October in Door County is everything the 77% of you who voted fall as your favorite season have been waiting for.

The Pumpkin Patch Fest in Egg Harbor is this Saturday and Kelly and I will be there.

One piece of honest advice: get there early. Parking in Egg Harbor during a fall festival is not for the faint of heart, and the vendors who sell out do so before noon.

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This week:

A few things worth knowing about this week.

A general store is coming to Sister Bay. Brigid and Adam White, who moved to Sister Bay a few years ago, are planning to build a general store in downtown Sister Bay. The store will sell merchandise, local groceries, and offer a walk-up food counter. The Whites plan to sell fresh produce from their own farm. They hope to break ground next month, with completion planned for next fall.

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A peregrine falcon is making Door County his home. Wisconsin Public Service has been tracking peregrine falcons born at their generating stations. One of those birds, named Gino Falcone, has taken a particular liking to the cliffs of Door County. Peregrine falcons remain on the Wisconsin endangered species list and are naturally drawn to the limestone ledges of this area for nesting. WPS has banded 476 peregrine falcons at their facilities since the 1990s, representing 20 percent of all peregrines hatched in the state.

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Another Door County shipwreck makes history. The Frank D. Barker, a 160-year-old vessel resting in Rowleys Bay, has become the 100th shipwreck designated on the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places. The New York-built schooner was launched in 1867 and sank in 1887. Local business owner Matt Olson discovered it while scouting dive locations for his customers, making it the second historic shipwreck he has helped bring to light.

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A free mini art gallery opens in Sturgeon Bay. Andrea Naylor has installed a community art exchange box outside her gallery and studio in Sturgeon Bay. Inspired by the Little Free Library movement, the box invites anyone to experience, swap, or contribute artwork and art supplies. Naylor created the gallery as a way to keep young artists engaged between sessions.

The fall color report continues this week, and the news is good.

The maples in the north are changing fast right now. Ellison Bay and Gills Rock are showing strong color and Newport State Park is worth a stop this weekend if you can get up there. The color is working its way south, with Ephraim, Fish Creek, and Egg Harbor picking up noticeably over the past week. By the Pumpkin Patch Fest on Saturday, the stretch between Egg Harbor and Sister Bay is going to be putting on a real show.

The forecast this week, with highs in the low to mid 60s and cool nights in the upper 40s and low 50s, is exactly the pattern that deepens the reds and holds the color longer. The next ten days look like peak timing for the middle and northern parts of the county.

The complete fall foliage guide is being updated weekly throughout the season and includes an interactive animated map that lets you track the best drives, sightseeing locations, and festivals across the county. Check it before you drive up so you know where to point the car.

We also want your photos. If you are up here this week or any weekend through October, send us your best fall color shots. Tell us where you were and when. The best ones will be featured right here as the season unfolds and we would love to build a reader-sourced record of fall 2026 in Door County.

October is the month Door County was made for.

The complete October guide covers everything happening this month, from festivals and events to outdoor adventures, scenic drives, and the timing advice that makes the difference between catching the peak and missing it.

Read the complete October in Door County guide here.

Every week we spotlight a recently sold home and an active listing to give you a feel for what the Door County real estate market looks like at this point in time.

JUST SOLD: Sturgeon Bay

A custom half-log home in Sturgeon Bay sold for $995,000. The property sits on the Sherwood Point peninsula, surrounded by water and steps from the iconic Sherwood Point Lighthouse. This is the kind of property that takes years to find and takes about five minutes to fall in love with.

FOR SALE: Egg Harbor

A unit in the Flagship building at Landmark Resort in Egg Harbor is listed at $158,900. Set on 40 scenic acres atop a bluff overlooking Green Bay, Landmark Resort includes indoor and outdoor pools, tennis and pickleball courts, walking trails, a playground, and an on-site restaurant. The unit participates in the resort's rental program with year-round income potential, and owners have unrestricted personal use.

Barringer's Restaurant in Fish Creek is one of those places Kelly and I have been meaning to get back to for a while, and we are making it happen next Sunday. Barringer’s is an upscale dining experience with a focus on steaks, seafood, and seasonal ingredients, with the kind of warm interior and attentive service that makes a special occasion feel exactly like one.

If you have been recently and have thoughts, send them over, we would love to know what you order.

Pine Grove Resort sits right on the shores of Eagle Harbor in Ephraim with 300 feet of natural, private shoreline, a 40-foot pier extending into the harbor, and a screened-in gazebo with what may be the best sunset vantage point in the county. Rooms are spacious with private balconies overlooking the water.

The resort's hospitality goes beyond the basics. Guests receive homemade cookies at check-in, a daily wine and cheese hour in the lobby, and a complimentary continental breakfast each morning.

Fire pits are lit each evening on the shoreline for sunset watching. The whole property is walkable to Ephraim's restaurants, galleries, and shops, and Peninsula State Park is minutes away.

If you are thinking about a fall getaway, browse Door County availability on Booking.com.

The War and Treaty play the Door Community Auditorium on Friday evening. Michael and Tanya Trotter are one of the most powerful live Americana acts right now, blending soul, gospel, country, and blues into something special.

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The 38th Annual Run Wild 10K and 5K takes place Saturday morning. One of the best fall race settings in Wisconsin, running through the scenery of the county on a crisp October morning.

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The Pumpkin Patch Festival is Saturday and Sunday in Egg Harbor. Pumpkins, fall produce, artisan vendors, live music, kids' activities, and the best excuse to be in Egg Harbor in October. My advice is to get there early.

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Fall Fun Fest and Cider Pressing Party is Saturday on Washington Island. Fresh-pressed cider, fall activities, and the kind of afternoon that makes October in Door County feel like something you want to do every year.

Tuesday comes in at 62 degrees with low rain chances and a mix of sun and clouds. A comfortable, genuinely pleasant fall day to be outside. Wednesday is the warmest day of the week at 66 degrees and mostly dry. Thursday drops back to 61 and clear skies.

The weekend looks good for the Pumpkin Patch Fest. Saturday comes in at 59 degrees with only a five percent chance of rain. Cool enough for a jacket in the morning, comfortable by afternoon. Sunday warms back toward 64.

Nights this week are staying in the upper 40s to low 50s, which is exactly the range that produces the strongest fall color.

Sunrise Tuesday is at 6:51 a.m. Sunset comes around 6:35 p.m. Under 12 hours of daylight now, and the shift toward shorter days is noticeable every evening.

When Kelly and I first started coming to Door County together, we picked up a CD by Nicholas Gunn called Afternoon in Sedona. It is the kind of easy, ambient instrumental music that most people would describe as spa music, which is accurate. We started playing it as we drove through Peninsula State Park and somewhere along the way it became something more than background noise.

We started calling it our Door County music.

The routine has stuck. Once we cross the county line, that album goes on. Not before.

Every time it starts, I feel the tension release in my shoulders. The stress just drops and work thoughts disappear.

Music does not have to be complicated to mean something. Sometimes it just has to be attached to the right place at the right time, and then it carries that place with it forever.

Dan sent in a photo of his dog this week without any other details.

We still want to give this pup his moment in the spotlight, so here is enjoying Door County.

We want to see your pets enjoying Door County. Send a photo with with a name, a village, and whatever you want us to know about the moment. The best ones end up right here.

I love Door County. I know you do too.

See you up here,
Brian.