The breeze from the lake makes its way into the living room of the cabin. In the distance, I hear birds chirping softly; they are all up early and in full conversation. I, on the other hand, groggily sip on my hot cup of coffee- thinking about how fun the trip has been so far.
A girl’s summer getaway in Door County, Wisconsin. I haven’t taken a trip with just the girls since college, but yesterday, we carpooled the four-hour drive from Chicago to Door County. Door County, Wisconsin, is supposedly the Hamptons of the Midwest, and I am eager to find out if it’s true; more importantly, I want time to spend with friends and celebrate one friend in particular.
When we arrive, the cabin is embellished with disco balls and teal blue streamers for my friend Phoebe’s 30th birthday. There is a cheese platter and homemade French 75s ready for us- the mark of a true friend is a great hostess. The afternoon quickly slips into night, but not before we painted our nails on the dock of the lake and learned the Hannah Montana hoedown dance on the deck.The whole evening made me feel nostalgic for girlhood, late nights learning dances, and watching bad rom coms. The only difference now is there is booze involved.
The next morning, we all get up like dominoes, one after the other. We take the morning slow, sipping our coffee on the balcony while the lake waves sing in the distance. I sit and take in the moment to enjoy.
Today we are doing one of Phoebe’s and my favorite activities – going shopping.
Shopping in Fish Creek
Downtown Fish Creek is a town straight out of a Hallmark movie, except no romance and way more clothing boutiques. There are so many boutiques, coffee shops, and restaurants right off the water. The first one, June Landing, https://junelanding.com/, we pop into, has an array of blues, yellows, and other American flag sweaters that make me feel like I am being transported to Cape Cod.
Since moving from North Carolina to Chicago, I haven’t spent much time hanging out with a group of just girls, and it felt nice. Don’t get me wrong, I love shopping with my boyfriend. Unlike many men, he enjoys shopping. We have spent many hours at the mall just browsing, but today it is special to be with the girls.
In the downtown area, a mix of vintage, resale, and antique stores. A few of us stopped into Seven Sisters https://sevensistersresale.com/, one that has a mix of used clothes and new ones. At first, I didn’t see anything, but after wandering for a few minutes, I noticed a three-tiered bucket labeled $3 used bracelets.’I spent the next few minutes digging- This is what I love about thrifting- the thrill of the hunt. I ended up finding three silver bracelets that fit my wrist and aesthetic perfectly.
I was snapping a few pictures of boats outside when Emma called me into a store. You have to try this one,” she says, holding a baby pink spaghetti strap shirt in her hand. She somehow knew my style, even though we just met the day before- and I think that is a great example of why I love women.
The morning was quickly fading into the afternoon, and we were on the lookout for a lunch spot.
Sydney’s favorite food is a sandwich, so we knew at least one person would love this spot. Everyone orders something different. I get a chicken southwest salad with chipotle ranch. We chatted about our afternoon plans but ultimately decided to go to the Cherry Hut.
Door County is known for its cherries. In every shop and on every menu, there is a cherry option. The Cherry Hunts has plenty of cherry knickknacks- candles, jewelry, blankets, but most importantly, cherry pie and an extensive wine selection.
I make my way to the bar, where they offer a complimentary wine tasting. I take a sip of the cherry wine; it tastes like cough syrup – not for me. Next up is the lemon wine. It’s tart and sweet-delicious.
Out back at the cherry hut, there are games, corn-hole, and two golf clubs with wuffle balls, but we are all more interested in the pull tabs. I don’t know who bought them, but someone came back with a handful of the Wisconsin pull-tab lottery tickets. I slowly pull mine. Football, Beer, Beer. Not a match.
Then I hear – “she just won $250”. Emma, in our group, had won her lottery ticket, and our addiction to purchasing the pull tabs began.
After returning to the cabin, I decided to take a quick dip in the lake before the rest of the crew came back from the Cherry Hut. The heat was starting to get to me. I have always felt a strong connection to water, ever since I was a young kid learning how to swim at our community pool. Any chance I get to jump in a natural body of water I take it.
I slip into my floral bikini and walk down the stairs off the back porch. The lakefront isn’t an ideal shoreline- giant rocks with spiders and other critters scampering quickly underneath them. I dunk under water. For a moment, the world is quiet. My mind at peace. After a few minutes I get out and get ready to shower and put on a head-to-toe sparkle dress because tonight is disco night.
Disco Night
Phoebe planned a night of fanfare. The first event is music bingo. She chooses the 90s, theme songs, disco, and “Phoebe’s favs” as some of the categories. I quickly realized I am not very well-versed in music, as Phoebe and her family are. Her sister and Mom seem to know every song. I only wait until they shout it out before crossing it off of my bingo card. Once we have four winners of bingo, it’s time to sing the songs we have been guessing. Phoebe brought her karaoke machine, and the night had begun. Sydney sings “Life is a Highway” while Emma and I sing a duet of “You’ll Be Back” from Hamilton. Sleepy from wine and singing we snuggle into bed at 11pm. I guess this is how we party when we are 30.
Day 2
Beach at Franklin Murphy Park
The next morning we all decided that drip coffee was not sufficient and decided to stop at Door County Coffee & Tea https://doorcountycoffee.com/ on the way to the beach. Like everything in the area, the menu was covered with all things cherry flavored. The cherry cold brew was one of the most delicious coffees I have tasted- with strong notes of black cherry in the cold brew, but it wasn’t overly sweet. We stroll around the shop until everyone has ordered. With coffee in hand, we head to the beach.
As soon as we park and I grab my beach towel, the sun starts to shine. Immediately, I tested the water temperature – of course, it was freezing. What should I expect in Wisconsin? In the distance, there is a concrete boardwalk. I jokingly say to Emma, “We should jump off that”? She replies, “We absolutely should .”My first statement was 100% a tease, but Emma’s eager reply caused my brain to go- “challenge accepted immediately.”
There was a moment of fear, but I remembered there would be a day when I couldn’t do this. When I am older, which is why I am so eager to accept any challenge that comes my way. We peered our heads from one side of the concrete slab to the other. On one side, you can see the rocks at the bottom. The other side was a dark shade of blue. We have no idea how deep this water is. What if we jump off, and it’s too shallow? It’s a risk we are willing to take. Screaming 1,2,3, and we splash into the lake- the cold water piercing my body and shocking me awake.
We start to swim out to the bright orange booey- laughing. The water ahead is dark. I turn back to Emma and the shoreline, she is right behind me. I take a moment to tread water- then float. Gazing up at the sky for a moment, everything is quiet.
My arms and legs are getting tired, but a small orange dot is growing larger and coming into view.
Suddenly, we are next to the orange dot.
“Same time”?, Emma yells. “Same time”, I reply.
We smashed the booey at the same time and began swimming back. It was nice and easy. The current was on our side this time. Maybe it’s Phoebe’s birthday or the fact that I am 28 years old, but I just had this feeling I wanted to savor this moment. When you get older you start to feel the world slipping away from you and time moving too quickly. It’s moments of complete freedom and perseverance that you remember. This I wanted to remember.
Country Concert
The rest of the afternoon was lazy. We arrive back at the cabin, take showers to wash the lake and sand off and begin to get ready slowly. The fun starts tonight.
Phoebe booked us tickets to a local country concert called The Fiddlers Farm. I dress in a new pink top, a jean skirt, and, of course, cowboy boots. We all get ready in the sun room. Sydney tells me about her adventures at the Renaissance fair, and Phoebe catches me up on her new roommate with sticky fingers. The afternoon feels like a breath of fresh air, catching up and laughing, just like we did when we were kids getting ready for prom.
Pulling up to the concert, we are all in for a surprise. There are two women riding horseback to park the cars. Each of them wears a shirt that says, “Follow the horse.” There is a family-owned horse ranch right up the road they had enlisted to assist with parking at the local venue.
The Fiddler’s Farm is a venue, but more realistically, it’s a barn, and it’s hot. Although it’s nearly 6pm, the sun beams on the barn, heating it up like a solar lamp. For a moment there I felt like a chicken being baked in the oven. The breeze coming from the open barn door is the only thing keeping me from becoming fully roasted.
Out back, they are selling smash burgers and giving away free kittens. I am not kidding about the kittens. They let us play with them. Emma is half tempted to take one home, but only decides against it when thinking about getting it on a plane.
The music starts. I get chills when the husband-wife duo hit the harmony. Our group heads to the back and starts dancing- a real hoedown.
I don’t want the night to end; the trip will be over in the morning. We find street parking and head into Cherry Lanes- a local bowling alley and arcade. The barcade is empty except for a young guy wearing a fedora holding a bass guitar who is playing a tune that sounds much closer to emo than country/folk!
Last day
It’s the morning of our last day, and I can feel it in my stomach. The sadness of leaving a great trip and looming thoughts of having to head back to work tomorrow morning. I sit in the all-seasons room to the right of the house and listen to the lake waves crash and the car door shut as the guests of the weekend begin to move their belongings. I am not quite ready to leave this place and head back to my life. This girl’s weekend celebrating Phoebe’s birthday has been perfect.
We drive down the road for one last hurrah before heading in different directions at the local breakfast spot, Sunrise. I ordered a Popeye breakfast wrap with spinach, eggs, and cheese. I figured I could eat something green after the drinking we did the previous night. A wave of silence washes over the group as we take our first bite.
By the time the waiter brings the bill, it’s time to start our goodbyes. This Summer Getaway to Door County, Wisconsin, for my friend’s birthday will certainly be one to remember. Next time, we will have to check out Madison, Wisconsin, in the fall. Maybe for my 30th birthday!
