Start the do-nothing part of your vacation on Washington Island. It's not easy to get to Washington Island, and even more difficult to make the trek to Rock Island, but both of these destinations offer lots of nothing scheduled to do.

Washington Island

The ferry service to Washington Island leaves from Northport on the tip of the peninsula and goes to Detroit Harbor. The ferry started in 1946 with two wooden ferries and slowly grew until today is carries over 200,000 passengers and 70,000 vehicles (and more and more motorcycles). This part of Wisconsin is heavily Scandinavian, particularly Icelandic, and their flags line Detroit Harbor.

The ride takes you through the infamous Porte des Morte Death's Door passage (which also gave Door County its name). The stories of perils crossing from the peninsula to what is now Washington County stretch back hundreds of years.

Washington Island was once a major agricultural center with potato farms prospering. But as ground transportation eclipsed water, commerce on Washington Island faded and the family farms withered. The moving ice and deep water, as well as the distance, made it prohibitively expensive to build a bridge. The result is an island with virtually no crime (hard to make a get-away on a ferry), no chain restaurants or motels. It's all home-grown lodging and local restaurants. This also helps make Washington Island a trip back to a quieter and simpler time. A place of empty roads through forested fringe of the island, and interior meadows.

Kick Back at Washington Hotel, Restaurant, and Culinary School
The hotel was originally constructed by Captain Ben Johnson as lodging for other Great Lake captains. After a few changes and updates, in 2001, The Washington Hotel was restored to its original 1904 floor plan.

Leah Caplan is the Chef/Proprietor of The Washington Hotel, Restaurant & Culinary School, and the moving force behind their new direction -- family farm friendly, and organic when possible. My passion has always been food, and that farmland stays farmland, and food stays pure so people can eat and enjoy it. says Caplan.

She and partner Brian set out to revive agriculture of the island and use the hotel as an impetus. They started with flour, and bread, -- encouraging a local farmer to plant 30 acres of organic wheat. Then, with more wheat than they needed, they contacted a craft brewery in Wisconsin. In a moment of pure serendipity, the brewery was in the process of creating a wheat ale and loved the idea of using the local wheat from Washington Island. Now there are 900 acres of wheat in cultivation with one field strictly organic. We'll buy wheat at above market prices and find value added markets for their products, says Caplan.

A visit to The Washington Hotel is about enjoying the food and the sense of place. Sit on the deck and look out of the water. Have a flatbread pizza (my favorite was the unlikely combination of bratwurst, sauerkraut, and sweet mustard) and their special shandy made with wheat ale, ginger, and lime while you watch the sun set. There's also a full dining menu, and a lovely dining room.

Farm Museum
This is fun for both adults and children -- the farm buildings from over the island were re-assembled here along with old-time farm tools and implements. The museum focuses 1870 to 1940 complete with pictures of the life in early Wisconsin history. One really nice touch -- the kids can pump water, giving them a feel for the chores of the time.

Sievers School
It's true we said there was nothing organized to do, but well, there is one activity. About 500 to 600 people a year come to Washington Island for weekend or week long classes. Started in 1979 Sievers is a school of fiber arts offering a wide range of classes from weaving to felt-making and much in between.

Trains, Bikes, Boats, and Horses
Rent a boat at one of the marinas or a kayak at Bread and Water Cafe. For land-based exploration there are mopeds at Annie's Island or bikes at Island Rides. Take an Icelandic horse ride through the island's trails at Field Wood Farm. Or just sit back and take a narrated tour of the island from the Cherry Train, or the Viking Train.

School House Beach
Washington Island boasts of having one of only five beaches in the world made of all white limestone rocks. Polished by the water and the tide, they make for a truly unusual beach. Wear sturdy shoes or sandals. And leave the rocks behind. There are protected by law.

Stavkirke
A labor of love by local carpenters and volunteers, Stavkirke is a place for meditation and worship, open daily throughout the year. It is a tribute to the Scandinavian heritage of Washington Island and is patterned after the stavkirke in Borgund, Norway, built in 1150AD.

It is a beautifully crafted building, reached by short Prayer Path wandering through a woodland. Evening services are held on Wednesdays at 7:30 PM in July and August. The stavkirke is a project of the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Washington Island.

Evenings
Pub crawling is easy on Washington Island -- the island bars all line the same small stretch of Main Road. There's also lodging along the same road, making getting back to your hotel easy as well.

Visitors can also enjoy a performance at Trueblood Performing Arts Center. This is the home of the Island Players community theater, now in it's 23rd year, and the Washington Island Music Festival, currently in it's 17th year.

Want a vacation with nothing to do? Both islands offer lots of it.

For more information:
Door County Visitor Bureau: 1 800 52 RELAX (73529) or visit DoorCounty.com

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© 2008