Door County

One place in particular means the absolute world to me. I often call this place “my second home” because truly it is. It is my favorite place because I get to share it with the people I love the most: my family.

Since the summer of 1983 the Schneider family has spent summers in Door County. My grandparents were the first to get a campsite in Aqualand Campground. Ever since my father was young, my grandparents have brought him on camping trips. My parents now aim to do the same for me and my brother. Due to the large impact Door County has had on my Dad, my parents decided to also buy a campsite after they got married in 1997. 

I have been spending summers up in Door County with my family since I was a newborn. I grew up there. My brother and I grew up with our grandparents across the street from us. In the back of their blue and white park model trailer, they had a screened-in room. One of my fondest memories is playing store with my grandma using pieces of paper for dollars and small clear pieces for coins. The ding of the small dusty plastic register still lives in my mind. The musty smell of the room, so nostalgic and comforting. 

My grandparents would always bring my brother and I on “spooky walks” which entitled walks around the campground in the dark while my Grandpa told us foolish campground legends. At the time, I wholeheartedly believed every story he told. Every crunch in the gravel, insect buzz, whoosh of wind startled me. While I was easily frightened at my young age, it was all okay because I had my grandma and grandpa to protect me. 

My grandparents lived in Manitowoc and we did not see them very often. Door County was the one place we got together besides Christmas. Summer was incredibly special to me for this reason. 

Door County tremendously changed for me after my Grandma and Grandpa passed away.

I could no longer walk across the gravel road and see them sitting on their deck bathing in the sun, no longer hearing their joyous laughs, no more spooky walks or play store. I peer across and see their trailer but it’s empty. Where is the laughter that used to wisp through the summer breeze? The life they brought to the campground? Not shortly after, my Uncle Greg and Aunt Paula moved into my grandparents trailer. My half sister bought a trailer next door to ours and my half brother on the other side.

Although my grandparents are now gone, their memory and the time we spent up in Door County together lives on in each tree, flower, and gust of wind where I swear I can hear their laugh. They loved Door County 10 times the amount I do, which I’m sure is hard to imagine. The actions of my kindhearted grandparents have now rooted and live in each and every one of us: my Mom and Dad, my brother and I, my half brother, his wife, and his children. Patterns repeat. My dad, the grandpa to my nieces and nephews, is what my grandpa once was to me. A hero and a guide through the spooky walks. I hope to someday give the gift of Aqualand Campground to my children.  

My Grandparents are the reason I know this wonderful place. My attachment runs as deep as the sea for Door County because it makes me feel close to my grandparents.