5082. Go to Hatch Distilling Co in Egg Harbor

 I am not one for distilleries since I don't like alcohol straight up but I did want to Hatch Distilling Company in Egg Harbor since I heard good things about them. Since they did not open until noon, our wine trolley was not able go to Hatch Distilling Company as part of our tour. However, my cousins and I opted to stop for a drink before I had to head home.

Hatch Distilling Company distills their own vodka, gin, apple brandy, bourbon, and limoncello. We could have done a flight of .5 oz neat pours but opted for cocktails instead. They have nine original cocktails  and three simple classic cocktails along with a slush of the day on their menu currently. 

I opted for the Supper Club Old Fashioned. It is made with their apple brandy and bitters. I opted for sweet just like I always do.

Jeanne went with the Hibisky Old Fashioned which is an old fashioned made with bourbon and hibiscus syrup. She got hers pressed. She is not a brandy drinker so this was perfect for her. 

Cindy chose the Cherry Smash which was bourbon, cherry, lemon, and bitters so similar to an old fashioned but not quite. 

I did sample the others and they were good. I am in love with Apple Brandy Old Fashioneds now. 

Besides their cocktails, they also sell various cocktail mixers and simple syrups to make your own cocktails at home. 

I would come back to Hatch Distilling Co, get a Supper Club Old Fashioned at the end of the day and chill on the patio with my cousins, friends, or even the hubby. The drinks and atmosphere is a great day to wind down after a day of exploring Door County. They were only open to 6 pm when I was there so a perfect spot for an pre-dinner cocktail before hitting a supper club or fish boil later. The only downside, there is no water view on the patio. 

5031. Go to Wisconsin Cheese Masters in Egg Harbor

 I love cheese. Wisconsin is known for their cheese. I discovered several new cheese places in Door County that I wanted to check out. We've always stopped at Renard's to get cheese curds but some of these other places sounded good to. The first one I checked out was Wisconsin Cheese Masters.

Wisconsin Cheese Masters sells the hard to find cheese made by Wisconsin Cheese master. Most of it is impossible to find outside of Wisconsin and pretty hard to find within the state unless you go to their store or website. The cheese is artisanal cheese that is made in small batches. They can have up to 60 different varieties of cheese at one time.

I was first introduced to Wisconsin Cheese Masters on our wine trolley tour earlier in the day. My cousins and I opted to come back after the tour to sample more cheese and buy some as well. Most of their cheese is good unrefrigerated up to 24 hours so we could have bought cheese earlier in the day but opted not to.

We sampled the same varieties of cheese we did earlier in the day including the golden and Snowfield, which is made with winter cow's milk. We also tried a cheese that tasted just like a cheeseburger. I also had a piece of TN Whiskey cheese. 

They were all very good but I loved the golden the best. It has flavors of Gouda, Cheddar, Parmesan and Swiss. The taste of parmesan but the creaminess of gouda makes this just an absolute delight. It is definitely wine cheese. One you eat in small bites but it so good.

Wisconsin Cheese Masters is on my list of places to stop in Door County every time now. They are open 10-6 almost every day of the year so it would be quick and easy to make a cheese run in the middle of winter. 

5036. Go to Edgewood Orchard Galleries in Fish Creek

 I love sculptures and sculpture gardens. When I found out the Edgewood Orchard Galleries in Fish Creek had a sculpture garden, I had to check it out. Due to our girls' weekend getting cut short, I decided I'd check it out after the wine trolley. My cousins agreed to accompany me. 

Edgewood Orchard Galleries has been around since 1969. The actual galley is in an old fruit barn built in 1918. There is a nice patio to sit outside and enjoy life. There is also a sculpture garden through a small section of woods. Like most places in Door County, parking is always an adventure with a small lot. We got lucky and snagged a spot as someone was leaving.

The Sculpture garden is full of whimsical statues all for sale... most, if not all, are out of my price range. If I had a fancy house on a lake, I would love some of these sculptures.. the hubby most likely would not agree with me. I really liked the animal ones.

We also had fun posing with sculptures. 

I kind of wish we went in the gallery to look at the artwork. You never know what you will find at a price point you can afford. Door county is full of local artists and their work. It is still something I have to get used to because I don't think of art when I think of Wisconsin. 

Edgewood Orchard Galleries is definitely worth stopping even if just to ogle at the sculptures. I would definitely come back and check out the sculpture gallery again as well as the inside gallery. It is something I would want to do during the week instead of a busy summer weekend as it was quite busy when we were there during the week.

5034. Do the Door County Wine Trolley Tour

 My cousins always go to Door County every August and depending on my work schedule, I try to meet them up there for a day. Since they like to do wine and alcohol tastings, I thought it would be fun to do the wine trolley. They have never done it and never have I. I gave them the option of doing the regular wine trolley or the wine, beer, and spirits trolley and the chose the later which I was fine by me.

Like the ghost tour trolley that Stacy and I did earlier in the month, the wine, beer, and spirits trolley tour is offered by Door County Trolley. It was an all day event with us leaving at 10 AM and getting back around 3:00 PM with a stop at a winery, a brewery, and distillery along with lunch. We didn't know which winery, distillery, or brewer we were going to until we got on the trolley.  It cost each of us $85 with taxes and fees. 

Our first stop was Harbor Ridge winery. Since the winery is next to Wisconsin Cheese Masters we actually had a wine and cheese pairing outside. We sampled 4 wines, 3 of which was paired with cheese and the fourth a chocolate wine was paired with homemade toffee. It was delicious. 

After our tasting, we had time to explore the wine and cheese shop. We opted to come back to the cheese shop after the tour so we wouldn't have to carry cheese or wine with us all day. While at the wine shop, we opted to split a flight so we could try more wines. We tried Savvy Blonde,  What the Heck? Malbec!, Cherry Crush, and Moo-scato.  Nothing stood out as ooh buy me but they were all very good. The cherry crush was probably my favorite.

Our second stop was Door County Distillery where we tried four different cocktails made with liquors distilled on site. I was glad we had mini cocktails as I am not a fan of straight liquor. The old fashion was good. The Bloody Mary was spicy. The tropical cocktail definitely had a pineapple flavor. 

Like Harbor Ridge, we had time to explore the Distillery and winery after our tasting. Of course, we tasted more wine. We have been to Door Peninsula Winery many times before so this was just a fun tasting. I tried wines I normally don't go for since I really like fruity wines. I tried the cherry Mimosa (meh), White Chaos (definitely would buy), and Rose Soiree (not bad) among others. Jeanne did do a shot at the distillery. Cindy and I passed.

Our last stop was lunch and the brewery. We had lunch at Sonny's Italian Kitchen and Pizzeria. We had to place our orders before hand and it was ready when we got there. I had garbage pizza and just picked off the toppings I didn't like. Jeanne and Cindy split a salad and the Hot Nashville Sandwich. All were very good. We also had a good view of the harbor and ship docks. 

After lunch we went downstairs to Bottoms Up Brewery. We each got a pint glass of beer. None of the choice appealed to me and I picked a bad one. I barely drank any of it. That might had to do with how full from lunch we were and how much we've drank already. None of us really drank our beer.

It was a fun filled day with another great driver. We are talking about the during the Murder and Mayham tour next summer. If you have time in Door County, definitely check out a trolley tour. They are worth the money. 

910. Go to the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center

 I've wanted to go to the Audubon Nature Center in Brown Deer for years but since moving to the Fox Valley years ago, it's been a little more difficult. I didn't want to drive almost 2 hours to go to a nature center when I have several within 15 minutes of me. Then a friend went and I was like I'm definitely getting there this year. So I decided to go when the hubby was in Iowa and I was back home for the weekend.

The Schlitz Audubon Nature Center is located in Brown Deer on Lake Michigan. It is actually the former home of the Schlitz Farm, as in the Schlitz Brewing Company, and is where their horses rested after pulling the beer wagons. Admission is $8/adult and $5/kids. It is open 9-5 daily.

After paying the entrance fee, I started wandering trails. There are over 6 miles of trails through forests, prairies, wetlands, and Lake Michigan Shore. 

My first stop was the Observation Tower. It is a 60 foot tower and is a relatively easy climb to the top. The views are quite nice as well. Definitely worth the climb.

From there I just wandered whatever trail peaked my interest. I tried to keep close to the Nature Center because I had only about an hour or so to explore. I explored mainly the Lake Terrace Loop and the Central Wetlands Loop.

I saw Mystery Lake, Dragonfly Pond, and Molly's Pond. That's what I liked about the nature center many different habitats and water views. 

Some of trails were more rugged than others. There were a lot of boardwalks as well.

I definitely want to go back and continue to explore what I have not seen and the trails I have seen. You definitely need to explore the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center if you are in the area or find a nature center near you and explore. Go get your nature on.