There’s a moment every year in Door County when the peninsula seems to exhale. The cherry blossoms drift to the ground, the lake loses its bite, and the long, slow evenings finally arrive. The next few weeks bring the dedication of brand-new mountain bike trails at Peninsula State Park, the lighting of bonfires on Eagle Harbor, the return of the goats to the roof at Al Johnson’s, and concerts under the open sky at Sister Bay’s waterfront. After a quiet spring, the towns up and down Highway 42 come alive all at once. We’ve got availabilityfor the late-May through early-July stretch and a special reader offer below to help you get up here for it. Read on for what’s ahead.
Ride the Park Celebration
If you’ve been watching the new mountain bike trail system take shape inside Peninsula State Park over the last two years, mark your calendar: Saturday, May 30 is the Ride the Park Celebration in Fish Creek. The Friends of Peninsula State Park are marking the completion of Phase II of the trail build, which adds another 11.6 miles of purpose-built off-road riding to bring the park’s total to just over 20 miles. Expect a celebration befitting the milestone, plus a groundbreaking for the next upgrade at the Highland Trailhead.
Whether you ride or not, it’s a great day to be in the park. Stay with us in Sister Bay (just 15 minutes up Highway 42) and make a full weekend of it
The Goats Are Coming Home
Few traditions feel more Door County than the moment goats step onto the sod roof at Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant in the heart of Sister Bay. The 12th Annual Roofing of the Goats Parade and Festival on Saturday, June 13 kicks off with a parade at 11:00 a.m. starting at the corner of Mill Road and Highway 42, just down the road from us. The procession ends at Al Johnson’s, where the first goats of the season take their rightful place on the rooftop (weather permitting, of course). The fun continues all day at Goat Fest in the Stabbur Beer Garden with live music, kids’ games, a Swedish Pancake Eating Contest, and the famously charitable Goat Drop Contest benefiting the Northern Door Food Pantry.
12th Annual Roofing Of The Goats Parade And Festival
Light the Bonfires: Fyr Bal Returns to Ephraim
Just down Highway 42 from us in Ephraim, the 61st Fyr Bal Festival lights up the shoreline of Eagle Harbor on Saturday, June 20. This is one of Door County’s most distinctive celebrations, a daylong embrace of Ephraim’s Scandinavian heritage with music, dancing, artisan markets, and a boat regatta, all leading up to the signature evening bonfire that symbolically burns away winter and welcomes summer. Wilson’s Restaurant hosts its annual Ice Cream Eating Competition, and a fireworks display over the harbor closes out the night.
Fyr Bal Festival: June 20, 2026
One More Thing: Cherry Blossoms in the Rearview
The cherry blossoms in our 2,500 acres of orchards have just passed their peak, but those falling petals are a promise. Roughly 60 days after the blossoms drop, the cherry harvest begins. Plan ahead now for a late-July visit and you can pick your own at Lautenbach’s, Seaquist Orchards, or any of the other pick-your-own orchards on the peninsula. The season is short and very sweet.
Door County Cherries