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Photos: Visit Rock Island, Wisconsin

By Amy Cavanaugh in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 16, 2013 4:00PM

We went up to Door County, Wisconsin recently, and while there, made an excursion to Rock Island, a primitive island that has the oldest lighthouse in Wisconsin and 2,000 feet of beaches. Vehicles of any kind are not allowed, and you have to get there by taking a ferry from Washington Island (which you get to from a ferry from the mainland).

While the two ferry rides aren't all that long, you feel world's away from civilization on Rock Island. There are 912 acres, a lighthouse, and some stone buildings built by Chester Thordarson, an Icelandic-American inventor who held nearly a hundred patents. The lighthouse isn't working anymore, but it's now a museum and you can take a tour and climb to the top.

The park is open year-round, and there are also campsites available. While we only spent a couple hours at Rock Island, the lack of cellphone service and complete silence made it a welcome respite.