Settlement Courtyard Inn

Settlement Courtyard Inn is thirty-eight cottage-style rooms around a courtyard in Fish Creek, the village at the north end of Door County, Wisconsin. Restored from a turn-of-the-century property, with the cottages dispersed around the lawn and pool, and the village's restaurants, theaters, and waterfront five minutes' walk down the hill. It's a working Door County inn rather than a tourist-rental cottage.

Door County is a peninsula that sticks into Lake Michigan northeast of Green Bay, with the lake on one side and Green Bay on the other. Fish Creek is the busiest of the small villages along the shoreline, and the Settlement is one of the few hotels in the village proper.

The setting

In Fish Creek's village, on Highway 42, a five-minute walk from the waterfront, the Peninsula State Park entrance, and the village's restaurants and shops. The Peninsula Players Theatre and the American Folklore Theatre are within walking distance; the village's small marina and ferry to Washington Island (further north on the peninsula) are similarly close.

The drive in from Green Bay is forty-five minutes; from Milwaukee, three hours. Most guests arrive on a long weekend from Wisconsin, Illinois, or Michigan.

The building

A central main building with the lobby and breakfast room, and cottage-style accommodations dispersed around a central courtyard with the pool. The aesthetic is rustic Americana of the practical Wisconsin variety — clapboard porches, peaked roofs, painted trim, perennial gardens. The renovation has been gradual rather than dramatic.

It's a property that knows its scale and operates within it.

The rooms

Thirty-eight rooms across the main building and cottages. Categories climb from compact rooms (around $245) up through cottage units with private patios, fireplaces, and slightly more space. Beds are queens and kings, linens are good, bathrooms are updated. Several units have gas fireplaces; some have small kitchenettes useful for multi-night stays.

The cottage units offer more privacy; the main-building rooms are more compact and slightly less expensive.

Food & drink

There's no full restaurant. A continental breakfast is included in the main building. For dinner, Fish Creek's restaurant strip is five minutes' walk: Whistling Swan, the White Gull Inn (the famous fish-boil), Wild Tomato Pizzeria, Alexander's. The Wickman House in nearby Ellison Bay is a longer drive but worth it.

On the property

A small Door County inn with the basics.

• Heated outdoor pool
• Continental breakfast included
• Garden courtyard
• Bicycles available for guest use
• Walking distance to Peninsula State Park
• Open year-round

Who it's for

• Travelers doing a Door County long weekend who want village-walking access
• Couples and families on multi-night stays
• Travelers using Fish Creek as a base for Peninsula State Park hiking and biking
• Theater travelers — Peninsula Players and the American Folklore Theatre are walking distance

Who it's not for

• Travelers who want a design-forward boutique
• Anyone who needs a full hotel restaurant and bar
• Travelers seeking direct waterfront — the inn is in the village, a five-minute walk from the water

Nearby

Peninsula State Park's main entrance is five minutes' walk — Eagle Tower, the lakefront beach, the bike trails through cedar forest. The fish-boil at the White Gull Inn is the regional dining ritual. Drive twenty minutes north for Sister Bay, with the Al Johnson's Swedish restaurant (sod-roof, goats grazing on it) and the Wickman House further on. Drive twenty-five minutes for the Washington Island ferry from Northport. Drive south for Egg Harbor, Carlsville, and the Door County Maritime Museum at Sturgeon Bay.