The Perfect Getaway

Ever since J got back mid-December our weekends have been packed with visiting friends and family. Yes, we had some ‘us’ time but it was sandwiched between busy schedules and traveling. What better time to get away than Valentine’s Day?

Every Wisconsinite knows the beauty that is Door County, WI, particularly in the summer and early fall months. For all you non-Wisconsinites…Door County is the peninsula of Wisconsin, from Sturgeon Bay all the way up to Washington Island more or less. The thing many tourists don’t know is the hidden treasure that Door County is in the winter months.  The small, quaint towns more or less shut down during the winter months. But I’ll have you know the wineries stay open 😉 The views are impeccable, sunsets are still gorgeous when setting over a frozen blustery Lake Michigan. The resort we stayed at had an harbor facing balcony, full kitchen, fireplace, and Jacuzzi tub. It was perfect and affordable considering all the amenities we got with the room.

The Town Hall of quaint little Ephraim, WI

Friday we got up Ephraim, WI around 3pm and decided to go out for a nice Valentine’s Day dinner. J took us to a steakhouse up the street where I got an amazing 5 course meal: Cabarnet, Sweet and Spicy Shrimp Cocktail, House Salad, Gorgonzola Tenderloin (to.die.for) and carrot cake to go!
Not going to lie, knowing that most shops close down during the winter months I was hesitant as to the quality of this steakhouse but it sure surprised me! And the atmosphere was outstanding. Low lighting and couples on all walks of life enjoying dinner as well.

Saturday was the main ‘attraction’ of the Winter Wonderland package I purchased for this get away. At 9am we drove 30 minutes and hopped on a trolley! The trolley took us to 3 wineries, an Inn for lunch, and was supposed to take us to a sleigh ride as well. Being that it was 1 degree and 30mph wind gusts, the sleigh ride was cancelled. Instead we were taken to a log cabin den for a drink on the trolley company! Nothing better than spending your Valentine’s Day day-drinking at local wineries ❤ I may have scored quite a few bottles of Door County wine, some amazing olive oils, and two Master Cheese Crafted cheeses—only in Wisconsin I tell ya do we have master cheese crafters..

The Goods!

On our way back to our resort we drove through the Peninsula State Park for me to snap some pics with my DSLR.

That is NOT fog.. that is snow blowing off the harbor in the 30 mph gusts. So. Cold.

Saturday night we did a whole lot of nothing-which was the purpose of our getaway. I schooled him in multiple games of Yahtzee and a game of monopoly, we’re talking I won 7 of the 9 games we played of Yahtzee. We cooked up some turkey and spaghetti and just relaxed.
No TV. No distractions. Just us.

We decided we wanted to stay an extra day since I had off Monday for President’s Day. After sleeping in until 9, all we did was veg out. J ran to the store to get some whiskey and made an amazing breakfast. Around 4pm I finally changed into some warm clothes and went exploring to take some more pictures. Other than that I spent an hour in the Jacuzzi eating cheese, crackers and wine. Not a bad day 🙂

I’d be embarassed to admit how many attempts it took me to capture this hipster [artsy fartsy] photo.

Leaving Monday morning was definitely difficult. After the serenity and peacefulness I was dreading going back to work. But only a few more weeks left and then some big big changes are coming. Stay tuned!