Door County is a quiet getaway in the winter months

Door County might not be the first place you think of when it comes to an late winter vacation, but even mid-March, with weather in the mid forties, the thumb of Wisconsin makes for a great weekend getaway.

My fiancé and I made the drive from Cedar Rapids on a Saturday morning to visit a friend who became our local tour guide for the long weekend.

After six hours in the car, I was ready for some fresh air - and fresh it was, smelling of pine trees and Lake Michigan.

Since most of the county is more-or-less 'shut down” for the winter - tourism doesn't pick up until the summer months, leaving the normally bustling tourist town sleepy in the winter - we spent most of our vacation tasting our way through the restaurants that remained open in the off-season and the rest of our time in what's arguably the main reason to go there: the great outdoors.

Here are some of the highlights from our trip.

Lodging

l The Rushes Resort (Baileys Harbor): This resort offers condominiums on Kangaroo Lake that include a garage, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, in-unit laundry, a full kitchen, dining room and living room with a wood-burning fireplace. Upstairs in the master bedroom is a king-size bed and an en-suite bathroom with a walk-in shower and jetted whirlpool soaker tub (swoon). Off the back is a second level balcony, a lower level deck, a small backyard and a bench overlooking the lake. The resort also has a pool, volleyball, tennis and basketball courts, a golf green, it's own trail system and a schedule of activities including 'jawsercise” (group exercise in the pool), craft time, bingo and more.

Food

l Coyote Roadhouse (Baileys Harbor): Our first stop, where we properly introduced ourselves to Wisconsin with some deep fried cheese curds and a pitcher of New Glarus Spotted Cow ale.

l Door County Brewing Company (Baileys Harbor): A hip hot spot for beer-lovers, with several rotating beers on tap and a farmhouse-feel HGTV's Chip and Joanna Gaines would be proud of (Fixer Upper, anyone?).

l White Gull Inn (Fish Creek): This historic restaurant and inn is famous for it's French toast stuffed with cream cheese and Door County cherries ('best breakfast” according to Good Morning America). I'll confirm: it's famous for good reason. Probably more of a dessert than breakfast, but when on vacation, I say treat yourself.

l Blue Horse Beach Café (Fish Creek): We came here after a hike to refuel with coffee and a scone. Both were a treat to the taste buds, but the real treat was the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the bay.

l Wild Tomato Wood Fired Pizza and Grille (Fish Creek): Even though this restaurant had a cozy and welcoming atmosphere, we decided to take our pizza to-go so that we could take advantage of our condo's wood-burning fireplace after a cold day of hiking outside. We went with the special - a veggie pizza with juicy cherry tomatoes, colorful peppers and melted goat cheese. It was one of the best pizzas I've ever had, perhaps second only to Lincoln Wine Bar in Mount Vernon.

l Inn at Cedar Crossing (Sturgeon Bay): This is the place to go if you're looking for a massive breakfast burrito. The thing was almost twice the size of my head (OK, maybe a slight exaggeration, but it was big) and filled with everything delicious, including locally sourced chorizo sausage and crispy red potatoes.

l Donny's Glidden Lodge (Sturgeon Bay): An upscale restaurant with stunning views of Lake Michigan, especially at sunset. My fiancé and I split the surf and turf, which was really not the best - the lobster was chewy and the steak a bit overdone - especially considering the price (about $50 for one plate). The view of the pink-purple sunset from the surrounding windows, however, was priceless.

l Get 'Real” Cafe (Sturgeon Bay): A place for local and organically sourced sandwiches, salads, fresh squeezed juice and smoothies for the health nut. My choice, the 'German Panini” - with salami, pastrami, sauerkraut, sliced apple, Swiss cheese and rosemary mayonnaise - wasn't bad, nor spectacular. The 'Purple Paradise” (carrot, beet, apple and ginger) juice, however, had me returning for a second cup.

l Bearded Heart Coffee (Baileys Harbor): Our last stop before our return to Cedar Rapids, this delightfully tiny coffee shop had a fascinating name and logo and, of course, great coffee. I ordered a 'beautiful burnt goat” latte (it was the name that got me) - a goat milk latte with salty burned caramel syrup. I'm glad I got the smallest size because it was really rich. My fiance's black coffee was probably the safer route, but I can't deny my adventurous palate.

Outdoor attractions

l Peninsula State Park: A 3,776 acre state park with eight miles of Green Bay shoreline. We spent a good part of our first day in the county exploring this park and there's so much we didn't get a chance to explore. We started hiking, then driving through the park to reach the top. At the peak is a spectacular scenic overlook next to 'Eagle Tower,” a 76-foot high observation tower currently closed for reconstruction. I can only imagine the views from the tippy-top.

l White Fish Dunes State Park: An expansive Lake Michigan white-sand beach with incredible sand dunes. Not the best beach for swimming due to the danger of rip and longshore currents, but well-suited for long walks on the beach or, I imagine, basking in the sun once it warms up.

l Cave Point: An incredible and unique geological sight, with underwater caves carved by powerful Lake Michigan waves. This was probably my favorite spot in the county, with blue-green water crashing against the rocks below, quietly drumming against the shoreline. It was peaceful. A place I'd like to find myself again.

l Comments: (319) 398-8364; elizabeth.zabel@thegazette.com