Places to Stay : Ellison Bay

The Parkside Inn
11946 Hwy. 42
Ellison Bay
800/497-5221
920/854-9050

The Parkside Inn offers a convenient northern Door Peninsula location and spotless and spacious accommodations.

As its name suggests, Parkside is just across the street from the Ellison Bay Community Center, which features a grassy park, tennis courts and sandy beach on the Green Bay waters.   And guests enjoy a walk-to-town location, too; it’s just a block north. 

But the freshness of the Inn and the hospitality of the hard-working innkeepers are also attractions.  Parkside offers 15 rooms in a two-level white building with green trim.  Included are four rooms with king-side beds (some have sofa sleepers) and 11 rooms with two queen-size beds.     

Each room has a private entry and private bath and is outfitted with a table and two chairs, microwave, refrigerator, television/cable, phone and air conditioning.  Most have large windows facing east; some have northern and western views as well.

New bedding in a floral pattern and blue carpeting decorate the rooms, which are truly spacious and very clean. 

“Our key thing is cleanliness. People will ways come back as long as it is clean,” says Andy Isaacson, innkeeper.

Andy and his wife, Erin, purchased the inn in June 2004 and have made improvements to the grounds as well as to service (Andy grew up on the Peninsula so he knows all the places to go)!

Their hard work shows in Parkside’s landscaping—the stone used in the lovely walls throughout the property comes from a Peninsula farm.  Andy built the walls himself, added flowering plants and made other outdoor improvements, too. The setting is very lush and embellished by picnic tables and Adirondack chairs, which help you to enjoy it.

They serve complimentary coffee and danish in a dining area, near the office, from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. daily.

 “We want to get it to the point where it is perfect for the price. It is the best,” Andy says.

And be aware:  the prices here are very reasonable, so make reservations at Parkside early especially for busy July and August months.

In addition to the nearby park, you may also enjoy a visit to Ellison Bay bluff and shopping and dining in Ellison Bay, which Andy called “the way Door County used to be.”

“I am a big fan of quiet towns,” he says. “We have the little town, the bars, fine dining at T. Ashwell’s, The Viking for a fish boil.  You have everything right here.”

Andy is also a charter fisherman, who runs Andy’s Silver Strike Charters (brochures are available in the office), and he often refers guests, interested in sailing, to an Egg Harbor company.

He just thinks it’s important to get on the water during a visit to an area surrounded by it.

“It’s the true Door County experience,” he says. “I will always advise one day to tour, one day on the water, one day to shop, and, of course—the beach.”

And after all that action, Parkside guests just love sitting outside their entryways on the covered wooden deck, talking with each other about their Peninsula discoveries.

“It’s a very friendly atmosphere. All my guests sit out on the porch and talk.  They have a good time because of that,” Andy says.

Indeed. And friendly innkeepers, intent on improving their business and keeping customers happy, also make Parkside worthy of your travel investment.   So take a drive near the tip, look for The Parkside Inn just across the street from that park, and tell them DoorCountyNavigator.com chartered your way!

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