Washington Island, WI
Back in the late 19th century, a few groups of Scandinavian immigrants crossed the dangerous Death’s Door passage. It was a turbulent six-mile strip of water that connects Lake Michigan and Green Bay.
They settled in Washington Island, found near the northeast tip of the Door County peninsula.
Today, you can embark on a scenic…and much safer, half-hour ferry ride to get to the small island community of Washington Island, which is home to a few galleries, gorgeous beaches, a spread-out, and Fragrant Isle Lavender Farm.
And you’ll also be greeted by one of the country’s oldest Icelandic communities. Who knew you could find a location like this in the midwest?!?
You can explore the island’s Nordic roots at places like the Jacobsen Museum. It has a huge collection housed in Danish immigrant Jens Jacobsen’s log cabin home, or even the Norwegian-inspired Stavkirke church.
