Historic Inns & B&Bs in Door County

The neighborhoods

Where to stay, by area

Fish Creek & Peninsula State Park

Fish Creek sits on the Green Bay shore about three-quarters of the way up the peninsula, with Peninsula State Park along its northern edge; Destination Door County calls it the county’s hub and its most walkable community, and the downtown is about a mile long. The resort era began in 1896, when Dr. Herman Welcker bought land from village founder Asa Thorp and built the Henriette, now The White Gull Inn, and he later had Marinette’s Lumberman’s Hotel moved across the frozen bay as his casino, now the Whistling Swan, a block east; both stand in the National Register-listed Welcker’s Resort Historic District. Thorp House, which Asa Thorp’s nephew Freeman began in 1902, is a block off Main Street against the bluff.

Ephraim

Ephraim lies on Eagle Harbor between Fish Creek and Sister Bay, where a plaque marks the May 1853 landing of Rev. Andreas Iverson’s Moravian congregation as the first permanent colony in Door County. Destination Door County calls it the county’s quiet, historic town, its buildings nearly all painted white; it stayed dry until 2016, when voters allowed beer and wine in restaurants only. The Hillside Hotel stands on Water Street, about 4.8 road miles from the White Gull, and Anderson Dock, where visitors paint their names on the warehouse siding, is the center of the village’s 30 historic stops.

Baileys Harbor & the quiet side

Baileys Harbor is the largest village on the peninsula’s Lake Michigan side, which many call the quiet side; its community association says Alanson Sweet had it named county seat when Door County was set off from Brown County in 1851. The Ridges Sanctuary, Toft Point and Kangaroo Lake are nearby, the Cana Island Lighthouse is about 5 road miles from the inn, and a Sunday farmers market fills the Town Hall lawn. The adults-only Blacksmith Inn on the Shore is August Zahn’s stovewood house beside his original smithy, about 8.6 road miles from Fish Creek.

Sister Bay, Northport & Washington Island

North of Ephraim, Sister Bay is Northern Door’s largest village, with what Destination Door County calls the most restaurants and taverns open all year, and the goats on Al Johnson’s roof. Highway 42 ends at Northport Pier, where the Washington Island Ferry crosses Death’s Door in about 30 minutes year-round, and a second ferry from the island reaches Rock Island State Park in season. None of the verified historic inns is up here, so base in Fish Creek, Ephraim or Baileys Harbor and drive; Ephraim to Northport Pier is about 17 road miles.

Before you book

Planning your stay

Getting around

You’ll need a car: Destination Door County says the county lacks public transportation. It puts Sturgeon Bay, the gateway city, about an hour from Green Bay, 2 hours 30 minutes from Milwaukee and 4 hours 15 minutes from Chicago, and the inns are about 25 road miles farther north; the nearest airline airport is Green Bay’s Austin Straubel (GRB), about 75 road miles from Fish Creek or Baileys Harbor. The villages are close together: Fish Creek to Ephraim is about 4.8 road miles and Fish Creek to Baileys Harbor about 8.6. The Washington Island Ferry leaves Northport Pier year-round, with up to 25 round trips a day in high season; 2026 round-trip fares are $16 per adult and $30 per car (passengers extra), parking at the pier is free, and car reservations are required from December 21, 2026 to March 11, 2027.

Parking

Fish Creek has street parking throughout town and a public lot behind the Town Center at 4097 Main St., and Thorp House guests get one free street space per unit in front of the inn. The Blacksmith Inn has a free guest lot with four Level 2 EV chargers, and the Hillside offers guests free EV charging; the White Gull, Whistling Swan and Hillside don’t state their parking terms online, so ask. Every car entering Peninsula State Park needs a Wisconsin state park vehicle pass: $16 a day or $50 a year with out-of-state plates, $13 or $28 with Wisconsin plates.

When to go

Summer is peak season, with average highs of 74 to 80 degrees from June through August. The county’s 2,500 acres of cherry orchards usually bloom in mid-to-late May, and Destination Door County puts pick-your-own cherry season from mid-July to mid-August. Fall color runs from late September to mid-October and typically peaks around Sister Bay’s Fall Fest weekend in mid-October (the 80th ran October 16 to 18, 2026), and Ephraim’s Fyr Bal is set for June 19, 2027. After mid-October much of the peninsula closes for the season, and Eagle Tower in Peninsula State Park opens only from about May through October; the White Gull, Blacksmith Inn and Hillside stay open all year, and the White Gull’s winter folk concerts run January 27 to April 7, 2027.

Accessibility

Expect stairs in the historic buildings: the step-free rooms here are in newer additions, White Gull Suite 7 in the Welcker House, built in 2000, and the Blacksmith Inn’s Rooms 8 to 11 (Room 8 has grab bars and a roll-in shower) in its 2000 Harbor House. Thorp House says it can’t offer accessible accommodations, four of the Hillside’s five suites have second-story verandas or sit under the eaves, and the Whistling Swan states nothing. In Peninsula State Park, Eagle Tower’s 850-foot canopy walk never exceeds a 5 percent slope.

Before you book

Check minimums and age rules: the White Gull requires two nights on weekends and three on major holiday weekends and takes children 12 and up in its Main Lodge, Cliff House and Welcker House rooms; the Blacksmith Inn is 18 and up with a 14-day cancellation window; the Hillside’s suites are 21 and up, with one-night stays by phone request only; and Thorp House refunds cancellations made at least 20 days out. Reserve fish boils too: the White Gull says guests book weeks ahead in summer. Plan around Fall Fest weekend, which Sister Bay says draws thousands of visitors.