Do you sometimes wish it were possible to turn back the clock and enjoy life at a slower pace? Perhaps visit a region with small villages, mom and pop stores, friendly people, art galleries, scenic vistas, lots of lakeshore and warm welcomes? If so, Wisconsin’s Door County should be on your bucket list.

We recently returned from a mid-October trip to Door County, where we had a grand time. We hiked, biked, savored a hand-made milkshake, attended a fish boil, viewed a play, visited art galleries, took a boat ride, and enjoyed a three-night stay in an historic schoolhouse that had been converted into an inn. The region’s unusually warm temperatures delayed the fall foliage, a minor disappointment in an otherwise wonderful trip.

Door County is located in northeast Wisconsin where it consumes most of a peninsula jutting like an outstretched thumb into Lake Michigan. The 18-mile-wide base of the 70-mile-long neck of land is a short distance northeast of the city of Green Bay. This is Packer Country.

The county is bordered by Green Bay on the west and Lake Michigan on the east. The name derives from “Death’s Door,” a hazardous shipping passage near the peninsula’s tip where many a boat went to Davy Jones’ locker. With water on three sides, the peninsula offers 300 miles of lakeshore to enjoy.

The natural beauty and small-town retro ambiance has resulted in Door County becoming one of Wisconsin’s foremost tourist destinations. Nearly a quarter of the county’s 28,000 full-time residents are associated with tourism. Motels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, museums, art galleries, cheese shops and produce stands populate picturesque small villages scattered throughout the peninsula. The county seat and largest town, Sturgeon Bay, is home to only about 9,000 residents. This is quintessential rural America.

Despite a small resident population, the county is home to 11 historic lighthouses, five state parks, 19 county parks, six wineries, 11 golf courses, 12 marinas, and 2,000 acres of cherry orchards. Oh, those cherries! Door County businesses offer cherry pies, cherry cheesecake, cherry muffins, cherry ice cream, cherry jams, cherry salsa, cherry lemonade, cherry ice tea, cherry ginger ale, cherry wine and — best of all — cherry-topped Swedish pancakes.

A narrated trolley tour offers first-time visitors the opportunity to gain an overall feel for the area. Trolley offerings include a scenic tour, a wine tour, a lighthouse tour, a culinary tour and a ghost tour. There is even a haunted pub crawl tour. Special tours are offered during winter and spring.

Several boat tours are available, which shouldn’t come as a surprise in a county bordered by water. Narrated sightseeing cruises along the shoreline offer views of lighthouses, cliffs and upscale homes. Sailboat and fishing charters are also available.

Peninsula State Park is the crown jewel of the county’s recreation areas. Located near the village of Fish Creek, the park encompasses nearly 3,800 acres and is home to 457 campsites, an outdoor track, an 18-hole golf course, a picturesque lighthouse and a 10-mile bike path that winds through woods and beside the shoreline. Two bicycle rental shops are immediately outside the park entrance. Our bicycle ride in the park was so enjoyable that we could easily have spent most of the day in the park.

Numerous family-owned restaurants ranging from fine dining to eat-and-run are scattered among the villages. The area is especially noted for seafood and during our first evening we enjoyed some fine lake perch, a side order of cheese curds, and a glass or two of Wisconsin-brewed Spotted Cow.

During the last evening of our trip we enjoy an elaborate cooking experience that is a Door County specialty, a “fish boil.” The affair is such theater that diners are asked to arrive at least a half hour prior to dinner in order to witness the “boilmaster” do his or her thing. A large cast-iron pot full of water is hung over a blazing fire. When the water reaches the appropriate temperature, the boilmaster lowers a wire basket full of onions and red potatoes into the pot. Ten minutes later another wire basket filled with whitefish is lowered into the water. When water begins to boil over the sides of the pot, the boilmaster tosses kerosene or diesel fuel on the fire. The blaze catches fat from the fish on fire resulting in a giant fireball. After the flames die down, the boilmaster and an assistant remove the basket and carry it inside. This is the signal that is time for everyone to chow down.

Getting there: Green Bay, the nearest major airport, is served by American, Delta, and United. The Appleton airport, 30 miles southwest of Green Bay, is a nearby option.

Lodging: Lodging facilities ranging from upscale lodges to quaint bed and breakfasts are scattered throughout the county. We enjoyed a stay at Orphan Annie’s Schoolhouse Inn in Baileys Harbor. Nightly rates range from $125 to $150. A fairly comprehensive listing of the county’s lodging is available at www.doorcounty.com/stay.

Dining: Breakfast at Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay is in every way a fulfilling experience. For lunch and ice cream treats visit Wilson’s Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor in Ephraim that has been serving milk shakes, malts, and ice cream sodas since 1906. Wild Tomato Wood-Fired Pizza and Grille in Fish Creek serves excellent breads and wicked cheese curds in addition to featured pizzas. Fish boils are offered by several area restaurants including Rowleys Bay Restaurant and Fish Boil where we enjoyed dinner.