Something happens at the Door County farmers markets in late June that does not get talked about enough. The early season stuff is gone and the real summer produce is starting to show up. Local strawberries still feel warm from the field. Fresh cut flowers in colors that do not look real. Honey pulled from hives just days ago by beekeepers who will tell you exactly which wildflowers the bees have been visiting if you ask.

There is a rhythm to a Saturday market that is hard to find anywhere else in Door County. You show up with no real agenda, wander from table to table, talk to the people who actually grew what they are selling, and leave with a bag full of things you did not know you needed. Nobody is in a hurry. Nobody is checking their phone. It is about as close to the real Door County experience as you can get without owning a cottage up here.

If you have never spent a Saturday morning wandering one of these markets with nowhere to be, put it near the top of the list. Pair it with breakfast at a nearby spot (find this weeks recommendation below), and let the morning take care of itself. It is one of the simplest and most genuinely satisfying ways to spend a few hours on the peninsula.

In 1998, when I knew I wanted to propose to my future wife, I knew it had to happen in Door County. There was no other place that meant as much to the two of us.

We had been coming up a couple of times a year since we started dating, and every trip was special. Every time we learned something new about the peninsula. Every time we left a little closer than when we arrived.

So in the fall of 1998 we made our way up and I had it all planned out. We would arrive early, put our names in for the fish boil at the White Gull Inn in Fish Creek, then walk down to Sunset Beach Park at the end of the street where I would get down on one knee. Simple. Romantic. Perfect.

Everything was going according to plan until we got to the park and Kelly sat down on the stone bench at the far edge overlooking the water. The problem was the ring was in the pocket closest to her. I tried everything I could think of to get her to switch sides without actually telling her why, and none of it worked. So I sat down next to her, ring box pressed awkwardly between us.

To this day she swears she never felt it in my pocket.

The guy writing this newsletter does not quite believe that.

It did not matter. I proposed, she said yes, and the rest is history.

Reason number 4,986 why Door County means the world to me. It is part of my love story.

Door County has more good restaurants per square mile than almost anywhere in the Midwest, and knowing where to go before you arrive makes all the difference.

I put together a guide to the best restaurants on the peninsula, organized so you can actually use it when you are standing on a sidewalk in Fish Creek trying to decide where to eat. People have told me it is the most useful thing on the site and it gets updated regularly.

Read the complete Door County restaurant guide here.

If you are going to spend a Saturday morning at the Sister Bay market, make one stop before you leave town.

Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant has been a Door County institution since 1949, and yes, there are actual goats on the roof. The Swedish pancakes with lingonberries are the move, the coffee is on point, and the line out the door is worth it. Get there early or expect a wait. But don’t be in a hurry, just wait for it. Make sure to visit their store (Scandinavian Butik) after breakfast.

Check them out at aljohnsons.com.

The Sister Bay Farmers Market runs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Corner of the Past Museum on Fieldcrest Road through early October. Only Door County grown and produced items are allowed, which means everything you pick up is the real thing.

The Fish Creek Farmers Market is every Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at The Settlement Shops through mid-October. A great midweek reason to linger a little longer before heading home.

The Sturgeon Bay Farmers Market runs every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon downtown at Third Avenue and Nebraska Street. With more than 80 vendors it is the largest market on the peninsula and worth the drive south even if you are staying up north. I hit this one as often as possible.

If you are hosting an event, I would love to add it to the list. My goal is to grow this event aggregator each week. Please reach out for consideration.

Late June is one of those moments on the peninsula where everything just works. Good weather, good food, and enough breathing room to actually enjoy it. If a summer trip has been in the back of your mind, this is the week to stop thinking and start planning.

See you on the peninsula,

Brian

thebestofdoorcounty.com

I’ll drop into your inbox every Tuesday. Make sure to let me know what you think.

Brian.

The Best of Door County Weekly