When you think of the Midwest, amber waves of grain are more likely to come to mind than beaches and lighthouses. Yet in Door County, a finger of land that protrudes into Lake Michigan, you'll find the unexpected.

With 250 miles of shoreline, 58,000 yards of fairway, and 10 lighthouses (the most of any county in the US), Door County, WI, is one of the sweetest getaways in the Midwest. I asked Contributing Editor Melanie Walker, a born-and-bred Midwesterner, to give us the lowdown on this high-interest destination.

Each year about two million visitors escape sweltering summer heat by catching breezes cooled by the Great Lakes from the county's often-dramatic cliffs and miles of mocha-colored, sandy beaches. Door is known for shipbuilding, lighthouses, fishing, and orchards. When its 5,100 acres of fruit trees burst into bloom this month, the peninsula becomes a bower of blossoms and fragrance.

The famed Palmer-Johnson yacht builders are located here, as well as Peterson Builders Inc., which manufactures large-scale minesweepers and gunboats for the US Navy. Fishing enthusiasts can wet a line on their own or hire knowledgeable insiders such as Dale Stroschien, one of the areas most sought-after guides.

If eating fish is more your style than catching them, try one of the area's renowned "fish boils." Two of the best are at the White Gull Inn (920-868-3517, www.whitegull.com) and Pelletier's (920-868-3313, www.innline.com/door/IL1391.htm), both in Fish Creek. Chunks of white fish are boiled in a huge, witch-style, cast-iron cauldron over an open fire and eaten with hunks of hearty dark bread, potatoes, onions, and coleslaw and finished off with traditional cherry pie or cobbler.

The county's 10 lighthouses are part of its maritime charm. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse at Peninsula State Park is completely restored and open to the public year-round for a $4 admission fee. The lighthouse at Cana Island is tall, white, and framed by a lovely birch wood. You can wander all over the grounds and take photos of the building, though the interior is not open to the public. During May, the Door County Lighthouse Walk grants special access to all the lighthouses.

With 10 golf courses, the county is in a race to become the Midwest's newest premier golf destination. Championship courses range from the beautifully maintained Idlewild Golf Course (920-743-3334) at Sturgeon Bay (recently rated four- stars by Golf Digest, to courses with spectacular views such as the Peninsula State Park (920-854-5791) and Alpine (920- 868-3232) golf courses. Information on all three courses can be found at www.wisgolf.com. If you love golf, but want to take it a little easier, there are several nine-hole courses. Pick up the Door County Chamber of Commerce golf brochure with map, phone numbers, and course descriptions.

Nature-lovers should visit the Ridges Sanctuary, a 1,000-acre boreal bog, swamp, and dune outside Bailey's Harbor. It fosters a complete array of wildflowers, 23 varieties of native Wisconsin orchids, and 13 endangered species of flora. The Peninsula State Park, an exposed expanse of the Niagara Escarpment, rises 180 feet above the lake at Eagle Bluff. It's home to spruce, cedar, balsam, and hemlock forests as well as a boggy tract of an ancient lake that nurtures threatened flora such as the dwarf lake iris.

Whitefish Dunes State Park has mile upon mile of huge, sculpted dunes, and Newport State Park draws one of earth's highest concentrations of monarch butterflies.

Take to the water with Sail Door County (920-495-7245, www.saildoorcounty.com). Take to the air with Wings Over Door County (920-743-6952), which flies along the rocky coastline, circles lighthouses, buzzes shallow shipwrecks, and crosses the interior peninsula. If you're into trains, you might enjoy the scenic trolley ride at Lautenbach's Orchard (920-868-1100). Horsemen and women can hire a ride at Kurtz Corral (920-743-6742) or take a carriage ride with Mayberry's Carriages (920-743-2352). The Sunset Concert Cruise on Lake Michigan (920-854-2986) is a great way to end a day.

And in the unwelcome event of rain, The Spa at Sacred Grounds (920-854-4733, www.sacredgroundsspa.com) in Ephraim will help chase the blues away. Other indoor activities: wandering the many galleries or seeing a theater presentation with the Peninsula Players (920-868-3287, www.peninsulaplayers.com) or Door Off Broadway (920-823-2899, www.dooroffbroadway.com). Those who are metaphysically inclined shouldn't miss famed landscape architect Jens Jensen's "The Clearing," a 130-acre retreat center overlooking the northern fringe of Ellison Bay (877-854-3225, www.theclearing.org).

Despite all these natural and cultural wonders, Door County is, as yet, undiscovered by many outside the Midwest. Its charms rival its Eastern Seaboard neighbors and, in many cases, have a lot more to offer. What's more, the price tag is often friendlier.

Before You Go

The Official 2002 Door County Vacation Guidebook and 2001- 2002 Door County "Go Guide" may be obtained from the Door County Chamber of Commerce at 920-743-4456. Office hours Monday through Friday, 8:30-4:30, with extended summer hours. Also see the Chamber's site at www.doorcountyvacations.com.

Getting There

Visitors to Door County may find it easiest to fly United Express, Northwest, or American Airlines into the Austin Straubel Airport in Green Bay. Rent a car at the airport for the one-hour drive northeast of Green Bay on Route 57 to Door County.

May 2002