturgeon Bay is worth a day during your trip as well. And if you live within 2 or 3 hours of Sturgeon Bay, I highly recommend a day trip here. With so much to do, theres not much you’ll regret.