There’s no place quite like Door County in the United States, thanks in large part to its uncanny mingling of New England and Midwestern sensibilities, eclectic arts and theater scene, and woodsy geography. This mix makes it a perennial favorite destination for road-trippers from Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis, during the summer and fall. In Ephraim, the heart of the peninsula, The Edgewater Resort is an embodiment of what makes Door County so appealing.

The 125-year-old property brims with nostalgic charm, from its popular weekend fish boil at the adjoining The Old Post Office restaurant (tapping into the area’s Scandinavian history) to its own dock across the street and preserved historic churches and school house in its “backyard.” The location on the main road provides easy access to other nearby towns around Green Bay (the body of water) as well as Peninsula Players Theater and Northern Sky Theater in nearby Fish Creek, noted for impressive productions. That main road also happens to be one of the most beautiful drives in the United States.

Like Door County itself, there’s a lot packed into The Edgewater Resort’s small spaces. While the entire property received subtle but marked upgrades, three renovated pet-friendly private cabins embody the region’s evolution into something as appealing to young, adventurous couples as it is to families and older travelers. They each have a generous kitchen, cozy sleeping area and sitting space proving modernity can be brought to traditional lodging without compromising its historic underpinnings. The bathroom has an LED-lit mirror and a Jacuzzi tub with a rain shower. Even with quality restaurants nearby, the kitchen’s full-sized refrigerator and cabinets stocked with plates and silverware provide incentive to hit the local farmers markets and wineries to buy provisions for a D.I.Y. picnic at the beach or happy hour in the comfort of the room.

© Elyse Glickman

In the main hotel, several rooms have verandas facing Eagle Harbor shoreline and, by default, spectacular views of vibrant sunsets. Most rooms feature a king-sized bedroom with a lot of the same amenities found in the cabins. All guests have access to a tidy, well-equipped fitness room, heated outdoor swimming pool and staff who can point you in the direction of Ephraim’s historic points of interest, art galleries and favorite boutiques and restaurants. The Old Post Office is also noted for homespun breakfasts. guides, is one of the few that can serve fish deboned.

Perfect first-day activities a few minutes’ drive from The Edgewater Resort include Peninsula State Park and Door County Trolley hub, offering tours that run the gamut from scenic tours to food and wine tours, ghost tours and historic lighthouse tours along with an excellent gift shop. Ephraim is also home to Skyway Drive-In Theater, Wisconsin’s oldest continuously running drive-in combining 1950s speakers and 21^st-century digitized movie screening technology. Wilson’s Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor, a few minutes’ walk from the inn, offers definitively Wisconsin comfort food (deep fried cheese curds), monster-sized scoops and sundaes, and a healthy side of mid-20^th-century nostalgia.

The Edgewater Resort

10040 N. Water St.
Ephraim, WI 54211
tel 920 854 2743