Everyone knows Fall is my favorite time of year, but Fall in Door County, ugh it just hits different. (Thats what the kids say isn't it?) Every year my mom and I go on a girls weekend trip to Door County, and when I say every year I mean like this dates back to when I was in a car seat and we were going with the Wisconsin Early Mustanger's. Wasn't exactly a girls trip back then, but still one heck of a time!
Our trip has evolved over the years from me playing school in the back of the car to seeing how much we can drain my bank account at wineries and shops in one weekend. I LOVE supporting other small businesses, so obviously it just makes sense to share a few of my favorite stops of the trip with you!
Door 44 Winery
I've talked about Door 44 in Sturgeon Bay plenty of times before on my social media & website, if you have not been here yet, GO! NOW! RUN! FASTER! I'm not kidding! It is my absolute favorite winery EVER and I am a big wine drinker!
You may also know these wine masters as Parallel 44, located in Kewaunee, WI. The Parallel 44 location has over 10 acres of vines planted to make their fantastic wine and in
2019 Door 44 was expanded to a 20 acre parcel with a vineyard that they have been buying grapes from for 10 years!
The Door 44 and Parallel story all started with one of my favorite wines, Frozen Tundra Original. The Summer of 2009 was cool and the grapes that were harvested were slightly under ripe. The owners thought it fitting to use the term “Frozen Tundra” for its name as a regional reference to the Green Bay area.
As a small business owner, I love businesses that stay local, so it is a huge plus in my book that all of the wine produced by Parallel 44 and Door 44 are either made with grapes grown in their own vineyards or at one of the vineyards that the wineries contract with throughout the state of Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest. Keeping it close to home, just the way I like it!
As if the winery didn't already have my heart, they sealed the deal when I learned about their wine club options, yeah they ship wine....TO MY HOUSE! They have two wine clubs, both are free to join with no annual fees, (why haven't you joined yet??) both have you receiving wine right to your door quarterly. Does it get any better than that!? You really can't go wrong with either club option, and I may be biased being that they are my absolute favorite winery, but I HIGHLY recommend joining the club! Plus you get free tastings so....it's really a no brainer! If you are interested in learning more about the clubs or want to join you can find all of that information HERE.
Bliss
I remember Bliss from the time I was little, it was one of the stores I would walk in and go "WOW I can't wait until I'm and adult and can buy stuff here!" Well here I am, an adult, and I can never ever EVER leave this store without buying one (or ten) things I love! They have grown just as much as I have since coming here as a little girl, now located in The Marketplace on 3rd Ave. in downtown Sturgeon Bay, their decor is sophisticated and simply fabulous!
The entire store is so fresh! This is hands down the place to go if you want unique, one of a kind, finds. From the textures to the color palettes, everything is just absolutely stunning! If only I had a reason to own 670 pillows, I would buy every single one they have in the store. When I win the lottery someday (crossing my fingers) I will buy a house with as many rooms as I can get just so I can buy more from Bliss!
This is one of those businesses that you walk in and instantly feel at home. You are welcomed when you walk in, the atmosphere is so warm and inviting, everywhere you look there is something different and special to see. How HGTV has not somehow jumped on this store already is BEYOND me!
What they are doing with The Marketplace is so extraordinary! It is a collaboration of retailers that compliment one another all in one beautiful space. Their vision of a department store atmosphere full of independently owned businesses with similar values is so unique and something I absolutely love! I cannot wait to continue to support Bliss and The Marketplace for years and years to come!
Bridge Up Brewery
This was a new find on this trip! Located below Sonny's Pizzeria (a must stop lunch spot!), this unique craft brewery has a vibe that instantly had me texting my friends saying, "We NEED to come hang out here!" I am already excited for next summer when we will be able to come hang out on the giant patio with a beautiful view of the water and tons of outdoor games! The orange couch, the popcorn, the records (which by the way you can find your favorites and ask the bartender to play them!), PLUS the dog friendly hang out spots, it kind of gives me Central Perk vibes, but with beer and come on, who doesn't want a place like that to hang out?
Bridge Up shows so much love and pride for the Door County community! They recognize the importance of supporting organizations that make Door County the place we all know and adore. So they started Pints with a Purpose (so cute I know!) to help raise awareness and funds for great causes in Door County.
Each month, the brew selected for Pints with a Purpose changes, and a percentage of its sales goes to support a different Door County non-profit. To date Bridge Up has donated $2,365 to local charities! THANK YOU BRIDGE UP! Do you have a Door County non-profit or do you know one that might be a great fit for Pints with a Purpose? Email Bridge Up to start the conversation about getting on tap!
I personally had two glasses of Escarpment, it is a crisp, bright, grapefruit finish beer and also happened to be the Pint with a Purpose beer of the month! Their flagship beers are always on tap, but they rotate the other taps often so make sure to stop in to see what they are currently featuring! Really, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the options. I like beer ALMOST as much as I like wine, so trust me on this one.
Fun fact! They also have another location, Bridge Up North Taproom, located at the Door County Cherry Hut just south of Fish Creek! Unfortunately the Cherry Hut is only open seasonally May-October, but add it to your list of things to do next summer! Throughout the weekend, we had probably 10+ different people recommend Bridge Up to us, and we were happy to let them know we had found them already and were also recommending them to people any chance we got!
Wood Orchard Market
When you see the big red apple on the side of the road you will know you found the right place! My mom will seriously fight people for their apple cider donuts if she has to, not kidding. We will wait forever if they are out so we can get boxes and boxes of them. I brought them in to work yesterday and they were gone by the end of the day!
Wood Orchard has the most adorable home decor, jams, jellies, pies, apples, donuts, anything you could every imagine! Want a few apples or a whole dang bucket they've got you covered! Oh man I could eat their honey crisp apples every day. (Heads up ISA fam, I am also bringing in the best pie you will have ever had made with their honey crisp apples!). The fruit farm was established in 1955, the farm now has over 200 acres of strawberries, raspberries, apples, and of course, Door County Cherries. The actual market opened in 1996 and quickly became a Door County staple.
I'm not joking when I say I've been coming to Door County for as long as I can remember, the picture above is of my grandma, mom, and me when I was three years old at the Wood Orchard Market on one of our annual Fall trips.
I associate the market and their big red apple with so many great memories. The peddle carts, sunflowers, play set, and all of the delicious goodies inside, they have something for everyone! I would love for you to be able to enjoy their tasty treats and make some great memories of your own!
They are open daily 9 am - 5 pm or you can shop their products online at anytime on their website HERE!
Door County Dog Store
If Cooper was making a list this would be his #1 (and only) store on the list. We all know Coop is a spoiled little pup, and I 10000% don't mind spoiling him with the in house Stove Dog Bakery treats that are made with healthy natural ingredients I feel good feeding him and he loves eating!
He gets at least two or three treats every time I make it up to the Door County Dog Store. Last week he got to enjoy his gotcha day bone (Yay 5 years of loving my bestie!). This trip I did splurge and get him a taco, pizza, a hot dog, AND a Door County bone! These little delights are sweet potato based biscuits with a yogurt frosting and let me tell you Cooper LOVES them. So much that if he sees them he does all of his tricks in a row without being asked because he just wants them so bad!
The store has more than just the best treats, they have more toys then your pup could ever want, a self service dog wash (by appointment only), and gifts for every dog owner out there! They welcome well-mannered, leashed or carried dogs in the store because obviously it is really all about the pooches! They also have the Door County Dog Store Deck that features a dog pool in the warmer months, and photo props available according to the season! A great place for pups and owners to meet up, enjoy a peanut butter frozen yogurt or a Stove Dog Bakery treat!
Find all the doggy goodies on the Door County Dog Store website HERE and learn more about Stove Dog Bakery HERE.
Moon + Stone Healing and Boutique
Stumbling upon this gem and its beautiful owner Sarah on this trip is one of my favorite parts of the entire weekend! I am a firm believer in everything happens for a reason, and as someone who visits the Sturgeon Bay area quite often, there are not many places I haven't ventured in to. Except, apparently, the building Sarah is now located in.
My mom and I went in to the building after a stranger on the the street said we might find something cool in there, went inside and noted it was pretty bare, a pilates studio, and gosh knows we weren't doing that, I wanted to go get candy, but I wanted to use the restroom before we left. My mom wandered around a little bit and found Moon + Stone.
Long story short (that will be in another blog post that I know I keep promising) I have been having some health issues over the past five almost six months and we still have no answers. My mom, being my mom, saw the crystals and rocks Moon + Stone was selling and asked "do you have anything to cure..." and started listing off everything that has been going on with me.
I found my mom in the shop, and Sarah asked me more about what was going on and you know me, I started bawling because thats just what I do. This wonderful human not only pointed us in the right direction of something that could potentially help, but also is meeting with me again to talk through everything and seeing what else she could do to help or how she could help me help myself.
Sarah is someone who makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. Her energy feels so welcoming and honest, you can tell she loves what she does and enjoys helping people. The entire shop is filled with beautiful crystals, jewelry, trinkets, and more, most handmade! There is no better way to describe Moon + Stone than serene.
Again, fate or energy or something pulled me in to that shop and meeting Sarah was simply incredible. Nothing over the last five months has been able to bring as much emotional relief as talking with Sarah and wandering through Moon + Stone has. After our chance encounter, it was like a bit of the weight I have been carrying was lifted, so even though I still don't know what is ahead of me, my mind feels more at peace.
I highly HIGHLY recommend stopping in to Moon + Stone if you are in the Sturgeon Bay area or taking a peak at her social media pages. I hope this beautiful soul and store brings you just as much peace and joy as she has brought me
Trust me, there are PLENTY of other notable places that I love in the area, but I can't give away all of my favorites in one post! Plus, it looks like I will be back there quite a bit in the near future, so I'm sure I will share more in blog posts along the way... ;)
No matter the time of year, or how often I visit, there are always the places I make sure to pop in, even if it is just to say hello to the people that have watched me grow up! Since moving to the Green Bay area, my visits have become much more frequent, and it has given me more time to explore the area and discover some new finds. It has allowed me to get closer to and learn from some of the business owners that I have grown up watching their businesses thrive and evolve in to what they are today! The sense of community and small town feel on the entire peninsula is indescribable. It is almost feels like being in a Hallmark movie. Magical.
If it is your family vacation spot, your girls weekend get away, or just a day trip, Door County never fails to deliver on unique one of a kind shopping, dining, and more. As I said, I have plenty of other favorite spots to share with you in the future, but would love to hear if you have some favorites of your own in the comments below!
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