Navigator News (tm) June 2008-Door County Fun!

The Door Peninsula has a lot of kid-friendly places to visit. Two of the many popular sites for families are The Farm and Hands On Art Studio.

Get a feeling of rural history at The Farm, 4285 Hwy. 57, Sturgeon Bay. This family-owned business is an outdoor museum about farm life.

Kids meet cows, horses, goats, lambs, as well as peacocks, rabbits and kittens. And they can even hold and feed some of them.

Buy a bottle of goat's milk or a pack of corn in the milk house. Goats are milked every hour on the hour in one of the red outbuildings, and it's easier than you think to feed a cow.

"The big cow will open her mouth, just wait for that corn, and that big tongue comes out. And you put the corn on the tongue," says Shirley Tanck, co-owner.

A self-guided path circles the cow pasture and takes

you past wooded hiking trails and a pond swimming with ducks and geese. Along the way, enter old log buildings and a machine shed, relocated and converted to museum exhibits here.

Check out the Sugar Shack. It shares how syrup is made by tapping maple trees. Don't miss the Nature Cabin and an opportunity to see a chicken hatch before your eyes. A renovation this year makes some of the building entrances handicapped accessible.

Mom may take a break and check out The Farm's gift shop. The loft area has home accents such as

dishware and garden accessories. The pottery by Alex Majeski, of northeast Wisconsin, is reasonably priced and eye-catching.
www.thefarmindoorcounty.com

A creative place for kids, as well as adults, is Hands On Art Studio, 3655 Peninsula Players Rd., Fish Creek.

During the peak of the Door Peninsula season, 300 to 400 people make their way to Hands On daily. Here, people get an opportunity to roll up their sleeves and get a sense of what the Door Peninsula's artistic and rural lifestyle is all about.

Hands On sits on a 65-acre farm, owned by Cy Turnbladh, an artist who transitioned from solely making art to also sharing his passion for creativity with others. The rambling complex has diverse studios including the Art Barn, the focal point. People come here to work and play with clay, glass, metal and wood.

In addition to the studio space, Hands On provides staff assistance. People pay a fee for studio time and select materials and get to keep their creations.

"People leave with their projects, but I also hope

they take away a confidence that they can make something they wanted to make and that they are proud of it and really enjoyed the process," Turnbladh said.

"That is really important-that you enjoy being here."

Experiment with glass blowing, fused glass or make a mosaic. Throw pots on a wheel or paint on ceramics, glassware and wood.

Families walk in and stay according to their own schedules. Turnbladh is on a mission to create an atmosphere that loosens people up, no matter their age.

"Every child who comes in here says, 'I'm creative.' And every adult says, 'I'm not.' What's wrong? Let us wake the child and discover the creativity within," Turnbladh said.

People may also wander the grounds and pet the animals-goats, llamas as well as chickens and ducks. "We are an absolutely one-of-a kind-destination," Turnbladh said. "Once people come in, they want to come back every time they come to Door County."