Your Summer Lake Address

Sturgeon Bay, the gateway to Door County, is about 250 miles and roughly four hours north of downtown Chicago by car. Fish Creek, Ephraim and Sister Bay add another 30 to 45 minutes. The usual route is I-94 to Milwaukee, I-43 to Green Bay and Highway 57 into Sturgeon Bay, and leaving the city outside rush hour makes the biggest difference.

Yes. American and United fly nonstop from O’Hare to Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB) several times a day, a flight of a little over an hour, and Sturgeon Bay is about 50 minutes from GRB by car. Private and charter aircraft use Door County Cherryland Airport (SUE) in Sturgeon Bay, and Ephraim–Gibraltar Airport serves the northern villages.

Door County waterfront homes range from the high six figures into the multi-million-dollar range, with Sister Bay, Fish Creek, Ephraim, Egg Harbor and Baileys Harbor among the most sought-after areas. At the top of the market, Door County’s Legacy Waterfront in Egg Harbor, roughly a half-mile of Green Bay shoreline, is offered at $16,500,000.

Often. Many of Door County’s waterfront homes change hands before they reach the public market. Christie’s International Real Estate | @properties elleven keeps a private list of buyers who hear about these homes first, and Erika Skogg brings qualified buyers into those conversations early.

Often, depending on the home. Short-term rental rules are set by each town and village, and rental homes need a tourist rooming house license and room tax registration. We confirm the rules for a specific address before an offer is written.

Door County’s waterfront offers more privacy, more shoreline and more home than Lake Geneva or Michigan’s shore, at better values. For Chicago buyers the tradeoff is distance: about four hours by car, or a little over an hour by plane from O’Hare to Green Bay.

The Green Bay side, on the west, has the sunsets, sheltered harbors and the busier villages of Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim and Sister Bay. The Lake Michigan side, on the east and often called the quiet side, has sunrises, long sand beaches and more space around Baileys Harbor and Jacksonport. Buyers who sail or want dinner within walking distance often choose the bay, and buyers who want quiet often choose the lake.

Yes. Christie’s International Real Estate | @properties elleven is part of the same Christie’s International Real Estate | @properties network Chicago buyers already know, so your Chicago agent can refer you to our Door County team and stay involved from first showing to closing.

Erika Skogg grew up in Door County, comes from three generations of local real estate and is the first Christie’s-affiliated agent based on the peninsula. Reach her at 920.603.8111 or erika@doorcountychristiesrealestate.com.