My husband Chris and I have both lived in Wisconsin our entire lives. And we had never been to Door County. I know, it’s a little crazy. We had been to Washington Island numerous times (and LOVE it!), but we had never actually done the traditional Door County vacation.

Until last week.

And we loved it sooo much more than I can even explain! It will absolutely be an annual summer trip for our family. It really is the perfect family tradition. There are an insane amount of fun things to do in Door County for both kids and grown ups. So many, in fact, that I am going to do two separate blog posts on our favorites. The first will be a recap of our favorite places for kids. Also be sure to check out our favorite places in Door County for adults – including lots of wine and cheese, of course.

It’s no surprise that we did a ton in the one week that we were there. Most days we did one activity in the morning and one after nap time so we got in as many adventures as we could. Here’s a little list of our favorites…

The Farm
4285 WI-57, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 | Website
What is it? The cutest little farm, with a wide variety of farm animals in their natural surroundings. You can bottle feed baby goats, lambs, and piglets; Milk a goat; Play with and pet kittens; Explore pioneer log buildings. Plus, enjoy nature trails. The Farm prides themselves on being a living museum of rural America.
What we loved… In a nutshell, everything. This was probably my favorite place on our trip so much so that we almost went back a second time! The farm animals are so happy and well taken care and they LOVE people – especially kids. You walk in and they instantly come up to you and want to play – or you know, get some food.

The goats were probably the highlight because I got to bottle feed the babies and then Noah got to milk one! It was a little weird, actually. The boy is scared to touch or feed them, but no fear in milking them. Classic toddler.

Also, the kittens. OMG, the kittens. They have a ton of kittens roaming around the farm and you can play with them and hold them. The little guy that we were holding fell asleep right in our hands which was beyond awesome for Noah.

Then, on top of the animals, you can take a fun little nature walk. You get to go for a little walk through the woods and explore old pioneer buildings and equipment. It was pretty cool.

Plum Loco Animal Farm
4413 Plum Bottom Rd, Egg Harbor, WI 54209 | Website
What is it? A farm-animal sanctuary that offers animal interaction – as well as an elaborate & imaginative play-farm village for children. They are a family-farm that allows you to walk around and feed the animals (no touching, though).
What we loved… Feeding the animals was why we went here, but really the highlight was all of the fun imaginative play equipment. They have a lovely little picnic area with play houses, farms, barns, etc. and the kids can play and imagine life on the farm.

Door County Trolley Tour: Family Ride
8030 WI-42, Egg Harbor, WI 54209 | Website
What is it? A narrated, scenic-themed trolley ride tour. New this year, they are now running a shortened 30-minute family trolley tour.
What we loved…  We drove by the trolley station every day in Egg Harbor. And,  every day Noah was sure to call it out. The family tour is daily at 2PM so I wasn’t sure if we were actually going to make it on a tour – prime nap time. But, I bit the bullet and let Noah skip his nap one day so we could do the trolley. Best decision because it was incredible.

The family ride could not be any more well done. They start the ride with Daniel Tiger music and then play different Disney songs throughout the ride. The kids are given a little scavenger hunt list of things to find along the ride. Some of the things include a stop sign, different animals, cute little monuments that you drive by along the ride, etc. It’s a fun little game to keep the kids busy and engaged in the experience.

While the ride is going on the driver/tour guide also gives fun facts about Egg Harbor and Door County. It makes it a nice experience for the adults, as well.

Lautenbach’s Orchard
49197 WI-42, Fish Creek, WI 54212 | Website
What is it? A 100-acre family winery, cider mill and market. The winery resides in a restored dairy barn, producing most of its award-winning wines from fruits grown on the property. Estate-grown fruits include cherries, apples, grapes, raspberries, and pears. Styles of wine offered for tasting and purchase, range from dry to sweet, pure fruit and grape varietals, sparkling and spiced. Ideal for the kiddos because they offer cherry picking for the kids!
What we loved… We had never been cherry picking so I knew this would be a fun one for us. The major added bonus was that Chris and I would get to do some wine tastings, too. They won’t note it anywhere, but they’ll let the kiddos try the different juices at the wine bar. Just ask. It was fantastic! Another major bonus here is that there is a giant playground out front. After you pick your cherries you can sit at a picnic table, play on the playground and eat lots of cherries.

P.C. Junction
7898 Co Rd A, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 | Website
What is it? A fun little train-themed restaurant that is one of the most popular kid spots in Door County. They are known for their train-delivery food service.
What we loved… They have a giant old-school train play-yard outside with a slide, sandbox, school playhouse, pool table and other little climbing vehicles. We got there at the peak of lunch time so the wait was an hour for a seat at the bar – which is where the train delivers. Seating was available immediately in the restaurant. I wanted to wait because that’s why we went there – and there was so much to do outside that it was easy to kill time.

The bar-side train delivery was super cute. Noah is a really great age for it because he got quite the kick out of it. If you don’t have kids into trains or your kids are older, the train seating is not worth the wait.


Not Licked Yet Frozen Custard
4054 Main St, Fish Creek, WI 54212 | Website
What is it? Family-friendly frozen custard place in Fish Creek that has delicious frozen custard and desserts.
What we loved… Grab dinner across the street at Wild Tomato and then walk over for frozen custard. They sell little bags of popcorn that you can feed to the ducks and it’s sooo much fun!

Peninsula State Park
9462 Shore Rd, Fish Creek, WI 54212 | Website
What is it? 3,776-acre state park on Wisconsin’s Door County peninsula. You can hike, bike, boat, fish, golf and swim during spring, summer and fall. Winter offers cross country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding and snowmobiling. Camping, nature programs, and sightseeing are offered year-round.
What we loved… The views! Wow. The bike trail is 9-miles so it was the perfect mid-morning family ride.

Be warned though, there is a massively large hill on the trail at about mile 7. There are probably 25 different signs warning parents to watch their kids. Then, you go around this corner and the hill is insane. I was scared on it and rode my brakes the entire way down. I would not allow my kids to go on that hill under the age of 13 – at least. It’s huge. Trust the signs.