And on to Wisconsin’s charming Door County
Published by Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer
By David G. Molyneaux | TheTravelMavens.com
LUDINGTON, Michigan – May brings the return of travelers, lining up their vehicles at Ludington’s Lake Michigan docks to board the famed S.S. Badger. The ferry is a National Historic Landmark, as well as an enjoyable ride across the lake toward summer vacation destinations in Wisconsin above Milwaukee: to Door County, and all points west.
For Ohioans, the ferry between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, is an alternative to the laborious multi-lane highways to Milwaukee, including the traffic crawl through Chicago. From Cleveland, the total drive to Manitowoc, north of Milwaukee, usually is at least eight hours. Charming beach vacation towns in Door County are another two hours north.
Riding the Badger is not really a timely shortcut — the 400-mile drive from Cleveland to Ludington is about six hours and the ferry ride another four hours. The choice is less about time and more about the fun that includes a break from the tedious concrete.
Besides, nearly everybody likes a boat ride. The 410-foot-long Badger, launched in 1953 to haul rail cars across Lake Michigan, is designed for all weather. You may sit outside gazing at the lake, inside near the windows or find a quiet spot to curl up in a chair for a snooze, perhaps play a rousing game of cards, while the captain does all the work to get you and your vehicle to Wisconsin.
The ship, purchased by Cleveland’s Interlake Holding Co. in late 2020, has two dining areas, 40 staterooms for privacy (at an extra fee), two lounges, a children’s playroom, a gift shop, and two TV gathering spots, one free, the other for a fee.
Starting May 12, the Badger cruises daily. With up to 600 passengers, their motorcycles and bicycles, and about 180 cars, RVs, tour buses and commercial trucks, the Badger chugs out of Ludington each morning at 9 a.m., leaving Manitowoc each afternoon at 2 p.m. (Central time).
In the height of summer vacation traffic — June 10 to Sept. 5 — the Badger makes its run twice a day. The second sailing leaves Ludington at 8:45 p.m., and Manitowoc at 1:30 a.m. Some Ohioans say they time their ferry voyage at night at the beginning or end of a vacation. Fares for adult passengers start at $61 in spring, $111 round trip, with discounts for children, seniors and college students. Cars are $78.
Reservations are recommended at least two weeks in advance if you’re taking a car. Information: ssbadger.com or 1-800-841-4243.
The lure of Door County
Last October, just as the ferry season was ending (will be Oct. 16 in 2022), I drove from Cleveland through Chicago to Milwaukee. On the way home, I chose the ferry to Ludington, arriving in Michigan in the waning hours of sunshine, then drove for about 90 minutes to Grand Rapids to stay overnight, returning to Cleveland the next day through Toledo and Ohio 2.
My intention for the next trip to Wisconsin is to take the ferry both ways. I also plan to spend more time in Door County, which lies on a peninsula above Milwaukee. Green Bay (the body of water) sits on the west side of Door County, Lake Michigan on the east. The peninsula is a summer beach home and weekly vacation rental for lots of folks from Chicago and Milwaukee.
My time on the Peninsula was short but rewarding, the sort of thing that happens sometimes when a business trip ends early, and suddenly you’ve got a choice: head home or spend a couple of carefree days exploring new territory. I had read positive reviews of Door County. I was told at the annual conference of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) #satwMKE, meeting in Milwaukee, that even if I spent only a day or two in the towns and parks along the shore, my visit to Door County would be worthwhile. And it was.
Nooks, beaches, and two-lane roads
The winding roads in the woodsy peninsula are a joy to drive above the city of Sturgeon Bay, where I stopped at the Destination Door County Welcome Center for brochures and tips. The lobby, at 1015 Green Bay Road, always is open with free Wi-Fi, brochures, and a machine for putting air in your bicycle tires (see doorcounty.com or 920-743-4456).
The 188-page Door County destination guide held most of the answers I needed, but the best tip for me was the Door County National Scenic Byway, which the county put together for a seven-day bicycle tour.
I drove my car on the route in a day and half, starting on the Lake Michigan side, stopping for a walk at Baileys Harbor, which is surrounded by wetlands, and another for a view of the lighthouse at Cana Island. At the most northern part of the peninsula, where a small ferry takes vacationers the 20 minutes to popular Washington Island, I gazed across the strait known as Death’s Door, where Green Bay and Lake Michigan meet and many a cargo ship met its demise.
I spent the rest of my time on the Green Bay side of the peninsula, stopping at Ellison Bay, Sister Bay, Ephraim, Fish Creek and Egg Harbor.
From Ephraim, you can see panoramic views of Peninsula State Park’s Eagle Bluff. The city offers tours of historic sites (in summer, a trolley tour is a 90-minute ride). Starting in mid-May, Ephraim opens the Old Post Office Restaurant for a local culinary mainstay called the Door County fish boil. Boilers use Lake Michigan whitefish, adding potatoes and onion served with melted butter, lemon wedges, coleslaw or salad, and bread, with a slice of Door County cherry pie.
Peninsula State Park is a wonder, 3,776 acres with eight miles of Green Bay shoreline (wiparks.net). A local expert recommended bike rentals at Edge of Parks Rentals to get out on the scenic roads and dedicated bike trails. You also can kayak or paddleboard along the bluffs or rent a pontoon boat and spend the day on the water (see doorcountyadventurerafting.com). For a serious hike, locals recommend the Sunset Trail, a 9.6-mile park overview that starts near Fish Creek, just south of Peninsula State Park.
Fish Creek is an artsy, walkable town with galleries and local artwork to buy, well worth a stop for a few hours.
In Egg Harbor, eventually I found a place to sleep for the night at a roadside motel called the Lull-Abi Inn (at the off-season rate of $139). I was fortunate.
Lesson one:
Don’t come to the heart of Door County without a reservation. Most visitors book early and stay for a weekend, a week or more, and most of the accommodations north of Sturgeon Bay are relatively expensive, as are most of the restaurants — if you can get in. Even in October, I did not find an available restaurant reservation, though I did locate a restaurant in Egg Harbor that would make me a takeout pizza.
Lesson two:
If you are looking for outdoor recreation such as adventure rafting, hiking, fishing, sticking your boat in the water, or just looking at the lake, don’t let a lack of accommodations or restaurant seats deter you from visiting Door County above Sturgeon Bay. Make it a day trip. Come back to Sturgeon Bay and head north again tomorrow. This county has two dozen parks and lots of activities, but it is small: 25 miles from full-service Sturgeon Bay to Fish Creek, another 20 to the top of the county at Gills Rock.
Lesson three:
Bring heavy snack food. Put enough in the ice chest in your trunk for a full day. Nowhere in any of the lakeside towns above Sturgeon Bay, or on the roads between the towns, did I see a roadside sign for fast-food or much of anything else for lunch — not a quick burger, not a taco, not a pizza, not an ice cream.
Charm has its price.
David Molyneaux is editor of TheTravelMavens.com and writer of TravelMavenBlog.com
