Labor Day is in the rearview.

The days are shorter, the mornings have a chill, and the monarchs are gathering along the shoreline getting ready for their 2,000-mile journey to Mexico.

Fall has not fully arrived but it is getting close.

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This week:

A few things worth knowing about this week.

Washington Island Ferry switches to fall schedule. Starting today, the ferry departs on the hour to the mainland from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with trips to the island running hourly from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. If Washington Island is on your fall itinerary, plan accordingly.

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Monarchs on the move. Naturalists report that monarch butterflies are currently gathering along the Lake Michigan shoreline before beginning their migration south. Some of these butterflies will travel more than 2,000 miles to central Mexico. It takes about 1-2 months to fly from Door County to their wintering grounds in Mexico.

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Fall deer hunt begins Friday in Door County. If you are planning a trip this weekend, be aware that hunting activity will be underway, particularly in wooded and rural areas. Orange is your friend if you are hiking off established trails.

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Door County Baseball League. Kolberg is your 2026 Door County Baseball League champion.

The Braves beat Sister Bay 10-9 in ten innings Sunday in one of the more dramatic finishes the league has seen. Kolberg trailed twice in the late innings, including a two-out, two-run home run from Trevor Reinhardt in the ninth that tied it at nine and forced extras. In the tenth, a misplayed ground ball scored the winning run. The Bays loaded the bases in the bottom half but could not push one across.

It was early October 2000. Kelly and I were celebrating our one-year anniversary. Seven of our close friends joined us in Door County for a long weekend. Golf, good food, and good friends.

One night we brought everyone to the White Gull Inn for a fish boil. None of them had never seen one. Watching it through fresh eyes reminded me of my own first time. The fire. The boilover. The whitefish and the cherry pie that follows.

Those same people were on my deck over the weekend. More than twenty-five years later. Same group, same laughs, same stories. Door County has a way of threading itself through a life like that.

The fish boil is one of those Door County experiences that sounds a little strange until you see one, and then you cannot imagine not knowing about it. The complete guide covers the history, how the boilover actually works, and the best places to go. If you have never been, this is where to start.

Read the complete Door County fish boil guide here.

Nearly everyone one of you that responded to last week’s pool question said yes to restaurant discount cards.

That is a clear mandate and sounds like a project worth starting. I will work to have something ready by the Christmas shopping season.

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 today.

JUST SOLD: Sturgeon Bay

A three bedroom, two bath home in Sturgeon Bay's Purves Lagoon community sold for $650,000. On a private lagoon with a 37-foot dock, this home has a quiet location, lagoon views, and private road access.

For boat lovers, it does not get more convenient than this.

FOR SALE: Ellison Bay

This one is for someone with a specific vision. A highly functional 28 by 36 foot shop building in Ellison Bay is listed at $495,000.

Concrete floors, a high overhead door, 200-amp service, four-zone heating, wifi, a heated bathroom, and an 80-gallon compressor. If you have been looking for a workspace with room to actually work, this is worth a look.

The White Gull Inn is my favorite fish boil in Door County. I have been going back for decades and it never loses its pull. The setting, the fire, the boilover, the cherry pie at the end. All of it.

It also happens to be where Kelly and I were waiting for a fish boil when I walked her down to Sunset Beach Park and proposed. So it holds a special place in our story.

Beyond the fish boil, the White Gull Inn is one of the best places to stay in Door County. That’s why I’m adding a new section called where to stay this week.

If you are going to do Door County right, stay somewhere that feels like it belongs here. The White Gull Inn has been welcoming guests since 1896 and it does not feel like a hotel. It feels like the kind of place that has been part of this county for so long it is practically a landmark.

It sits just off the main street in Fish Creek with twelve rooms and suites and four private cottages, each with its own character. Fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, four-poster beds. The biggest perk: breakfast is included every morning.

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

Fish Creek Library Annual Book Sale on Friday morning. A beloved local tradition and a great reason to slow down in Fish Creek before the weekend gets going.

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Valerie June plays the Door Community Auditorium on Friday. One of the most distinctive voices in American roots music, playing one of the best venues in the county.

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Horseshoe Bay Cave Tour on Saturday morning. A genuinely unique Door County experience that most visitors don’t know about.

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Trails and Ales Beer Festival on Saturday afternoon. Local craft beer in a beautiful outdoor setting.

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Washington Island Classic Car and Truck Show on Saturday. Worth the ferry ride if you love classic vehicles and a great excuse to spend a day on the island.

Tuesday arrives at 69 degrees with a 40 percent chance of rain, the coolest day of the week. Wednesday clears out nicely to almost 77 with low rain chances, giving way to a comfortable Thursday around 70 and Friday at 71. The weekend shapes up well, with Saturday at 73 and a Saturday evening storm possible.

Sunrise Tuesday was 6:20 a.m. Sunset comes around 7:23 p.m. The evenings are noticeably shorter now.

Green Bay water temperatures are settling into the mid-to-upper 60s. Kayaking is still excellent. Swimming is for the brave.

All the fish boil writing this week had me thinking about one of my favorite college bands, School of Fish.

They were a Los Angeles alternative rock band formed in 1989, and their self-titled debut came out in 1991 right at the start of the alternative rock revolution. Their single 3 Strange Days peaked at number 12 on the Mainstream Rock charts and got significant college radio play.

They released one more album before disbanding in 1994.

They were not together long and they did not get the recognition they deserved. But 3 Strange Days is the kind of song that makes you wish they had gotten more time.

No photos came in this week.

We know you have pets and we know at least some of them have been to Door County. A dog on a trail, a cat watching the harbor from a cottage window, anything at all.

Want to see your pet here? Send us your photos.

Fall in Door County is not a consolation prize for summer being over. It is the main event.

See you up here,
Brian.