Today’s post is 1950 words, 56 photos, 2 videos, a 9 minute read. Enjoy!
Hi everyone,
Last week, I shared a post about our time campground hosting at Potawatomi State Park in 2025. Well, we enjoyed it so much that we were back again this year! This week, I’m following up with Part 2 of that story, with more memories from our time in beautiful Door County—along with a few of the unexpected adventures that come with campground hosting. If you missed last week’s post, click here.
Music to our Ears
Whenever we visit Door County, our first stop (after Renard’s for some smoked string cheese) is at the Destination Door County tourist information office to pick up a copy of the Peninsula Pulse. This free weekly newspaper (it comes out on Friday) is the ultimate resource for news, arts, and entertainment. Their weekly section on events in Door County and surrounding areas is our go-to for finding things we might enjoy, like music performances, art galleries, farmers’ markets, etc.
This trip was no exception. After settling into the campground, I scoured the Pulse for events that week. I noticed that a group of musicians was doing a concert featuring the songs of John Prine, one of my favorites. With lightning speed, I snagged a couple of tickets to the last show. It was beyond awesome; we both enjoyed the nearly three-hour-long songfest (with an intermission) at the cozy Woodwalk Gallery near Egg Harbor. The six musicians covered many of John’s hits as well as sang a few that I hadn’t heard before.
(This year, 2026, we attended both the Buckets of Prine and the Buckets of Rain, the songs of Bob Dylan. Both were excellent shows.)
This wasn’t the only time when we were at the Woodwalk Gallery. Towards the end of our stay, we were back for another concert with singer and keyboard player Krista Detor, with local musician Jeanne Kuhns and her daughter Marybeth as the opening act. It was good but it didn’t beat the evening with John Prine.
During the summer, I think visitors can listen to free music every night of the week. Towns and villages schedule music in parks in the afternoon or evening to avoid overlap. Sturgeon Bay has a free summer concert series on Wednesday evenings called Harmony by the Bay, held in Martin Park and sponsored by Destination Sturgeon Bay. We took in two of the concerts. We really enjoyed the Todd Carey Band; he even did a John Prine song and ended with the energetic Beatles tune “Twist and Shout.” Even I got out of my chair to twist this old body!
Tall Ships
Before we left, Destination Sturgeon Bay advertised their Tall Ships event, which would be happening while we were camp hosting. Again, without much discussion, I found the website where I could buy tickets for a two-hour ride on one of the four ships. Tickets were going fast, so I bought two for the ship that didn’t interfere with our work schedule at the campground. On a beautiful Sunday morning at 8:30 AM, we boarded the Liberty Clipper, a 125-foot schooner based out of Boston. This vessel is a replica of ships that plied the seas in the 1700 and 1800s. We were told this ship was destined for the scrap yard until a group of people eager to keep it sailing rescued and rehabbed it. It was back in the water after 18 months in dry dock.
This is the ship’s Captain. He managed a crew of 11, mostly young people in their 20s. During our sail, we talked with some of the crew members. They told us stories of traveling up and down the East Coast and spending the winter in Bermuda. It’s the life of a nomad. They knew how to have a good time yet worked together to get the boat underway.
After we boarded, a small sailboat cruised in for a close look at the Liberty Clipper.
We boarded early and waited as the long line of passengers filed onto the vessel. There were about 75 people on board during our sail. The crew had four more sails that day, so they were quite busy.
As the diesel engine got us underway, the pelicans and cormorants were resting on a small spit of land in the Bay of Sturgeon Bay.
This vessel had to have a couple of miles of rope in different sizes and colors. Note how they coil the rope. Apparently, this method keeps the ropes from getting tangled when the sails are lowered.
Passengers were called into action to help raise the main sail. With a couple of crew setting the cadence and shouting “heave, ho,” they finished quickly. When one of the crew was asked how they managed when there weren’t any passengers, we were told that five of the crew members would raise the front part, then cross the deck to raise the rear part. They went back and forth until the sail was fully raised.
This is a photo of one of the other tall ships that was under sail. In the background is Potawatomi State Park.
After the sails were fully raised, the crew members mingled with the passengers. They were a fun-loving lot, joking around and kidding each other. They were advertising for a ship’s cook. They were tired of eating microwaved meals. They offered anyone interested a tour of the galley, with its six-burner stove. One guy was interested; they wanted him to start the next day. I don’t think he took them up on the offer but thought about it.
There was very little breeze on that Sunday morning; even under full sail, we were hardly moving. To get back to the dock, they had to drop the sails and start the diesel engine.
As we passed the shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, I snapped a few photos. There was a Coast Guard ship undergoing repairs behind what looks like a tugboat named the Caroline McGee.
As we docked, we saw this “car” coming toward the Liberty Clipper. It’s an Amphicar Model 770 designed and made in Germany beginning in 1961. Fewer than 4000 were manufactured before production ended in 1965. It has a rear-mounted Triumph engine with twin plastic propellers mounted in the back. Here’s an interesting factoid: President Lyndon Johnson owned an Amphicar. He delighted in taking foreign dignitaries for a ride in the car at his Texas ranch and frightening them as he drove into the lake on his property. I haven’t seen one in years, and here it was competing with the Tall Ships!
Here’s the deckhand throwing the mooring lines to the shore hand. It was a fun, memorable ride. We talked to some nice people on board.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Destination Sturgeon Bay had local artists decorate sailboats that were placed around downtown. Below is an example. They are being auctioned off at their annual harvest fest on September 20.
Sturgeon Bay Farmers Market
Every Saturday we were camp hosting, we made a point of checking out the farmers market, which covers several blocks in downtown Sturgeon Bay. It’s not only produce but also crafts, novelties, books, prepared foods, and all sorts of things. Below are a few photos from the market.
This place serves great coffee.
This fellow was busking for change or folding money. The guy was pretty good too!
And there were artists at work.
The first Saturday we were there, the Friends of the Sturgeon Bay Library were having their monthly used book sale. It didn’t take long for my Traveling Partner and I to fill up a box with books, novels and mysteries for me, and cookbooks and quilt books for her. Love that place!
Potpourri
To finish out this post, I’ll take you on a quick survey of other places we checked out.
While my Traveling Partner shopped at the quilt shop down the street, I perused the shelves of the Novel Bay bookstore. Of course, I bought another book.
Lest you think Door County is all quaint shops, small farms, state parks, and water, apparently death is just around the corner. There’s a whole shelf of mysteries involving Door County. Check it out sometime.
My other favorite place to spend some time is the Cornucopia Kitchen Shop. We find unique kitchen/cooking related gifts and pick up a new gadget or utensil almost every time we stop. We like these small locally owned shops. Maybe they charge a little more than Amazon, but the friendly and helpful service beats buying online every time.
We always stop at the Door County Candle Company in Carlsville, between Sturgeon Bay and Egg Harbor. The owner, Christina, donates some of the proceeds from specialty candles to help those in need. She became well known nationally when she started making blue and yellow candles to support Ukraine. In the summer of 2022, we volunteered for a few hours at the shop to help make and package the candles that were sold around the world. It has raised over $1 million dollars. More recently, she has donated to California and Maui fire relief and helped victims of recent hurricanes. Currently, she is selling a specialty candle to benefit the Texas flood victims. An awesome business with a generous and empathic leader. A good example for us all.
We always make a stop at The Hardy Gallery in Ephraim. I’ve written about this place before. On this trip, we learned that the message my Traveling Partner and I painted on the side of the gallery for our 50th wedding anniversary has been painted over. They’ve instituted new rules for painting messages, which is a good thing because it had gotten out of control. Next time, we’ll bring some paint and a brush for a new message.
During our visit, a couple of girls were adding their names to the side of the building while a relative recorded it.
Inside the gallery, we looked at the tiles community members had painted. They do this every year, then auction them off to raise money for this public gallery.
We drove nearly to the tip of the Door Peninsula to Newport State Park. They have a Monarch Waystation near the park headquarters. There were only a few monarchs fluttering around, but I was able to capture a decent photo of one at work.
We only dined out a few times while in Door County. But we tried the new-to-us Sturgeon Bay restaurant, Prince of Pierogi. My Traveling Partner was raised on pierogis, or as the Ukrainians call them, varenyky. They are basically the same dish with different names: boiled dumplings filled with sweet or savory ingredients. We met the Prince himself. Krzysztof, a native of Poland, came to the US in 2012 and opened his first restaurant in Ephraim. We had the sauerkraut and mushroom pierogis and a cabbage roll. We enjoyed the casual dining experience and the quick service. Try them at either location in Door County.
We went into Sturgeon Bay several times during our stint in the campground. With three bridges crossing the Bay of Sturgeon Bay, also known as the Shipping Canal, the odds are that there will be a few times one will have to wait for the bridge to be raised and lowered for a passing boat with a tall mast. Here’s one such time.
My closing photo is of the Teweles and Brandeis Grain Elevator, now known as the Door County Granary. This building has a long history; it too has moved across the bridge, then moved back again. Once destined for demolition, it’s a shining example of the persistence and imagination of the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society that saved this relic and made it into a proud fixture next to the Door County Maritime Museum. We didn’t have time to go inside; we’ve saved that for our next visit.
Well folks, that’s this year’s edition on Door County. Hope you enjoyed the tour.
Until then, happy travels!
Tom
PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM