Tiny houses in Door County

Door County earns its Midwest-seaside reputation honestly: the peninsula's two shorelines give you cliff-edged bluffs on the Green Bay side and calm sandy beaches on the Lake Michigan side, often within minutes of each other. Tiny houses and cottages here tend toward the classic Wisconsin vernacular — wood-sided, screened porch, near the water — though a newer wave of modern-design cabins has arrived in recent years. The cherry and apple orchards that line the county roads in blossom in May and June are among the most beautiful rural scenes in the Upper Midwest.

Peninsula State Park is the draw for hikers and cyclists, with limestone bluff trails and a lighthouse reachable by kayak. Washington Island, a short ferry ride from the tip of the peninsula, makes for a genuinely peaceful day away from the busier resorts. The season peaks in summer, but September and October bring spectacular lake-light and far fewer visitors.