Fish Creek, WI
Population: 997
A ton of driving later I found myself on Wisconsin's Door County Peninsula. Fish Creek is an unincorporated town of Door County, but it grows from under 1k people to over 60k during the summer tourist seasons. People come from all across the Midwest and Canada to experience the beauty and bounty that Fish Creek has to offer. The streets are filled to the brim with cars and you are lucky if you can find a parking spot within 2 miles of the town during its peak visiting moments such as the annual Summer Cherry Festival or the Fourth of July.
Docked Boats
Because of streets congested with land traffic, many people stick to their boats as the primary mode of transportation while in Door County. A seasonal employee told me that the best way to get a feel for what the day will be like in Fish Creek is by how packed the streets and dock are: "In the winter you wont see anything for two miles in either direction of road and the dock will be mostly empty save for year round craft. You come to Fish Creek in the summer with the rest of the tourists and you'll all be fighting for elbow room in the Creek (pronounced crick)"
Fun Times in Fish Creek - Luke Johnson
Have you ever felt like a fish in a creek, or a dog in a lake for the first time?
Splish splash, fish bath - the car will smell like wet dog for your ride home.
Head out the window, try and catch the wind as it jumps current to current.
White Gull Inn Fish Boil - Michigan Whitefish, Red Potatoes, and Coleslaw
This is one of if not the best meal I had throughout the entire 30 day 5,000+ mile trip. Michigan whitefish, red potatoes, and salt, those are the three ingredients used during the fish boil. The technique was brought to the Door County area by Scandinavian settlers and remains a tradition to this day. This particular boilmaster has been doing this every night during the summer for almost 50 years. After the 3 ingredients are added over the course of a half hour the Boilmaster throws kerosene on the flame sending it into a roar. The excess flames and heat push all the scum and grime out and over the top of the boiling pot, leaving behind only the juicy fish and potatoes. Plus, Each meal comes with a slice of famous Door County Cherry Pie!
Fish Creek, WI
This is the creek the town is named after. You have to venture behind some condos/apartments to get there, but the quiet wind and croaking frogs is a beautiful counter to the car honks and screeching brakes of the town's one road. Throughout this trip I have to remind myself to take a breath and let the town show me what's there. No need to force excitement in Fish Creek, there is plenty going on already and you're sure to find plenty to excite you even after 10 minutes of being in town. Just be sure to fill up on gas before heading into the Peninsula State Park.