Visual Traveler: Wilson's Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor, Door County, Wisconsin

                            Above photo courtesy of Lisa Waterman Gray. ©
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What's in This Post
1) Sweet Treats for 120 Years 
2) An Evolving Menu
3) Step Back in Diner Time Slideshow
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Sweet Treats for 120 Years

Wisconsin residents consume nearly 21 million gallons of ice cream each year and Wilson’s Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor in Ephraim/Door County has helped satisfy that craving since 1906.

You'll enter this iconic eatery beneath a candy-cane-striped awning and vintage Coca Cola signs. Another time period awaits beyond the front door, where employees produce hundreds of icy treats each day at the old-fashioned soda fountain, and customers feed quarters into tabletop jukeboxes.

An Evolving Menu

​Opened as an ice cream parlor but now offering a much broader menu, Wilson’s is a beloved spring, summer and early fall destination (open from mid-May to late October) for locals and visitors, alike. Thick, enormous shakes, gargantuan banana splits and ultra-chocolatey Classic Turtle Sundaes are among the restaurant's many ice cream options.

And the food menu? Think legendary home-brewed draft root beer (especially tasty with a big serving of ice cream), as well as flame-grilled burgers, hefty sandwiches, and Chicago Dogs. Or sample iconic Wisconsin favorite – melt-in-your mouth, slightly crispy Cheese Curds, which are served on a bed of fries. 

When you've filled up with diner greats, take a walk along Ephraim's broad, curving roads and the beautiful, sandy Eagle Harbor shoreline. This small Door County city lies on the eastern side of the Bay of Green Bay - an arm of Lake Michigan.

                         All above photos taken by Lisa Waterman Gray. ©
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Disclaimer: As a travel writer I may receive complimentary stays, admissions, meals, transportation, and, occasionally, products I am asked to review. However, I make every effort to report my experiences fairly and honestly.

​Please note these photos are older. While they reflected the character of this destination during my visit, specific details have undoubtedly changed.