Mitch here!
Over the girls’ most recent school break, we visited Wisconsin to visit Marinette and Door County. Just a four-hour drive from Chicago, both locations were incredible, and I’m so excited to share what we did as well as some stunning photos that Kelly took.
Day One
O&H Danish Bakery – Racine, WI
Our first stop was an absolute banger. O&H is a famous Wisconsin institution that serves a wide variety of deliciousness. The real hero here is the Danish Kringle ,served in an astonishing number of flavors. It’s essentially a giant donut. It was my birthday so I picked almond, ate the whole thing, and then wished I would’ve gotten two.
Blazing Bear Homestead – Peshtigo, WI
My family is completely obsessed with goats. By the end of this week we visited four different goat farms, interacted with dozens of goats, talked about goats for many hours, and bought six goat stuffed animals. Blazing Bear Homestead was our first stop in Marinette County and it was admittedly quite adorable. We did crafts, met cats, a goat ate Kelly’s pony tail, and we took many hundreds of goat videos. A great first stop!
Noquebay Resort – Crivitz, WI
I’m the trip planner for our family and I think I did an incredible job with it this time, if I do say so myself. Our brand new cabin was on the shore of gorgeous Lake Noquebay and it was perfectly cozy with a roaring fireplace, comfy beds, fire pit, and best of all, a hot tub that we used every night. I think each of us had a unique favorite thing about Noquebay Resort: Lucy loved the playground right next door, Emma spent the day cartwheeling and rolling around in the gorgeous lakeside yard, I read my book on the private beach, and Kelly refused to leave the hot tub. ;)
The Checkerboard – Crivitz, WI
Our first day in Marinette County happened to be my 41st birthday, and this restaurant was the best way to close it out. The owner, Mary Moriva, entertained us all night. It felt like we were guests in her living room. We poured our own delicious beer from their tap wall! And the charcuterie artist was absolutely adorable. The best part, though? They brought me the most delicious surprise birthday chocolate lava cake which made me feel extra special.
Day Two
G & G Diner – Amberg, WI
Wisconsin is my favorite food state. Every meal we had on this trip was incredible, inexpensive and fulfilling in a way that our typical meals just aren’t quite. Amberg is a truly small town and G&G is the perfect small town diner. It was packed, but we didn’t have to wait for a table. It was full of locals but we didn’t feel out of place. The menu was full of all the standard breakfast dishes, but it was just the perfect breakfast in every way possible. I would drive back to Amberg, WI just to eat this breakfast again.
Yesterday, Lucy asked me what my favorite thing to do is. And I said, “Do you remember hiking the waterfall in Wisconsin on our trip? That is my favorite thing to do.” Marinette County is famous for their 15 beautiful waterfalls, and my only regret from our trip is that we didn’t get to see more of them. The place was stunningly gorgeous and a perfect short hike with plenty of surprises for those of us willing to climb around a bit. Lucy and I jumped and hiked all over the place while Kelly and Emma got super creative with the drone. I loved every second of this stop.
Bergeson Farms – Peshtigo, WI
Our trip was right smack dab in the middle of the fall, and of course Marinette has the perfect fun fall farm pumpkin patch in Bergeson Farms. Yes, they have goats, but they also have great seasonal snacks, hayrides, bouncy houses, those giant inflatable balls you climb into and roll around in, and a corn maze that I got lost in for just long enough that I got (delightfully) scared.
Main Street Antique Mall – Marinette, WI
It’s a cliche to say that a trip has something for every member of the family, but we truly all found things that we loved! Kelly is in her antiquing era, and she found some of her best finds here. I also found a 100-year-old tin of shoe polish from the Larkin Company for $10! The Antique Mall is located in downtown Marinette, which is a really cool throwback kind of place. We loved it.
Pontoon Ride with Pine Beach Adventures – Crivitz, WI
Captain Rob from Pine Beach Adventures picked us up from our dock for a ride around Lake Noquebay at dusk. He and his first mate were so friendly and fun. They were also both very informative about the history of the area and natural features of the lake. They had tons of great recommendations for the rest of our trip, too. Pine Beach is a family-run year-round resort that has been entertaining its guests for over 100 years with its boats, kayaks and ice fishing.
Rene’s Dining Room – Crivitz, WI
I mentioned earlier that Wisconsin is my favorite “food state,” and that’s because of its supper clubs. Rene’s Dining Room is the most Supper Club-iest Supper Club I’ve been to yet! This place has it all: shockingly inexpensive steaks, a mile-long salad bar, a pickle platter, Old Fashioned drinks, more Old Fashioned drinks, and even a lobster entree. Oh, and a rotating selection of desserts that somehow changed every 15 minutes!
Day 3
Briars & Brambles – Crivitz, WI
This was our last morning in Marinette County. We had so many things that we wanted to do before we took off, so we stopped at this adorable coffee/gift shop which came highly recommended by nearly everyone we met in the area. On a trip filled with delicious treats, the pastries and coffee at Briars & Brambles stood out. The girls filled bags of unique candy for the road, and we headed out of town!
I’ve been to quite a few midwestern wineries over the years and they’re usually not exactly top-notch. But Forgotten Fire has not only a Kelly-approved chardonnay but homemade root beer (my favorite), too. Also, it’s run by an incredibly friendly group of people to spend time with. Our only regret was not being able to spend more time here (we had the girls with us) so we brought a few bottles home.
Front Porch Market – Coleman, WI
It’s always a struggle on a road trip to guess when it’s best to just drive and when to stop and explore. Luckily, Front Porch Market was right off the road and a truly worthy road trip stop. I’m not even sure how to describe it, though. It’s a well curated gift shop with incredible variety of antiques, quirky local goods and beautiful antique framed artwork (Kelly bought three frames!) And then it’s a bakery with delicious cookies, pastries and bread. Oh and it’s a pizzeria that adorably puts Wisconsin Cheese Curds on their cheese pizza. And then it’s an ice cream parlor so we all ate ice cream in the middle of the day which was great. It was the perfect last stop on our way out of Marinette.
Drive to Door County
Our favorite new holiday movie was filmed in Door County (stream here for free: A Cherry Pie Christmas) so we based our Door County time around the movie locations. And I’m glad we did because we found so many gems!
Hillside Waterfront Hotel – Ephram, WI
This is the most classically beautiful hotel I’ve ever seen. The owner, Daine Taillon, is definitely the Nancy Meyers of Door County… and she has a wonderful Diane Keaton-style warmth. She’s decorated the hotel just perfectly. We took dozens of pictures as inspiration for our house back in Chicago!
The Hillside features a giant wraparound porch so guests can enjoy the gorgeous view of Ephraim Harbor and the sunset every evening. I rank it in the top three front porches of all time and I’m a big front porch guy. We stayed in one of the two cabins out front, which was just as charming.
CHOP – Sister’s Bay, WI
Lucy apparently didn’t get enough steak the night before, so we chose Chop Steakhouse as our first big meal in Door County. And this place was just great. It’s a fancy steakhouse with all the fancy steakhouse stuff, but they also made the girls super comfortable and entertained. They brought out the most delicious popover bread quickly after we sat down, and the food only got better from there. “Can we just eat steak all the time?” —Lucy Larkin, 2025. It ended up being one of those great family nights where everyone loved their food and had the best time. We didn’t want to leave! After dinner, though, we sat around a big fire pit out front. It was the perfect way to end the night.
Day Four
Leroy’s Water Street Coffee Ephraim, WI
It’s amazing how many great places are tucked away in Door County’s towns. This coffee shop was a short walk from the hotel and in addition to the delicious pastries and cookies, they made us absolutely incredible coffees. On the way in, I definitely felt like I was in a rush. (You know that feeling.) But I was totally relaxed when we left. Which is a great way to start the day!
Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik Sister Bay, WI
And you thought we were done with goats on this trip? This place is the GOAT of goats. (See what I did there?) There are straight up goats on the roof of the restaurant. Oh and it’s a delicious Swedish restaurant with a really great gift shop in front. This place is popular but we didn’t mind waiting…because of the goats.
Loft Fish Creek Fish Creek, WI
Fish Creek is yet another perfect town—thanks for the recommendation, Captain Rob!—and the first thing we did there was grab lunch at Loft. We sat on the heated deck which was sunny, lively and plenty warm! The service was perfect and the lunch menu had each of our favorite foods. (Kelly: Burrata, Mitch: Pot Pie, Emma: Fries, Lucy: Giant steak.) The lunch was exactly what we needed before hiking!
Peninsula State Park Fish Creek, WI
Growing up, my family would visit Peninsula State Park each year but this was the first time I’d been back as an adult. And it was really special to be able to show my kids a place that was so special to me when I was a kid.
We hiked, climbed down cliffs to rocky beaches, flew the drone out over the lake, and even ran into friends while there. This place is just gorgeous in the fall with peak colors and perfect temperatures.
A highlight was Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, which is beautiful and a very interesting history. It was startling to imagine the people who lived here solo to operate the lights in frigid winters. And there were quite a few tragedies that happened there, too.
Koepsel’s Farm Market – Bailey’s Harbor, WI
Around every corner in Wisconsin, you’ll find a delicious treat… and this place had antiques as well! My only regret is not buying that antique Illinois serving dish. I’ll never forget you, serving dish!
This area is obviously famous for cherries, and I bought jars and jars of jam, chutney, pie filling and chocolate-covered cherries. As I write this post, all of the jars are empty, and I miss those cherries.
Lure – Sister Bay, WI
We had such a good time at Chop that couldn’t miss their sister restaurant, Lure. It lived up to our expectations with another great meal of sushi and, of course, Lucy got another steak.
Day Five
Ephraim Coffee Lab – Ephraim, WI
This was our last morning in Wisconsin, but we still had lots to do. Of course there was another awesome coffee shop a short walk from the Hillside. They made hand-pumped espresso which was delicious. The only problem is that the coffee shop is attached to a high-end pizza restaurant which looked incredible. Next time, though!
White Gull Inn – Fish Creek, WI
Breakfast at the White Gull Inn is a hard table to get, but we were happy to wait while we walked around Fish Creek. This place is featured prominently in A Cherry Pie Christmas, and the breakfast was even better in person—with lots of cherry jam to go around.
Door County Confectionery – Fish Creek, WI
I think this was Kelly’s favorite stop on the trip. We each got our favorite candy, and the candy maker recommended some handmade treats for us to try as well. It was the perfect thing for our drive home.
Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery & Market Fish Creek, WI
A Cherry Pie Christmas is about a family who runs this orchard so we were stoked to visit. It was every bit as cool in real life! Kelly was in heaven and took roughly a thousand pictures and videos of the orchard.
Chelsea Antiques & Blue Willow Shop – Our last Door County stop. I highly recommend this place. It’s like a well-decorated museum but all the stuff is for sale. I loved the selection and even better there are multiple different stores on the same property in old barns and sheds, each with their own feel and unique offerings.
Sturgeon Bay, WI – As we drove out of Door County, we stopped in Sturgeon Bay, which is a larger city but still wonderfully charming. Lucy got a Jellycat at Dancing Bear Toys, Emma found a book for the ride home at Novel Bay Booksellers across the street, we all got sandwiches and fresh bread at Scaturo’s Baking Co & Cafe. We made our last stop at the really cool Door County Maritime Museum to see the nautical exhibits and Great Lakes ships. Emma and I loved learning more history about the area, and the rest of the family enjoyed their sandwiches. ;)
The drive back to Chicago wasn’t bad at all, and we all agreed that the trip was one for the books. Big thanks to Travel Wisconsin for having us. We can’t wait to come back!
Mitch out!
