Aw, isn't it cute? That's this Door County community, says WorldAtlas website

Christopher Clough, Green Bay Press-Gazette
·2 min read

STURGEON BAY - Door County and its communities have been described in many ways by residents, travel experts and its thousands of tourists over the years. Beautiful, natural, artistic, rustic, historic, bucolic, spectacular might be among the terms used, depending on where you are and what you're doing.

Now, you officially can add "cute" to the list.

That's for Sturgeon Bay, which the website WorldAtlas.com named as one of the "seven cutest small towns in the northern U.S." to visit in 2024.

Sunset Park, on the shore of the Sturgeon Bay canal, is one of the attractions cited by the WorldAtlas website to list Sturgeon Bay as one of the seven cutest towns in the northern U.S. to visit in 2024.
Sunset Park, on the shore of the Sturgeon Bay canal, is one of the attractions cited by the WorldAtlas website to list Sturgeon Bay as one of the seven cutest towns in the northern U.S. to visit in 2024.

In recognizing Door County's largest community and only city as a cute town, the writeup on the website called Sturgeon Bay and its surrounding area "a real summertime paradise," noting the variety of activities and attractions available and its location on the shores of Lake Michigan and the bay of Green Bay, with the canal cutting through downtown to link the two bodies of water.

"From waterfront activities to the locally grown produce at the Saturday market, like sweet cherries and corn, this lakeside Door County town is an open door into both the iconic Cave Point County Park and Whitefish Dunes (State) Park for dune strolls, picnics, and photoshoots," the website says.

White, blocky cliffs that are part of the Niagara Escarpment line the Lake Michigan shoreline at Cave Point County Park in Door County.
White, blocky cliffs that are part of the Niagara Escarpment line the Lake Michigan shoreline at Cave Point County Park in Door County.

It also cites beaches not only at Whitefish Dunes but also Otumba Park and Sunset Park in the city. Also cited were the wooded hiking and biking trails at Potawatomi State Park south of the city.

The blurb in the website recognized places where visitors can take in the city's maritime and shipbuilding history, especially by viewing the Canal Station Lighthouse and checking out the Door County Maritime Museum's exhibits on Great Lakes maritime history and its 10-story Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower, which not only has exhibits on the floors but also an observation deck on top.

The Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay and its 10-story Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower.
The Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay and its 10-story Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower.

The website also noted some of the more typical small tourist-town experiences available in Sturgeon Bay, writing, "The beautiful architecture along the historic Third Avenue tells the story of a thriving town with its little shops and inviting cafes for gifts and delicacies."

The other northern small towns that made the WorldAtlas list are Charlevoix, Michigan; Lambertville, New Jersey; Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania; Red Lodge, Montana; Saugerties, New York; and Shelburne, Vermont.

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Sturgeon Bay is one of cutest towns in the northern U.S., website says