American Folklore Theatre

The American Folklore Theatre is an outdoor theatre located smack in the middle of Peninsula State Park in Door County, Wisconsin. The theatre hosts musical plays with local influence which are appropriate for all ages AND according to the Egg Harbor Business Association and firsthand experience... pets are welcome at outdoor summer performances!

While there we took in Victory Farm, a musical comedy about cherry growers during World War II and German prisoners of war who work together to harvest the cherries. I had no idea that German POWs were brought over to help farmers harvest their crops, so the show was a learning experience. Door County is known in Wisconsin for it's numerous cherry orchards and this production was warm hearted and funny.

It was a beautiful night in the lower 70s and not a mosquito in sight (although the theatre does provide bug spray for a $1 donation). Patrons wore casual attire as most were campers and day hikers. Seating is general admission and tickets cost us about $12 with our camper's discount. If you aren't an overnight camper, tickets cost $19.

While the show was cute, we were distracted by the beautiful golden retriever sitting two rows in front of us. He was perched right on the wooden bench like a human!

The Beachfront Inn, Bailey's Harbor

In order to get G to camp for two nights I had to agree to stay in a hotel for two nights (G doesn't like camping all that much). I found the Beachfront Inn on trip advisor and hoped the pics I saw online were an accurate representation because it just looked so darn fun! 

I'm a sucker for all things retro, and this charming motel fit the bill. The rooms have been remodeled but still hold their original charm. Though smaller than those offered at new hotels, everything in the room was fresh and clean.  A welcome relief from ruffing it in the campground for the past two days.

      

 You just can't beat the view from our lakeside room.  

We picked this motel because it was advertised as dog friendly and allowed dogs and people to swim on their private beach! The owner's dogs even greeted us when we checked in.

                           

A special doggy treat awaited Mr. P in our room. 

Porter especially loved jumping off the pier.

We spent the evenings in front of the fire on the beach chatting with other dog lovers about our adventures during the day. This was a great little find, one that we will be visiting again. 

Where is your favorite dog friendly place to stay?

Biking with Dogs

Biking seems to be the past time at Peninsula State Park in Wisconsin with more 20 miles of trails available to explore. I wish I had my camera with me to take a photo of the dog we saw in the bike trailer (looked just like a little kid).  Here's something kinda similar:

Another man had his dog tethered to a special biking dog leash sorta like this one:

Courtesy Michael A. Leon

The last time I tried I ended up falling off my bike. Porter listens well when on the leash, but he gets spooked by the bike wheels and I end up worrying about oncoming traffic. As much as I love biking, I haven't yet been able to find a safe way to do it with Mr. P.

Have you ever biked with your dog?

     

Wisconsin State Park Pet Rules

I thought I'd share the information I found regarding pets in Wisconsin State Parks. You can check out detailed info here.

• Pets must be on leash no longer than 8ft
• Pets most not be left unattended
• Pick up after your pets
• Pets allowed in most campgrounds, trails (except cross country ski trails), and roads.  
• No pets in buildings, observation towers, picnic areas/beaches (except those designated ok), or playgrounds

I know that U.S. National Parks tend to be very dog phobic, and it always did frustrate me that horses (who poop and leave messes behind) were allowed on the trails but not dogs. Wisconsin State Parks so far seem to be pretty dog friendly and the rules are reasonable.

On hikes we tend to have Mr. P on his leash, because he does have a tendency to run up and greet fellow hikers (not a problem if they are dog lovers like us, but I always hate making others feel insecure if they aren't dog people). The leash rule is pretty frustrating at the campsite though. Mr. P never leaves are side and it just feels weird tying him up. On our last camping trip to Peninsula State Park, we brought a dog stake (sorta like this one "Dog Tieout Stake with Swivel in Black" ). I have to say the cord we used was much longer than 8ft. The funny thing is, if your dog really needed to be tied up to stay close by, I think the pup could rip it right out of the ground!

Picking up poop is a no brainer. It irritates me like all heck to see messes left on the trails. At the very least owners should move the mess with a twig off the trail.

What dog rules do you swear by? What ones do you fudge?

  

Swimming at Peninsula State Park

On our trip to Door County, WI we set up camp in Tennison Bay at Peninsula State Park which happens to be the kayak launch area in the park. This meant lots of doggy swim time. The launch was a short walk from our site and consisted of a concrete ramp leading down to the rocky shore. The water was just deep enough to accommodate a good game of fetch with P's floating toy. 

Porter met another yellow lab one afternoon at the boat launch in North Nicolet Bay where a good game of jumping off the pier commenced. The only thing we were disappointed in was the fact that dogs are not allowed on Nicolet Beach where the people swim, however a few other state parks in the area do allow dog swimming on beaches including White Fish Dunes State Park.

Porter seems to chase anything that floats in the water. We usually use an orange float dummy or a stick but tennis balls work great too. 

What is your dog's favorite swim toy?

   

Potawatomi State Park

Our next stop on the way to Door County was Potawatomi State Park. We purchased an Annual Wisconsin State Park Pass here for $25 (Wisconsin resident price). Most Wisconsin State Parks allow pets on leashes. A few have specific restrictions which only let pets in certain picnic areas. We didn't notice any restrictions in the picnic areas here, so we ate lunch along the shores of Surgeon Bay at picnic site #4. Views of the water and skiers in the bay kept us entertained.

After lunch we continued our drive through the park examining the campgrounds until we made our way to the observation tower. A no pet sign let us know Porter was not welcome to climb the 75 foot tower. That's okay though. The open stairs going up were a bit scary. 

We aren't advising leaving your pets in the car unattended, especially in the heat of summer. Car temperatures can rise quick. But we have a convertible which we parked in the shade and made sure to leave the pup with fresh water. The stairs (which left our quads burning) only took us a few minutes to climb so Porter wasn't left alone very long  and we could see him from the tower the entire time.  

Once on top, the view was amazing. The water in the bay was crystal clear.

Best Friends Dog Park

Courtesy google user

Courtesy google user

Porter is a pretty good car traveler, but he once had an episode of tail droop (or swimmer's tail) after a long car adventure. So now we like to try and take more pit stops. On the way to Door County we stopped in Oshkosh, WI to visit the Best Friends Dog Park. It's not more than 3 minutes off of highway 41.

The park is free to the public. It is fenced in and has a number of tall trees for shade.  A wide dirt walking trail (called the "ruff trail") encircles the perimeter. There is a decent area of mowed grass to play ball and tall native grass in the center make a great area for dogs to explore. While we were there a German Short Haired Pointer was bounding through the tall grass (being naughty and not listening to his owner who was ready to leave).

A few picnic tables strategically placed under trees provide owners with a nice spot to sit. Volunteers stock the pick up bags and there is a porta-potty just in case.


What do amenities do you like to see at a dog park?

Finding a Crate

With our camping trip to Door County, Wisconsin in the works, G and I realized there wasn't much room in our two person tent to hold two TALL people and a 60lb dog and all our camping gear. So I went on a search through local craigslist ads to find something cheap for Mr. P. 

All I could find were the typical open metal or plastic crates. Considering the giant mosquitos known to invade the woods of Wisconsin, I knew Mr. P would be covered in bites. Plus many of the options I found didn't break down and would be hard to squeeze into the tiny trunk of our PT cruiser convertible.  


My next step was to search Amazon and that's where I found the Firstrax Port-A-Crate E2 Indoor/Outdoor Pet Home. The price was right at less than $50 (most of the used crates on craigslist were not much less than this). This crate zips up just like a tent and has vented windows made out of a mesh screen material. It also folds down nice and slim, so it could easily fit in the jam packed car. I ordered the biggest size (36") because Mr. P likes his space. 


Mr. P has never before used a crate, so when it arrived 2 days later (thank you Amazon Prime), I started working with P immediately. I threw treats in the crate to get him used to the idea of going in but he would gobble them down and immediately run back out. After a while, I put his bed inside and made him dig around for the treats. While he was doing this I sat in front of the door blocking his way out. I never made him stay inside (because I knew he would freak out). Instead I just pet him and told him to sit (he'll do anything for another treat). Soon I was able to to get him to lay down and stay (that's how I got this pic).

For two nights at home, I put the crate next to our bed (where Mr. P usually sleeps) and just said the routine "time for bed," and Mr. P crawled inside. I didn't zip the crate closed, because I wanted P to feel safe. This was a new thing for him, but didn't seem to mind.

Just a day later was our trip. Our tent has two doors, so once it was set up, we just placed the crate up close to one of the doors. At night we let Mr. P into the tent through the door on the right side. He crawled across our sleeping bags and we unzipped the door on the left and unzipped his crate. All it took was the routine "time for bed," and Mr. P crawled into his crate.

Where does your dog sleep when you camp?

Door County, Wisconsin

Though we have had many adventures with our dog Porter, an English Lab, our first to be published on this blog is our most recent trip to Door County, Wisconsin. After our visit, I can say with confidence this area is a dog friendly vacation spot. Many restaurants and venues cater to our four legged friends and I hope to share several with you over the coming weeks.

Door County is the perfect getaway for a long weekend if you live near by. Just about 3 hours north of Milwaukee, Wi and 5 hours north of Chicago, Il. Door County is on the peninsula just east of Green Bay and is surrounded by Lake Michigan. The county is known for it's cherry orchards and outdoor fun.

Here is an outline of our itinerary.

• Sunday
• Pit stop at the Best Friends Dog Park in Oshkosh, WI
• Picnic at Potawatomi State Park
• Set up camp at Peninsula State Park
• Door County Fish Boil at The White Gull Inn
• Monday
• Hike the trails at Peninsula State Park
• Take in a show at American Folklore Theatre
• Tuesday
• Drive of the County
• Chillin' at the Beachfront Inn in Bailey's Harbor, WI
• Wednesday
• Wine Tours
• Lunch with Mr. P at Harbor Fish Market & Grill
• Drive in movie at Skyway Drive-in