The place isn’t that big, and you could easily visit all of the, say, breweries and distilleries in a day to pick your favorite, so I figure that I’ll share a few tips that may be less obvious.

Check out the Door County Trolley drinking tours. They hit a lot of good spots, and you don’t have to worry about driving in between. (Speaking of which, the Door County Sheriff deputies are pretty active, and the highway winds through crowded towns, so watch the speed limit.) The Trolley doesn’t go there, but Island Orchard Cider in Ellison Bay is definitely worth a stop. (I buy it, and One Barrel Brewing beer, here in Madison because I think it’s better than many other options.)

For hiking, the state parks are good, but also quite crowded. If you want to get a little bit off of the beaten path, look at the Door County Land Trust’s nature preserves. They have a map with good descriptions on their web site. I haven’t been yet, but I’m planning to check out the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve. There are a number of good county and town parks, too. Catching the sunset over Green Bay from Ellison Bay Bluff County Park is kind of de rigueur, as is Cave Point County Park. (TBH, though, I’ve never been to the latter.)

For swimming, in general, the east side of the peninsula is the place to go. The water quality can be iffy in the south, closer to the city of Green Bay, and the west side in general is bluffs and rocky outcroppings of the Niagara Escarpment. The east side has lots of shallow, sandy beaches where the sun can warm up the water. Just pay attention to the weather. Strong northerly winds can kick up strong waves, and powerful longshore currents. NOAA is good about issuing beach advisories when that happens. If it does happen, Nicolet Bay at Peninsula State Park is a good swimming spot, just very crowded.

Couple of other things: If you’re going to be there on the 26th, definitely consider Blues on the Bay, and if you like smoked fish, get to Charlie’s Smokehouse early because they sell out every day.

My two favorites for drinks is Door County Brewing Co which has a taproom in Bailey’s Harbor, and Peach Barn Farmhouse & Brewery in Sister Bay. The first is on the quiet side of the peninsula and the later is less know but had a great selection. Both have live music often but you’ll have to check with them on the schedule.