The doors are always open in Door County

Rachel Sankey

Past Staff

November 17, 2022

DOOR COUNTY – Door County, a collection of 19 different communities speckled throughout Wisconsin’s peninsula, is known for many things – one of which is being a tourist hotspot.

According to Tourism Economics, in 2021, tourism supported 3,323 jobs in the county – ranking it seventh out of the state’s 72 counties and generating 3.3% of all direct visitor spending in Wisconsin.

As the cold weather begins to hit and the days get shorter, Door County’s quiet season ushers in.

And though some businesses close up shop for the winter, there is still much to do for those who wish to explore the opportunities winter presents.

What each business – and the weather – have to offer, however, differ.

Managing the winter months
For the businesses that remain open, Jon Jarosh, the chief communications officer of Destination Door County, said it’s important for them to manage their revenue appropriately in order to avoid financial challenges during slower months.

“(Businesses) have to understand when their cash flow happens during the year… because winter business, by and large, is not the time when they’re making a lot of profit,” he said. “That’s just the nature of it in a seasonal place. You have to be aware of that and think of that in your business planning process.”

The businesses open during the winter months, Jarosh said, tend to have different hours to meet the needs of the business, the visitors and the weather. 

He said typically, the further north visitors travel, the more altered hours and business closures they can expect – due to the nature of the weather.

?//s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1668781050404x194191642902683970/richtext_content.webpDuring the winter, hours will vary for shops across the entire stretch of the county. Dan Eggert Photo

“There’s a couple of reasons for that,” Jarosh said. “Obviously, the numbers to make it work… (For) some business owners, it gets pretty busy up here in the summer, and so they need time during the winter months to recharge their own batteries, to do maintenance on their businesses and they have no time to do that sort of thing in the spring, summer and fall.”

Other businesses, he said, such as Door Peninsula Winery, stay open year round.

Rob Peterson, the marketing and sales director of the winery, said despite the change in the weather, the winery’s offerings remain the same – though he acknowledges it is quieter.

“Retail and foot traffic is quite different,” he said. “After October, we are at about 25-30% of the number of people during the week compared to July through October. Weekends are still in the 75% as peak season until the end of the year, (and) then drops to the same 25%-30% for January through March.”

Throughout the months of November and December, Peterson said the winery’s shipping and wholesale jumps nearly two or three times the normal amount, which in turn allows for the business to remain profitable during the winter. 

He said though some of the neighboring businesses are closed throughout the winter, it does not affect the winery’s success.

“Since we are open every day, if people are coming to Door County and want wine, they will usually stop by us,” Peterson said.

When it comes to the businesses that decide to stay open, Jarosh said keeping out mainstream franchises has been beneficial to Door County’s business climate.

“If business was as robust as it can be in the summertime up here – if it was like that all year round – you’d have a lot more national chains here,” he said. “Even in Sturgeon Bay, there’s the appearance that there’s still mostly local businesses versus stuff that a visitor might see down the street where they live. That helps to add to the allure of our county, I think, and we hear that from a lot of our visitors as well.”

The Washington Island Ferry Line also remains open year round – for both the residents that live there and tourists that want to make the trip to the tip of the peninsula.

Hoyt Purinton, president of the ferry line, said over recent years, the Washington Island Ferry Line has averaged around 5,000 round trips annually.

The majority of those trips happen during peak season months when Purinton said the ferry makes 22 to 23 trips a day. 
From January to March, the ferry offers just two trips per day.

“There are some winters where it could be about every day where we’re dealt a new hand of cards with the weather,” he said. “We have a whole lot into it just to make a couple of trips a day.”

Jon Jarosh said more couples tend to flock to Door County in the winter, while families tend to visit in the summer. John Nienhuis Photo

This year, however, Purinton said the line is benefiting from a later start to chillier conditions, which helps, because ferry operations in the warmer months help subsidize operations and projects during the colder months.

“Most of the time, we’re operating in the red well past the Fourth of July weekend, until we clear whatever offseason infrastructure needs (we had) – (including) our long-term vessel maintenance, feature projects, long-term planning for currents, (such as) investing in dry docks and icebreaking,” he said. “We plan for that – it’s in our business plan.”

All ferries used at Washington Island can handle the winter weather, but Purinton said there are two specifically meant for breaking the ice.

Both Jarosh and Purinton said there are visitors who take the ferry in the winter for the ice breaking, but it’s also just as important to make sure everything is running smoothly if there were to ever be an emergency – hence why the line is open 24/7.

Still open, still successful
While summer outdoor activities – such as kayaking, beach going, and camping – are unavailable during the snow-barren months, Jarosh said a plethora of other options are available to visitors – such as snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and ice fishing – which has grown in popularity within the last decade. 

“(Ice fishing is) an increased activity that has grown and made some great economic opportunities for some ice fishermen that guide now and do that in the winter season,” he said.

The frozen water is open to the public – and so is much of the land.

Jarosh said four of the five state parks within the county (Peninsula State Park, Newport State Park, Whitefish Dunes State Park and Potawatomi State Park) make great, scenic places to snowshoe and hike.

“The views are still just as breathtaking – whether there’s snow or not,” he said. “Winter is still very popular. And some places like Cave Point County Park – which is a popular county park we have here – can change on a daily basis in terms of what you see in the winter, because if it’s really cold, and there’s some wave action and water splashing up, Mother Nature makes some amazing ice formations.”

Jarosh said the peninsula doesn’t stop at just outdoor offerings during the colder months – with all eight wineries remaining open during the winter.

He said visitors can relax with a spa and salon day, treat themselves to a fish boil at White Gull Inn or enjoy a romantic getaway from a wide variety of lodging options.

“There’s a certain spirit of coziness, quaintness that is here in the wintertime,” he said. “I know our B&Bs (bed and breakfasts) make for some great lodging opportunities for people. We do see a large number of couples getaways and romantic getaways in the wintertime. Some of our strategies over the years have focused on those because that’s typically who comes up here in the winter.” 

A Door County winter also has its own set of events to draw tourists in.

Tourists can partake in Christmas by the Bay – which includes a parade and a visit from Santa; the Door County Christkindlmarkt – a market featuring local artists, live music and traditional Nordic food; and the Fire and Ice Festival – an ice and snow carving competition and more.

Because the spring, summer and fall months are habitually busy, Jarosh said those who travel to Door County during the winter tend to enjoy an overall quieter atmosphere – which further adds to the overall quaintness. 

Choosing to visit during the slow season also benefits tourists, as Jarosh said guests tend to get better prices on lodging and other amenities – since visiting during the busy months means paying peak season rates.

“(Business) margins are a little bit bigger in the (summer) season,” he said. “Because that’s when the demand is… slower season rates are certainly a motivator for some people.”

And, though the county’s sales tax collection history for 2022 reflects lower numbers for the months of January?? through April, Jarosh said June through July provide a huge spike, leveraging out what was lost earlier in the year.

Promoting winter
Getting the word out, Jarosh said, is half the battle.

To inform the public that Door County is open to them during the winter, there are a variety of different methods he said Destination Door County uses to promote what’s happening in the area.

“We’re in a unique position, because so many people love our county and are in tune, and try to keep up about what’s happening up here,” Jarosh said. “It’s a great way to tap into their curiosity.”

The county also provides a winter guide and snow reports, so visitors can stay i?nformed on happenings and weather conditions.
For those planning to make the trip up to Door County this winter, Jarosh said to do a little planning beforehand to ensure certain amenities they wish to have are available. 

“There’s quite a bit to see and do up here in the wintertime,” he said. “Is it better or worse in the summer? That’s up to the eye of the beholder. I wouldn’t call it better or worse. I would call it different.”