Door County

Sometimes vacation can be totally restorative and restful; a chance to spend time to build up your strength again to go back to the grind. Sometimes vacation is an overwhelming social time with friends, exploring new places and doing new things. This trip to Door County with the Colemans was a combination of the two.

It was a new experience for us to travel with another family, and we had a great time learning how to do it with Heather, Pete and Max. 

Door County was an awesome destination - lots of community beaches, playgrounds and kid-friendly dining options. We stayed in Ephraim at a little place across the street from the community beach and close to Peninsula State Park, which had another great beach and lots of good biking. 

It was the Coleman's first time to the Midwest, so we pulled out all the stops, introducing them to cheese curds and Sprecher's root beer within minutes of their arrival. We had also gotten lots of good recommendations for things to do in Door County and during our week there, we checked out many of the communities on the peninsula. They're all small and very close together, which helps. 

Kyle and I brought our bikes, so we each got rides in during the week. Heather and Kyle got to see a movie at the Skyway Drive-in in Ephraim (Heather's first!). Pete, Heather, Max and I listened to music in the park in Egg Harbor and then discovered a delicious tapas place for dinner that felt positively and strangely hipster. Heather, Pete and Max went canoeing and Kyle and I (skeptically, but happily) tried stand-up paddle boarding in the calm waters of Green Bay. 

Here we are in front of Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant, which has a sod roof complete with goats roaming around on top:

This place was great - swedish pancakes, dirndls on the waitresses and more lingonberries than one knew what to do with.

We had lots of family time, including this beautiful and peaceful pebble beach near Sister Bay. This was one of our favorite times during the trip.

The whole area was super family-friendly. We ate dinner at an outdoor beergarden that actually had a playground in the garden. It was awesome! Here we are enjoying root beer floats at Wilson's in Ephraim:

Playing in the rain:

We had lots and lots of beach time. The beaches were very shallow, with sandbars and sand islands that were perfect for Sylvie and Max.

All in all, a great trip. So glad that the Colemans made the journey to Wisconsin and so glad we took the time for the trip.