Community Spotlight: Egg Harbor

Half way up the peninsula is nestled a quaint little town with a funny name: Egg Harbor.

People have long-debated where that name comes from. Some say it's derived from the shape of its cozy harbor, while others trace it to a more interesting tale of two ships staging a massive egg fight off shore. What’s known for certain is that this picturesque town offers a little bit of everything for visitors, which is why it has been named one of the best small towns in America.

Foodie Finds

Start with food. Whether you love cheese, fresh-farm produce, or fine dining, Egg Harbor is rapidly becoming a hot spot for food lovers. You’ll find two award-winning artisan cheese shops, two roadside farm markets, and a favorite local grocer stocked with specialty items.

The restaurant scene is just as inviting, with everything from BBQ to Spanish tapas and microbrews to artisan breads, you’ll love dining in Egg Harbor.

Recreation

You may want to earn all those great eats, and there are plenty of opportunities to do that. In July Egg Harbor is home base for the immensely popular Door County Triathlon and its 2,500 participants. But event day isn’t the only time to challenge your endurance.

Rent paddleboards and other human-powered watercraft at the beautiful new Egg Harbor beach and explore the picturesque harbor from Point Beach to Whitecliff Road. The boating here is superb thanks to the recently reconstructed public marina, a perfect spot to watch the sun set just beyond the point or drop a line with the kids off the pier.

The village is surrounded by orchards and rural countryside that makes for incredible bicycling and running territory, including the picturesque Bay Shore Drive.

If golf is your passion, you won’t have to travel far to fulfill it. Horseshoe Bay Golf Club, considered among the best in Wisconsin, sprawls above Frank Murphy County Park south of the village. Closer to downtown you’ll find Alpine Resort and Golf Course, one of the county’s oldest and famous for the Blue 9 hole, named the most scenic hole in Wisconsin.

Just north of the village lies The Orchards, with its beautiful fairways snug amidst cherry orchards. And for the more amateur among us, Stonehedge Golf Course offers nine easier to digest holes just east of the village.

This tiny village boasts a remarkably large shopping scene, with some of the county’s mainstay furniture and fine gift shops, specialty clothiers and boutiques, and galleries.

Family Fun

You can’t beat a day on the sprawling sand beach, or an evening fishing from the pier for dinner, but there’s much more to do and see. The Door County Trolley depot is a great base for family adventure and sightseeing.

Few communities can tout the array of family lodging and resort options, from rustic cabins of yesteryear to resorts tailored to families with games, ball pits, and pools.

It’s also a community that has added two of the peninsula’s marquee community centers in recent years. The Peg Egan Performing Arts Center overlooks the village from the hillside and hosts free Sunday evening concerts from nationally-known musicians. Across the street, the stunning Donald and Carol Kress Pavilion offers panoramic views of the harbor, village, and surrounding orchards. The Pavilion offers a beautiful spot to work when you’re on the road, entertain kids, or find a book in the expansive library downstairs.

These two facilities add to the 40 years of live performances in a repurposed dairy barn by renowned musicians at Birch Creek Music Performance Center.

Historical Hunt

Some of Door County’s most iconic historical structures are found in Egg Harbor. At the village entrance sits the Chief Oshkosh Trading Post, where Chief Oshkosh once hosted pow-wows for local children in a creek-side amphitheater and his legacy carries on today.

In the center of town you can’t miss the Cupola House, one of the oldest structures in the village. Along the shore is Alpine Resort, the first large-scale resort in Door County that opened in 1922 and remains in its original family today. And south of town are the picturesque barns of Horseshoe Bay Farms, once the largest employer in the county and among the state’s most innovative dairy operations.

Whether you’re seeking history, outdoor adventure, or retail therapy, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better place to do it all than Egg Harbor.