Bingo

Happy Monday! Today, just like every Monday, and every day of the week to be honest, I (Kimberly) am standing at my desk with a fresh cup of coffee. When we brew it at the resort and when I brew it at home, we go for the good stuff, and it's from our friends over at Door County Coffee & Tea Company. For me, it all started in 1996 when I moved to Sturgeon Bay. Door County Coffee was a relatively new business back then, and boy was it a delicious introduction to real coffee. Gotta get off those gas [...]

One day in the summer of 2017, I (Kimberly) was walking through the parking lot of the resort when I thought I saw something tiny scurry under a car. I took a peek, and found this little guy. It was the teeniest tiniest little snapping turtle that I ever did see! He was not amused. Instead of letting him cross the frying-pan hot parking lot, I took him back to the water. We don't often see turtles right around the resort, but there's an area between The Wagon Trail Campground and the resort that is swampy and prime turtle crossing. [...]

If you've visited the resort and Grandma's Swedish Bakery, you've probably noticed the giant orange painted horse head sitting on the counter by the microwave. It isn't a reference to the Godfather, but actually a popular symbol of Swedish culture named after the city of Dalarna in central Sweden, and they're called Dala horses. This one shown above is one of the most popular styles: the red orange carving with a specific decorative design, made at a factory in Nusnäs, Sweden. This is no obscure souvenir. These hand-carved items are taken seriously. Discover how they're made with a virtual tour [...]

When you visit Rowleys Bay Resort and Grandma's Swedish Bakery, one thing you'll notice is, of course, the Swedish flags. A Swedish flag in Grandmas Swedish Bakery, with Swedish folk art in the background. Just like the American flag, the Swedish flag has a meaningful history. Estimated to have been in use in recognizable form since the mid-14th Century, it wasn't actually officially approved until about 100 years ago. Hand-painted ship with Swedish flag, on a dresser in Cottage E The cross on the flag is a representation of a Christian cross. The color blue symbolizes [...]

Rowleys Bay is on what's known as the "quiet side" of the northern Door County peninsula. What do we mean by quiet? Well...it's quiet. Communities and businesses built up along the Green Bay side on Highway 42 have turned the western shorefront into a remarkable hotspot (spots? hot strip?) of visual and performing arts, amazing food and drinks, shopping galore, and lots of other unique things to see. Here on the eastern front, we have our remarkable landmarks too, they're just a bit more subdued. The way the Niagra Escarpment carved out the lakes and land left the east side [...]

It's April 1st, also known as April Fools Day. Today is the day Kimberly would normally be playing tricks on our readers: promoting our new Listerine-flavored cinnamon roll frosting, playing two truths and a lie with Sasquatch, or teaching chess to seagulls (you know how that ends). But given current events (hashtag "given current events") we thought some of that kind of thing may not go over too well. We don't need something to be grumpy about. We need a reason to smile and laugh and come no more than 6 feet from each other. So who better to talk [...]

Not just any petting zoo, THE Farm has been around for...well, at least long enough to take this photo of my (Kimberly) mom's 1970s snapshot held over their existing sign in 2018! What will you find at The Farm? It's more than just a petting zoo, although I have to admit snuggling with baby animals is still my favorite part. There are dozens of buildings and learning opportunities to peek through, peaceful wooded trails, and a fun gift and snack shop. You can pack a lunch and hang out all day. Open 9am-5pm in the summer, it's multi-generation [...]

Giant checkers! Yes, along with the train display it's the top most oohed and aahed and "I played these when I was little" attraction in our lobby! You probably knew there were chess competitions and Rubik's Cube competitions. Did you know there are checkers competitions? In many parts of the world the game is called Draughts, so the World Draughts Federation is in charge of their rules and contests. Not to be confused with draughts, another of our favorite things to ooh and ahh about. The biggest argument in checkers stems from simple rules relating to forced jumps and how [...]

Oh pecan roll...how I do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Ok, scratch that. We'll be here all day. When I (Kimberly) moved back to Door County and started working at Rowleys Bay Resort, I wondered to myself, "Who on Earth can eat half a pound of pecan roll?!" But then I quickly learned that I have absolutely no problem putting down half a pound (or more) of pecan roll.     From our famous "pecan roll wedding!" A beautiful bride and groom used these as their wedding cake. Photos used with permission, copyright © Tandem Photography Speaking [...]

Cardamom Coffee Cake from Grandma's Swedish Bakery What is cardamom? If you're unfamiliar with cooking and baking spices, you may never have heard of it, but it's around more than you probably realize. If you've ever enjoyed a chai tea latte, you've had cardamom. Cardamom is a spice used often in Indian cooking and in baking in Scandinavian countries. It's used much the same way cinnamon is used, as you can see in the braided Cardamom Coffee Cake shown above, with sugar and generously sprinkled. It's "dry" in the same way powdered cinnamon is dry, and a lot goes a [...]