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WASHINGTON ISLAND
• 30-35 square miles with 100 miles of paved roads
• many places to stay, eat & relax
• Boat or airplane...It's your choice how to get to Washington Island. The Washington Island Ferry will get you and your vehicle there in 30 minutes from the Door County mainland. A landing strip is available for those who may be coming in for the annual Fly-In Fish Boil in July.
ROCK ISLAND
• 912 acres with 10 miles of hiking trails
• Rock Island does not allow vehicles, including bicycles. A ferry ride there will take 15 minutes to arrive from Washington Island.
• campground available |
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| (right) Incisive bartender Sheila holds up a bottle of 90 proof Angostura Bitters, which is probably hauled in by the truckload for the tavern. |
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"Drinking Angostura Bitters at Nelsen's Hall is still a tradition on the island. More than 10,000 people each year join the Bitters Club, by drinking a shot of bitters and receiving a membership card from Nelsen's Hall. Members can be found in almost every state and many foreign countries. As a result, more bitters are consumed per capita at Nelsen's Hall than any other place in the world."
– section from the official website
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| (wink wink) |
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 1201 Main Road
Washington Island, WI 54246
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Bjorklunden Stavkirke
Medieval Norwegian Wooden Church
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location: Washington Island
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| recreated historic structure |
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| photo contributed by Annika Graif |
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"The Washington Island Stavkirke was modeled after the Borgund Stavkirke constructed in 1150 near Laerdal, Sogn. This church was chosen as it is best preserved and least altered example of this style of church architecture.....Sitting in a small grove a beautiful prayer path leads the way to the structure. The Stavkirke has become a vital part of the ministry of Trinity Lutheran and it is used year round for special worship services and a place of quiet meditation for many as they begin their day."
– section from official website
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From ferry dock at Detroit Harbor, take Lobdell Point Road north. Turn left onto Main Road. Turn right on Town Line Road. Park in lot across from Trinity Lutheran Church. Take trail in woods or wooden walkway to Stavkirke. |
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hours:
open to the public daily |
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| Chester Thordarson's Viking Boathouse |
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location: Rock Island, northwest of Washington Island
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| unique architecture |
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"As the boat closes in, the view of Rock Island gets gradually more startling, due to a large stone building at which a Norse longship might seem more welcome than the motorized ferry. This is the Viking Boathouse, centerpiece of the estate of the late Chester H. Thordarson...Inside Viking Hall, three walls boast tall windows with views of the lake and shore. There's a horned chandelier and a fireplace big enough to swallow Thor himself. One can just imagine the epic blaze roaring behind Chester and his well-to-do friends. Littering the floor are stalwart pieces of wooden furniture with straight, high backs, thoroughly carved with runes and scenes from Norse legend."
– section from Portal Wisconsin website
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| No, it doesn't say "Here sat Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria" on the back of this chair. |
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From the northeast end of Washington Island on Jackson Harbor Road, take the Rock Island Ferry (link at right). Cars are bikes are not allowed on Rock Island.
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Giant Coffee Pot
in front of Washington Island Welcome Center
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location: Washington Island
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| roadside oddity |
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| photo courtesy of Card Cow |
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| Once an information booth, the notably Scandinavian java dispenser is now purely for decoration. |
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near Detroit Harbor on Lobdell Point Road
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| These two log buildings with sod roofs were built in & shipped from Telemark, Norway. Goats, climbing a ramp from their pen, graze on the smaller of the two structures, which houses a bookstore. |
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1176 Main Road
Washington Island, WI 54246
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| The smooth rocks that make up the beach must be highly prized by visitors for souvenirs or landscaping. That would explain the stiff penalty for removing any from the area. |
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From ferry dock at Detroit Harbor, take Lobdell Point Road north. Turn left onto Main Road. Turn right on Jackson Harbor Road, then immediately left into the park.
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The Goodlet's family farm has been owned by the same family for more than a century. Adorning the roadside edge is unique fencing made up of a old steel wheels, antique plows, cultivators & the like.
Irvin "Gibby" Goodlet (1914 - 2011) built both the stone fence and the sculptures. The family barn also bears the first quilt pattern hung in Door County. |
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| A portrait of the farm is displayed in a glass case. |
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1175 East Side Road
Washington, Island, WI 52426
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This unique sculpture was part of the "Sturgeon Around the Bay" project that ran for a few years in the mid 2000's. The entries were auctioned off afterwards in a benefit put on by the Sturgeon Bay Maritime Museum.
Artwork by Lee Jones & Ken Jones |
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on Detroit Harbor Road (County Road W), just west of Rangeline Road
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Flickr
www.flickr.com
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“A CAT FISH on Washington Island”
video by flybonanza
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Bookmark the Wisconsinosity home page! wisconsinosity.com
From the northeast end of Washington Island on Jackson Harbor Road, take the Rock Island Ferry. Cars are bicycles are not allowed on Rock Island.
RR#1 Jackson Harbor Rd.
