I am looking for the best hotel location to stay at for the Door County Lighthouse walk. Can anyone help? Is Green Bay to far? I was also looking at Best Western in Sturgeon Bay. Please Help me!!!

Fran, when we went to the 2004 wacko event in Door County the group stayed at The Birchwood Lodge in Sister Bay. It was a great place and we had a very reasonable group rate. Check with Suzanne Murphy to see if her club is doing a group thing this year.

For the story of the event, look here:
http://www.lighthousekeepers.com/cgi-bin/forumscgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=25;t=000419

Fran, we stayed at the Ephraim Shores motel. Right on the water with an in-house restaurant and reasonable rates, as well as being very centrally located and NICE. Check out their website:

Ephraim Shores Motel

Does anyone know when the Lighthouse Walk is this year?

Thanks

Jeff :p

The Door County Lighthouse Walk is May 20-21st and WILD will be reserving the Birchwood again at the group rate for the nights of May 19, 20, 21. The Birchwood is a great place to stay, they give our group a great rate, and the use of the meeting room every night we are there. We will probably have an informal dinner there on Saturday evening. On Friday afternoon, when you are on your way to Door County, there will be a special event in Green Bay, involving the opening of Grassy Island Range Lights for WILD and WILD friends.

I do need to know who is interested in staying at the Birchwood and joining WILD for dinner and partying. When I get an idea of the number of rooms, I can get a firm rate from the Birchwood.

Well you cna count out anybody from Long Island coming to the Walk this year.

It's the same weekend as the 2nd annual LI Lighthouse challenge. Esther and I are planning on volunteering for that and I get a bonus- there's a Poco concert Sunday night on Long Island.

I'm going to make it out to a Great Lakes event one of these years.

Dennis

Sorry Dennis, The Door County Lighthouse Walk is always the 3rd weekend in May and this will be the 13th year that it will be held.

Suzanne,

The problem that the LI challenge has is you can't make it too early or it's still a bit cold and you don't want to go to late into the year as it can get very difficult to get around LI the warmer it gets.

Heck it can be tough to get around LI at 3 AM even. that's one reason I'm glad I can combine trips to LI for two of my addictions.

I'll have to try and remember to plan for Door County next year.

Dennis

Yes, Dennis, that is similar reasoning as to why the Door County Lighthouse Walk is held when it is. They wanted to hold it before Memorial Day because that is when the expensive tourist season starts in Door County and it can't be done earlier because it is too cold.

I visited Long Island in September. It was pretty nice then. Parts of Long Island, wine country with the farm markets, reminds me of Door County. Door County does have less traffic though.

How many of the lights do you need to take a boat tour. Is there one tour for all those?

There are several boat tours. You cannot send for tickets until March 1st. I will add more on that later. Right now I am running out the door for a WILD meeting.

Hello Suzanne

Unfortunatley I was unable to make it to the WILD meeting tonight. I'm interested in staying at the Birchwood with the gorup.

Jeff from Madison

Can't wait!

We had lots of fun at the WILD meeting today!

Jeff I will add you to our Birchwood count. Many people signed up today for Door County also. We will probably plan on a trip to Rock Island to see the new fresnel lens in Pottawatomie on Sunday of the lighthouse walk.

Fran, there are several boat trips available during the lighthouse walk. There is an all day trip to view Plum Island, Pilot Island, St. Martins Island and Poverty Island. This boat trip includes docking at Rock Island and time to hike to Pottawatomie lighthouse and eat lunch there. The other boat trips are shorter trips. There is one to view Plum and Pilot Island lights. In the past they have had one that views Pilot and Plum island lights and docks on Plum Island with time to hike to Plum Island light. There is a boat trip to view Eagle Bluff and Chambers Island. There is one out of Baileys Harbor that views Old Baileys Harbor light, the Bailey Harbor Range lights and Cana Island. There is also a Fire boat cruise of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal.

Then there are the land tours. The past two years Cana Island light has been open for climbing to the top of the tower. You can go inside the Bailey Harbor Range Lights. You can go inside Sherwood Point. You can go inside Eagle Bluff. You can go on the grounds of Sturgeon Bay Light Station.

This is just the start of things to do in Door County.

I will wait for the tours and figure it out Thanks for your help.

Suzanne, I am going to have to plan to do this next year. Obviously, it is well worth the trip, but I just can't afford to make a trip in May this year. I also want to get a membership in WILD.

Suzanne, I assume there won't be any special Harbour Lights representation at the event this year? Will there be another dinner at The Mill or a similar place this year (I hope)

Mike

There will not be a Harbour Lights representative at the Walk this year. Kim told me she would not be going.

But, WILD will still have a dinner meeting and will have group rooms at the Birchwood in Sister Bay.

This year, on Friday afternoon, there will be a special lighthouse tour of the Grassy Island Range lights in Green Bay for WILD members & WILD friends only.

Thanks Suzanne for adding me. I put in for vacation and it was accepted. Can't wait!

Jeff

I hope to meet some other lighthouse enthusiasts as well!

What is th Door County Lighthouse walk? I'm not familiar with it.

Tom, think of it as one of the lighthouse challenges. The land based lights in Door County are all opened for the weekend. Some that normally are not open or available to visit will allow visitation. There is at least one craft fair that takes place in Baileys Harbor. There are events at the Maritime Museum. During the weekend there are also some boat trips available that might not be normally available. Plus, lots and lots of lighthouse lovers clogging up the roads!

Thanks Dave. The part that worries me is the walk. When I saw the walk part I thought it was one of these 5 mile walks or something like that. It sounds like fun. That gives me something more to think about.

Me, too. I think it would be terrific fun to do but will have to wait until next year. I hope I can do a NELL trip then, too. Way to go, Tom, you're getting your numbers up!