When you mention “the goat” in Door County, Wisconsin, you’re probably not referring to the “greatest (fill in the blank) of all time.” Although there are many who believe this nearly 80-mile peninsula that juts like a hitchhiking thumb into Lake Michigan is the all-time greatest travel destination with its 298 miles of coastline, 54 beaches and inspiring locally-owned, family-run businesses.

No, the goats of Door County are actual cud-chewing, bearded farm animals that graze on the roof of Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant in Door County’s Sister Bay. It all started in 1973 as a practical joke when Al’s friend Wink Larson released a goat named Oscar onto the roof of his newly-renovated 1949 diner. Oscar proved more effective than traditional marketing so Al, after, of course, returning the favor to Wink with a pig and a racoon, added a whole herd of goats to the restaurant’s grassy roof. Today, Al Johnson’s nearly two dozen goats appear on two popular goat cams and are reputed to listen to Wisconsin Public Radio when not serving as mascots.

The goats are far from the only oddities to be found in this lively county, Wisconsin’s largest if you count the 1,888 square-miles of water. There’s an underwater hockey team, a weekly UFO Happy Hour, a rare 2300-acre Dark Sky Park (where you can still see stars by the millions) and historic homes that may have been the world’s first Airbnb’s. In the late 1800’s, when word first got out about this picturesque playground, hotels numbered less than the fingers on one hand, so private residences took in enthusiasts flocking in by ferry and passenger steamer.

Today, there’s no shortage of accommodations and restaurants (not to mention microbreweries, wineries, distilleries and painted truffle makers). What better way to experience them than with this Door County Selfie Scavenger Hunt.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Snap a selfie of yourself at each of the following locations.
  2. Share the photo to Instagram with the hashtag @222selfiescavengerhunt and @DoorCounty.
  3. Each photo counts for 22 points with extra points for creativity.
  4. The person with the most points wins. What do they win? Bragging rights and a G.O.A.T. vacay in what many call The Cape Cod of the Midwest.

Get set! Ready! Go!

  1. Bean there, done that. Snap a selfie in front of the huge café window that peers into Door County Coffee’s small batch roastery. You might even catch a glimpse of its 65 employees dancing to Rick Astley tunes, dressing in Flo and Jamie costumes or cooking up some other madcap merriment (it’s encouraged) while roasting 100 flavors of coffee — everything from S’Mores and Toffee Pretzel to Brownie Batter and Frosted Cinnamon Bun. Started 30 years ago by the inimitable Vicki Wilson, who set out to roast the world’s best coffee from what she considers the world’s best place to live, Door County Coffee has a café, gift shop and this guarantee: if the caffeine doesn’t get you buzzing, the contagious energetic vibe will. 5773 Highway 42, Sturgeon Bay 800.856.6613.

2. Too cool for school. Take your “school photo” in front of one of two Door County schoolhouses that have been repurposed into less scholarly, but perhaps more invigorating venues. Bailey’s Harbor Schoolhouse Inn, a primary school built in 1917, is now a charming, seven-suite inn. It’s run by the fifth generation of Peils, all of whom attended school there before they transformed it into one of Door County’s most unique places to bunk.  Its report card: straight A’s thanks to its modern amenities combined with gorgeous antiques, fresh flowers (it’s pretty obvious Caleb, Kristen and Ida are rabid gardeners) and hosts with a reputation for going the extra mile. 8091 Guy Street, Bailey’s Harbor, 920.839.5353

While former teachers may not approve, the two-room Carlsville schoolhouse has been reincarnated as both the Door Peninsula Winery and Door County Distillery where, sorry kids, you have to be 21 to imbibe in its fruit-forward wines and award-winning malt whiskeys. Since 1974, the old Victorian schoolhouse and its thick basement walls has provided perfect temperatures for storing the more than 60 wines including Blackberry Merlot and Cranbernet (cranberry and Cabernet). Although the bell tower is still there, the schoolhouse has been expanded twice, offers two tasting bars and gives daily tours. 5806 State Highway 42, Sturgeon Bay, 800.551.5049

3. Lavender fields forever! Forget must-see. This selfie involves a must-smell as you pose with 20,000 lavender plants. Wear purple. At Fragrant Isle, a 21-acre lavender farm on Washington Island, you’ll understand what Taylor Swift meant by her 2022 hit, “Lavender Haze.” It’s a term used in the 50’s to describe the spell of unrequited love. Only here, your love will be returned as you bask in the scent of 12 types of culinary and aromatic lavender. Launched in 2013 by a former Parisian, this farm offers all things lavender, steam-distilled on site in copper stills.  1350 Airport Road, Washington Island, 920.847.2950 Above photo credit: Edgar Anderson, President / CEO of Fragrant Isle.

4. The bitter pill with benefits. Show us your Bitter’s Club membership card. According to Guinness Book of World records, Nelsen’s Hall on Washington Island is the world’s largest purveyor of Angostura Bitters, selling some 10 thousand shots a year. Every day, people trek to the tiny tavern to receive their official card, stamped by the bartender’s thumb from the dregs of their shot glass and entitling them to “mingle, dance, etc. with other islanders.”

As the longest continuously running bar in Wisconsin (circa 1899), Nelsen’s Hall and its owner Tom Nelsen came up with a clever loophole to get through Prohibition. After the Volstead Act passed in 1919, Nelsen heard that alcohol could still be purchased and dispensed as long as it was for medicinal purposes. So he got a pharmacist’s license and began “prescribing” the 90-proof Angostura bitters to –a-hem–“treat stomach disorders.” According to legend, Nelsen himself drank a pint of the Venezuelan concoction every day, ingesting his last pint at age 90 right before he died.

5. Poetry in a can. Get a selfie gulping a bright green Troll Hunter seltzer while swinging in one of Peach Barn Brewery’s hanging chairs. Extra points if you recite a poem, encrypted onto each of the microbrewery’s cans and bottles.  When Sarah and Jason White bought their 1.5-acre property in Sister Bay, they had one goal. To come up with a small business that somehow made enough to pay the mortgage. Maybe they’d start a coffee shop. Nope, said the village commission. How about selling peaches? After all, they already ran a successful business trucking in peaches to Denver from Colorado’s western slope. A big fat N.O. Well, what about boat storage? Same answer. Finally Jason, who grew up in Fort Collins and had long been a home brewer, suggested opening a microbrewery in the old auto-body shop in the back of the property.  Now that, said the village commission, is an idea we can get behind.

Open now for two years, Peach Barn Farmhouse & Brewery offers a creative lineup of microbrews and seltzers, a fun boho vibe with inspiring indoor and outdoor seating and games for kids of all ages. 

The names of the microbrewery’s offerings give subtle hints about the owners’ backstory. Gypsy Mermaid Mango Margarita is a nod to Sarah and Jason’s three young daughters and Berry Bonds and Ashmen Amber suggest Jason’s earlier career with the Baltimore Orioles.

The When Harry Met Sally Farmhouse Ale pays homage, not to Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, but to Sarah’s grandparents, Harry and Sally, who bought property in Door County 64 years ago.  2450 South Bay Shore Drive, Sister Bay.

6. Odin and Thor would feel right at home. Pose with one of the dragon heads outside Washington Island’s medieval-designed Stavkirke, a fairytale chapel that seats 38 people. Nestled in the forest and modeled after a 1150 A.D. church in Borgun, Norway, it was built with classic tongue and groove joinery, using wood trunnel dowels.  And, yes, it looks like a Viking ship. At one time, there were 1300 Stavkirkes throughout Norway and Sweden. Today, a mere 28 remain, making this Door County replica even more important to shoot and capture on your selfie journey. 1763 Town Line Road, Washington Island 920.847.2341.