Madeline Island Getaway, 3 Days of Natural Beauty, Fine Arts & a Laid-back Pace

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It’s almost magic. Just a 20-minute ferry ride from Bayfield to Madeline Island delivers you into a laid-back world of friendly faces and spectacular, secluded scenery. Welcome to “island time.”

The most frequent way to visit the largest of the 22 Apostle Islands is a day trip. Trust us, though, an extended stay offers plenty to fill your time, from shopping, sightseeing and gourmet dining to camping, hiking, swimming and kayaking by sea caves. It’s great for energetic families or couples seeking quiet together time.

In planning your getaway, consider this good advice from Michael Childers, owner of Madeline Island Candles: “Just breathe. Relax. Go to the park. Lay on the beach. Take a walk along the trails. Don’t overschedule yourself. … I hear so many people tell stories of what wonderful weeks they’ve had with their family, that they haven’t had in years, because they rented a cabin and did nothing. They read books and did board games, played cards and made dinner and went out for ice cream.”

To get you started, consider our three-day itinerary for first-timers:

Day 1 – In Town

We’re off to La Pointe, a friendly community with a rural feel. Get there via Madeline Island Ferry Line on Bayfield’s waterfront. Round-trip fare for a car is $25, plus $14 for each person age 12 and up. You also can walk on or bring your bike for a smaller fee, but Max Paap, director of the Madeline Island Chamber of Commerce, suggests first-timers bring a vehicle. It’s a big island, 14 miles long and 3 miles wide, or about the size of Manhattan (but with 300 year-round residents, it has about 1.6 million fewer people in the same space).

At the ferry landing, grab the chamber’s pocket-size guide with its excellent maps or the ferry line’s self-guided walking tours brochure.

For a good place to begin, turn right at Main Street and go two blocks to Middle Road to stop at the chamber office and meet Max, who can help with ideas and directions.

Next to the chamber, coffee drinkers will appreciate

Mission Hill Coffee House, known for fine coffee and owner Marie Noha’s homemade blueberry muffins and brownies. Check out the selection of wines,

T-shirts and jewelry. Relax and look over that map.

Head next for local history at Madeline Island Museum near the ferry landing. One building from 1835 is the last surviving structure from the American Fur Company post and houses artifacts from early Ojibwe life and the fur trade. A new exhibit, “Women of Madeline Island,” tracks remarkable people like the island’s namesake, Equaysayway Madeline Cadotte, daughter of Ojibwe Chief White Crane.

The Ojibwe past and present is strong here, and around town bilingual signs honor those cultural ties at Mooningwanekaaning, “Place of the Golden-Breasted Flicker.”

At lunchtime, keep it light with grab-and-go sandwiches two blocks south of the museum at Cafe Seiche’s new corner shop with outside seating. It offers upscale dining later in the day.

After lunch, spend the afternoon checking out the unique in-town shops. The popular

Madeline Island Candles resides in a charming house surrounded by gardens straight off the ferry landing. Michael Childers and partner Glenn Carlson sell handmade soy-wax and beeswax candles in an array of creative styles, colors and scents. They first made candles at home to support the Woods Hall artist association, just blocks away, to give it a local product to sell. Demand grew, and today the candle business is in its third location. Open year-round, the shop also sells locally made soaps and greeting cards featuring local artwork.

Woods Hall Gallery & Studios was started by St. John’s Church in 1955 as a place for winter islanders to weave rugs and other crafts to bolster income in a seasonal economy. That mission continues with newly renovated gallery, studio and retail space for weaving, felting, pottery and jewelry making. Visitors can watch artists at work or browse the shop.

Just down the street is the delightful

Island Carvers. Meet artists Chris Thompson and Ken Peterson, who opened their gallery and studio after they married in 2005. (Do ask how they met.) He does chainsaw carvings of bears, fish, trees and colorful mushrooms; she handcarves and paints miniatures – gnomes, trolls and cottages – for the fairy gardens. Even youngsters marvel at the whimsical fairy characters.

Shopping and chatting away the afternoon, it’s time for dinner. The Beach Club has good burgers, salads and sandwiches. Try the outdoor lakefront seating. While there are many overnight options on the island, including great campsites, for this trip we suggest The Inn on Madeline Island with a variety of lodging options and the Pub Restaurant & Wine Bar to pop in for a nightcap.

Day 2 – Outdoor Day

Get up late and start the day gourmet.

Farmhouse Madeline Island, a brunch restaurant owned by Gilpin Matthews and Lauren Schuppe, serves memorable breakfasts and an easy-going atmosphere. Try the sweet waffle, filled with granola and topped with berry sauce made from backyard strawberries and rhubarb cooked down with red wine and spices. Delicious. Open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., so late starts are no problem.

If you’re ready for something new by 9:30 a.m., try Yoga on the Rock, at The Inn’s Lightkeeper’s Lodge. Just $12. Now you’re in the right mood for an active day outside at the island’s most scenic beaches.

First, pick up lunch for later.

Madeline Island Market has smoked whitefish from Everett’s in Port Wing and artisan breads and sweet treats from Cafe Coco in Washburn (fresh on Fridays) to stuff your basket. Marc and Serena Gelinas manage the store for Serena’s mother, Marilyn. You might like Ed’s Hot Beef Sandwich, roast beef on a baguette with au jus and giardiniera, a spicy Chicago relish. It’s named for Ed Hartig, Serena’s late father, a familiar local presence at the store for a quarter-century. The seasonal store also sells hand-cut steaks, Bayfield berries, grocery staples and Serena’s handwoven towels.

Lori’s Store is the only year-round grocery/convenience store with frozen foods and meats, sandwiches and an ATM. Owner Lori Hinrichsen greets you with a grand smile and, if asked, will explain her “unintentional collection” of foreign currency (Iran, Kenya, Russia) donated by travelers and displayed under glass.

With lunch packed up, head to

Big Bay State Park, 6 miles east of La Pointe. You’ll need a vehicle sticker ($8 a day for state residents, $11 for non-residents). Campers can reserve a spot at the 60-site family campground with showers (by phone or online).

As you enter the park, pick up the checklists of birds

and wildflowers. From the day-use picnic area, hike the  short trail to Big Bay Point with its stone memorial bench. Sit to savor the beautiful Lake Superior vistas. Follow Bayview Trail (1.3 miles) for stunning views of the rocky sandstone cliffs and, off to the east on a clear day, Michigan’s Porcupine Mountains. Another option: the 1-mile boardwalk and self-guided nature trail along Barrier Beach and adjacent Big Bay Lagoon. And the welcoming 11⁄2-mile sand beach makes you feel like staying awhile, to swim or just sit in paradise.

On the other end of the beach, Big Bay Town Park, with no entrance fee, has access to lovely Big Bay Lagoon. A wooden bridge leads to canoe and rowboat rentals (use the honor system or call Bog Lake Outfitters) and out to the 21⁄2-mile beach that locals say never feels crowded. For camping, the park has 40 tent sites and 20 electrical hookup sites, reservable online.

Heading back to town, stop for a tour of

Madeline Island School of the Arts, which offers five-day workshops in writing, painting, photography, quilting and fiber arts, June through October. The school brings in well-known instructors and provides meals and lodging at its sprawling country campus. Visit the gift shop. You’ll be inspired to sign up for a future workshop. Perhaps you’ll learn to write your memoirs.

Back in La Pointe, you might try the colorful Tom’s Burned Down Cafe for a nightcap. Or stay late on the beach to see the stars.

Day 3 – Last Morning

After breakfast at Grandpa Tony’s, leave the car and rent bikes ($10 an hour) or mopeds ($28 an hour) at Motion to Go. Set out on flat roads with bike lanes. For a water adventure, Adventure Vacations has Madeline Island kayak tours and Apostle Islands powerboat tours. You could hit a few balls at Madeline Island Golf Course (designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr.) or stroll to the marina.

To end the trip, catch the ferry to Bayfield for a late lunch and shopping.

As you bid farewell to Madeline, a place of striking natural beauty where it’s cool to do next to nothing, you’ll already be planning the next time to take off your watch, put away the phone and log some island time.

Island Quick Facts

  • Population on Madeline Island fluctuates from its 300 year-round residents in winter to 2,500 residents in summer.
  • The island welcomes an estimated 75,000 to 90,000 visitors through summer and fall.
  • Of the 22 Apostle Islands, Madeline is the only one that’s not in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and the only one with land open to private ownership.
  • For listings of lodging and dining options, shops, attractions, art galleries, and where to find water adventures and groceries, go to the Madeline Island Chamber of Commerce website or download its visitors guide at www.madelineisland.com.