To get to Washington Island by car, take I-94 north to Milwaukee, then I-43 to Green Bay. At Green Bay take Route 57 north to Sturgeon Bay, which straddles the ship canal that separates northern and southern Door County and is the last major town on the peninsula. From April through June there’s construction on the main bridge; motorists are advised to take Business 42/57 into the city. Depending on the ferry schedule, it may be convenient to spend the night here (in winter, it’s basically a given if you’re shooting for the morning boat). Sturgeon Bay has a bunch of standard accommodations, many offering discounts to island-bound travelers; rooms at the Comfort Inn, 923 Green Bay Road (920-743-7846), run $99.99 a night June through October, $59.99 during the off-season. If you’re hungry, Leah Caplan recommends the Inn at Cedar Crossing, 336 Louisiana (920-743-4249 or www.innatcedarcrossing.com). It’s open year-round, seven days a week. If you want to stay at the 120-year-old inn as well, rooms run from $105 to $190 a night during the season; winter rates range from $75 to $180. Call 920-743-4200.
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Just outside Sturgeon Bay the road splits: Route 42 takes you up the north side of the peninsula along Green Bay through tourist-saturated Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, and Sister Bay. It’s about an hour’s drive to the ferry at Northport, but travel times can vary drastically depending on weather and traffic–in winter it may not be plowed, and in summer the two-lane road can get clogged. Route 57, which runs along the south shore through Baileys Harbor before rejoining Route 42 in Sister Bay, is a prettier and less developed route that won’t cost you any extra time. If you take 57, you can also stop outside Sister Bay at the Door County Bakery, 10048 Rte. 57 (920-854-1137), a bakery, deli, and specialty grocery with a well-rounded wine selection bought through Tim Long, who also supplies the Washington Hotel. In addition to baked goods, the store offers a half-dozen sandwiches like barbecued pork on thick slices of the bakery’s signature Corsican bread, a chewy loaf drenched in olive oil.
The trip across the Porte des Morts (“Death’s Door”) passage–in the early days of Lake Michigan shipping one of the most treacherous straits around–takes about half an hour. Once you’re on the island, the Washington Hotel is a five-minute drive from the pier: head up Lobdell’s Point Road and keep going straight past Main Road, where Lobdell’s Point turns into Detroit Harbor Road. At Range Line Road, turn right; the hotel is a bit down the way on the right. Rooms at the hotel–which are named after historic island ships like the Griffin and the Madonna–range from $119 to $159 ($79 to $129 November through February). Rates are for one or two and include a continental breakfast. The dining room’s open from noon to 8 Monday through Saturday; on Sundays there’s a brunch from 11 to 1. A light menu of salads, sandwiches, and brick-oven pizzas is also available in the parlor and on the porch from 11 to 5. Caplan has cooking classes and special events scheduled throughout the season–the next one is the “Spring Forage” on May 15, where she’ll lead guests in gathering morels, rhubarb, and ramps from the grounds and then use them as the basis for a spring menu. That’s $100; call 920-847-2169 or see www.thewashingtonhotel.com for more.
Once you’ve done the town, continue north on Main to Jackson Harbor Road, where you’ll hit the Art and Nature Center (920-847-2025). Open from mid-June to mid-September, the center houses a gallery showing work by local artists and a kid-friendly nature room. Just east of Airport Road on Jackson Harbor is the Washington Island Farm Museum (920-847-2522), which is full of vintage farm equipment and everyday objects from the island’s farming history. It’s open from Memorial Day weekend through the end of October. Less rustic but decidedly more functional, Lynn Utesch’s farm is at the intersection of Jackson Harbor and Mountain roads. He sells cuts of grass-fed beef in the fall and seasonally as the supply permits. There’s no sign out front–look for the salmon-pink house and the field full of cows. (“If you can’t find it,” he says, “just ask around.”)
