Plan Your Stay

Whether you’re here for an afternoon, a weekend, a week, or you decide to never leave, our handy planning guide can give you the best tips and suggestions for how to spend your time while you’re here.

Summer - I Have an Afternoon

On the water

• Swimming, sunning and horseplay for kids of all ages at the public beaches and clear waters
• Kayaking, canoeing and paddleboarding
• Sailboat rides and Sunset cruises
• Fishing off the docks
• Jet-skiing

Attractions

• Explore Sturgeon Bay’s history at Heritage Village at Big Creek
• Indoor theater at Third Avenue Playhouse or Rogue Theater
• Free music in the park, Wednesdays @ 7 p.m., Martin Park, mid-June through end of August
• Dine indoors or out, at fine restaurants and casual eateries
• Explore a favorite food  of Door County with a stop at award-winning cheesemaker Renards Cheese
• Shop at specialty gift shops and boutiques
• Explore Sturgeon Bay’s art offerings: galleries and districts stimulate your brain’s right side, and make for enlightening shopping and gifts
• Feed the animals at The Farm
• Skaters and BMXers will dig the rails at Door County’s only Skate Park
• Enjoy a beverage at a cafe, brewery, distillery or winery
• Visit the U.S. Coast Guard Canal Station lighthouses and stop at lookout points for views of the canal

In the great outdoors

• Enjoy the fruits of the fields at Sturgeon Bay's weekly Farm and Craft Markets Saturdays at Market Square
• Sweet and tart cherries ripen, waiting to be picked
• Bike around town or off-road on trails in Potawatomi State Park, or a rustic county park
• Stroll the sand dunes, or bask in the summer sunshine at Whitefish Dunes State Park
• Enjoy a picnic at one of the beautiful beaches of Otumba or Sunset Parks, or Whitefish State Park
• Fish the canal, bay or lake
• Take in a youth baseball or soccer game
• Run off some energy at any of the parks with courts, cages, disc golf, outdoor fitness equipment, and the dog park
• Check out our historic walking tour

Traveling with children & teens

• Check out our “In the great outdoors” section
• Free music in the park, Wednesdays @ 7 p.m., Martin Park, mid-June through end of August
• Learn about Door County history at the Door County Historical Museum & Archives, Door County Maritime Museum  and Miller Art Museum
• Explore a favorite food  of Door County with a stop and tour at award-winning cheesemaker Renards Cheese
• Pick and eat cherries, ripe from the trees
• Tour and experience Sturgeon Bay and Door County on an authentic trolley tour
• Bird watch by the canal, lake or bay
• Take a stroll around the waterfront, watch the maritime hustle and bustle
• Feed the spring baby animals at The Farm
• Skaters and BMXers will dig the rails at Door County’s only Skate Park
• Outdoor activities are great for burning off energy
• The Farm is a  great stop  for exploration and education
• Do some shore fishing with kids
• Sunset Park is a great park for kids, offering a sandy beach, playground, restrooms and acres of green space with picnic amenities

Traveling with pets

• Check out our "In the great outdoors" section
• Visit the U.S. Coast Guard Canal Station lighthouses and stop at lookout points for views of the canal
• Bird watch by the canal, lake or bay
• Take in the astounding sights and sounds of massive Great Lakes freighters
• Run off some energy (or your canine’s) at the dog park

Events

• Lighthouse Festival (second weekend of June)
• Steel Bridge Songfest (second weekend of June) – world’s only collaborative songwriting festival, bringing together more than 200 musicians for four days and three nights of live music
• Harmony by the Bay -Free music in the park, Wednesdays @ 7 p.m., Martin Park, mid-June through end of August
• Annual Kid’s Fishing Derby
• Free music in the park, Wednesdays @ 7 p.m., Martin Park, mid-June through end of August
• Sturgeon Bay Celebrates, July 4
• NFL Alumni Fishing Tournament
• Kewaunee/Door Salmon Tournament
• Strike ‘gold’ at the annual Sail Through the Avenues Sidewalk Sale (last Thursday of July)
• Maritime Week (first week of August)
• Maritime on Madison (second Saturday of August)