If they say you learn something new every day, then why not enrich your mind while on vacation in Door County? Learn about the peninsula's natural beauty up close and personal, awaken your inner artist, create mouth-watering cuisine, listen to music with a new appreciation, or even dance the night away.
Season(s)
Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter
Activities
- Peninsula Art School Workshops (1-3 days)
- Björklunden Workshops (3-7 days)
- The Clearing Workshops (6-7 days)
- Francis Hardy Center for the Arts Workshops (1-3 days)
- Hands On Art Studio (1 day)
- Crossroads at Big Creek naturalist hike programs (1 day)
- Team Leadership workshop (1-3 days)
- State Park Interpretive programs (1-3 days)
- The Ridges Sanctuary Naturalist-guided hikes (1 day)
- The Ridges Sanctuary Summer Children's Program (3-4 days)
- Dairy View Country Store tours (half day)
- Washington Hotel, Restaurant & Culinary School class or demonstration (half day)
- Savory Spoon Cooking School class (1-2 days)
- Peninsula Dance Classes (1 day - several weeks)
- Visit Museums and Lighthouses including: Cana Island Lighthouse, Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, Pottawatomie Lighthouse, Door County Maritime Museum and Lighthouse Preservation Society, Door County Historical Museum, Ephraim Foundation Museums, The Historic Noble House, The Miller Art Museum, The Fairfield Art Museum, Old Anderson House Museum, Washington Island Art & Nature Center
Activities in Detail
Peninsula Art School Workshops (1-3 days)
3900 County F, Fish Creek, WI 54212
Phone: (920) 868-3455
Website: www.peninsulaartschool.com
Offers year 'round workshops in painting, drawing, pottery, jewelry, photography and more with a nationally recognized faculty in a state of the art facility. 1-5 day workshops are available for all ages and abilities. Registration and catalog available on our web site.
Björklunden Workshops (3-7 days)
P.O. Box 10, Hwy 57S, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202
Phone: 920-839-2216
Website: www.lawrence.edu/about/bjork/
Summer seminars - A vacation with a focus. Lawrence University offers week-long and three-day seminars from early June to late October on its 425-acre estate in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin. Relaxed studies include art, music, religion, literature, history, and the nature of Door County. Participants may reside in the lodge on the shores of Lake Michigan or commute. Write: Box 10, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202.
The Clearing Workshops (6-7 days)
PO Box 65, 12171 Garrett Bay Rd, Ellison Bay, WI 54210
Phone: (920) 854-4088 or toll free (877) 854-3225
Website: www.theclearing.org
Since 1935, people have come to The Clearing in northern Door County to learn in a beautiful and inspiring setting. The Clearing offers weeklong residential classes from May through October in the arts and fine crafts, humanities and natural sciences. Classes are taught in the relaxed, informal style of the Danish folk school tradition. Summer seminars and fall and winter day classes complete The Clearing's offerings. The Clearing is on the State and National Historic Registers.
Francis Hardy Center for the Arts (1-3 days)
Anderson Dock, Ephraim, WI 54211
Phone: (920) 854-5535
Website: www.thehardy.org
Artist workshops providing educational opportunities for adults and children to observe and learn from professionals.
Hands On Art Studio (1 day)
3655 Peninsula Players Rd, Fish Creek, WI 54212
Phone: (920) 868-9311
Website: www.handsonartstudio.com
A place to play for kids and adults. Paint your own ceramics, metal pieces, glassware, t-shirts, birdhouses & posters. Experiment with glass. Throw a pot. Explore art in a magnificent two-story barn. Make or find objects that express you in an inspiring studio/gallery. Spend the day. Relax and free your inner artist! Open daily, 10-6 May through October.
Crossroads at Big Creek (1 day)
Website: www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org
Crossroads is located on the east side of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
with the main entrance on Michigan St., just east of the intersection of Michigan and Highway 42/57. This 115-acre preserve includes several specific educational resource centers and an extensive all-season trail system that connects to evergreen and hardwood forests, streams, seasonal ponds, wetlands and upland meadows.
Team Leadership Center (1-3 days)
4497 Ploor Rd, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Phone: (920) 746-9999
Website: www.teamleadership.com
Learn rock climbing, canoeing and kayaking through a Team Leadership workshop.
Peninsula State Park (1 day)
9462 Shore Rd., Egg Harbor, WI 54209
(920) 868-3258
Website: www.wiparks.net
Interpretive programs aim to create interest, understanding, respect, and a sense of responsibility toward our natural resources. Enjoy an interpretive program with us! Peninsula programs include campfires, trail hikes, nature crafts and living history.
Types of Interpretive Programs
Evening programs. Enjoy an evening slide talk, a movie, or an informal campfire chat.
Guided nature hikes. Enjoy the scenic beauty of the area with an interpreter who points out interesting natural phenomena and helps you understand what you see.
Interpretive centers have displays and exhibits, to interpret the natural history of the park and surrounding area.
Self-guided nature trails have signs or brochures that point out interesting or unusual features you see while hiking.
Newport State Park (1 day)
475 County Rd. N P, Ellison Bay, WI 54210
(920) 854-2500
Website: www.dcty.com/newport
Newport State Park offers educational and interpretive programs throughout the year. School Groups are welcome! Newport is the "darkest park on the peninsula" which gives way for great night sky viewing and education among the stars.
The Ridges Sanctuary
8288 County Q, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202
(920) 839-2802
Website: www.ridgesanctuary.org
The Ridges Sanctuary offers education programs throughout the year. Many programs are free to Ridges members, and are open to the general public for a small fee.
Naturalist-Guided Hikes (1 day)
Naturalist-guided hikes through the Sanctuary are given from mid-May through mid-October. In June, July and August, guided hikes are given at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Please contact or e-mail the Ridges office for tour times in May, September and October.
Summer Children's Programs (3-4 days)
Do you have a child or grandchild who loves outdoor adventures- If so, consider enrolling them in one of the summer children's programs at The Ridges Sanctuary. When kids attend Ridges programs, they experience first-hand what makes the Sanctuary so unique. Hands-on science activities are supplemented with hikes, stories, crafts and songs... all conducted in a beautiful wooded setting just a few minutes' walk from the shore of Lake Michigan.
Dairy View Country Store (half day)
Schopf's Hilltop Dairy, 5169 County Rd I, Carlsville, WI 54235
Phone: (920) 743-9779
Website: www.dairyview.com
Schopf's Hilltop Dairy tours run all day and include Cookie the Dairy View Cow's Classroom where everyone learns about the dairy industry, Cookie's Barn where you watch milking in the parlor through a 28-foot viewing window, sample and enjoy homemade treats from the Dairy View Ice Cream Parlor. Shop in the Dairy View Country Store for toys, gifts, food and clothing with an agricultural theme. Explore the great 17-acre Corn Maze! School groups and bus tours welcome, call 920-743-9779 for details.
Washington Hotel, Restaurant & Culinary School (half day)
W14 N354 Range Line Rd, Washington Island, WI 54246
Phone: (920) 847-2169
Website: www.thewashingtonhotel.com
LEARN THE ART AND SCIENCE OF FOOD. Join us on summer afternoons for public cooking demonstrations. Sample unique foods and take home the recipe. See our class calendar for a schedule of events.
Savory Spoon Cooking School (1-2 days)
1822 Highview Rd., Ellison Bay, WI 54210
(920) 854-6600
Website: www.SavorySpoon.com
Hands-on cooking classes-learn by experience. Classes in our state of the art kitchen teach techniques, offer tips, introduce new ingredients, and give you the confidence to replicate the dishes at home. Come have fun in our kitchen! Located just north of Sister Bay. Open June-Nov.
Peninsula Dance (1 day - several weeks)
P.O. Box 126, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Director Karen Cowan. Ballet, modern dance, jazz, tap, yoga, movement for older adults, dance fitness, children's dance. All ages. Dance concerts. Classes at Fish Creek Town Hall. Write for more information.