"Wisconsin-Happy Festival State", by Eve Phillips. My husband and I love to travel in the state of Wisconsin where we live and get great pictures on the way. My name is Laurie Kutil and photography has become a great passion of mine since 2010. One thing I have learned in researching each town before visiting it is that, "Every town has it's story". When I do uncover those stories by connecting with local residents, our experience becomes so much richer. In turn, sharing the stories with you brings me joy :)
Our last visit to Algoma was almost a year ago, we were back again for a visit before heading to the Green Bay Packers game that evening. We have fallen in love with this Harbor Town and wanted to explore it more. Also, to retake pictures of the lighthouse since they didn’t turn out last year. We also visited several businesses we didn’t see last year.
A couple of the businesses were actually over the border in Door County. Since we love Door County too, it was good to cross over. Our first stop was Renard’s Cheese where Al bought some cheese curds, a popular snack in Wisconsin.
In the adjoining building is where they make the cheese. They were happy to take our picture by a rack filled with cheese wheels.
We then went up the road a little further to Weinke’s Market to look around and get some of their famous cherry pie filling. They are located 6 miles north of downtown Algoma.
They had freshly made Kolaches, a fav from Al’s Czech heritage, yum!
After that we headed back to the south side of Algoma to take a look at The Flying Pig . What a delightful place with art for sale and beautiful gardens outside. Also a cafe. For sale were beautiful souvenir stoneware mugs by Sunset Hill Stoneware for $20. I got one 🙂 See a video here to learn more. The red pig gracing the front of the building is named “Betty”.
Enjoy the garden, a winding path goes around a pond edged by shacks constructed in Door County.
Relaxing by the pond. we had a good time here.
Time for lunch! This time we ate at the Stadium Diner. What delicious food friendly atmosphere here. Owner Terry Hannah personally greeted us and welcomed us to Algoma. Strangers feel like friends here and aren’t strangers for long! Our burgers were delicious and we split Brownie a la mode. Yum! We’ll be back next time we visit.
If you come here, don’t forget to get some wine to enjoy lakeside at Von Stiehl Winery. They also offer tours and tastings.
Finally about 2:00 PM, it was time to take lighthouse pictures. Also got some action in the Marina, it was a beautiful day with few waves. The true color is right.
Algoma has much to offer, we look forward to coming back.
We were on our way back home from Door County and stopped in Carlsville to go to Door County Coffee and Tea. Quite a relaxing place, hard to keep going home after visiting there. There are many gifts and a dining room which was full of hungry people.
There were large windows that allowed you to watch the coffee roasting in action.
It’s well worth the time to stop here if you are in the area, especially for the coffee. You can bring it home too, it can also be purchased in Madison and other area stores.
We were here for 2 1/2 days and has some time to sight see on the island.. The weather was beautiful! The summer crowds were diminished and days were in the 70’s. Let’s get going!
A favorite spot is Schoolhouse Beach, one of the only beaches in the world whose shores are covered in smooth, white rocks. It is illegal to take any rocks from the island.
Another great place is the Mountain Wayside Park. The big feature is a lookout tower, you can see Rock Island from up there. Lets go!
Some previous climbers were challenged by the hike up the stairs. The hike actually begins at the base quite a distance down. The view was well worth it! Washington Island is 5 miles from Wisconsin mainland in Door County.
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Jackson Harbor had lots to see too. We got there just as the Ferry Karfi left to take tourists to Rock Island. Rock Island is in itself a state park, only accessible by boat. No bikes or cars allowed. We didn’t have the time to go, next time we will.
The Jackson Harbor Maritime Museum is here as well. A tranquil scene in the harbor.
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The Farm Museum is another great place to go. The have live animals and early farm equipment displays.
A third museum we went to was the Jacobsen Museum. In it is a lot is island history artifacts.
The island has a lake called Little Lake a short walk from the museum on a trail. A peaceful place, all you could hear were crickets and red wing blackbirds in the late summer sun.
After a busy morning and early afternoon exploring, we went to Detroit Harbor to
One of my absolute favorite places in Wisconsin is Door County. My husband and I were there in Sept. 2011 and I snapped this shot from our car as we drove by. This was in Ephriam, one of the many beautiful towns on the way up the peninsula. This is just one of many great scenes in Door County I will be sharing.
This very peaceful scene was a picture I took from the water on September 12, 2011. We were on the Washington Island Car Ferry heading back to the mainland of Wisconsin. Washington Island is 5 miles from the tip of Door County. The view is of Detroit Harbor on the island. My husband and I spent 2 nights on the island to attend a nephew’s wedding. A slight flush of fall color is visible in the trees. Here is the ferry, one we went by on the way back.
Door County is a special place in Wisconsin, the pace of life is slower here, especially on the island. I will tell more of our visit soon.
