Algoma

As of 2015. Hours, prices and phone numbers on this page are kept as the original site listed them (captured May 11, 2015). Check current information with each attraction before you go.

The Flying Pig Gallery and Greenspace

N6975 Hwy. 42, Algoma, open daily May-Oct. 9 .m.-6 p.m., Fri.-Sun. Nov.-April, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Located on the uncluttered Lake Michigan shore, enjoy an organic coffee or sip a cold beer or fine wine as you peruse this charming, quirky gallery and garden.

Hotel Stebbins

201 Steele St., Algoma, open daily at 4 p.m. during peak season

The Hotel Stebbins started life as the Ahnapee House in 1857 and has always operated as a hotel. In later years, the restaurant and bar were added to create what is now Algoma's only full-service hotel. Plan a stay or just stop by for lunch or a drink to see this unique reminder of Algoma past.

Algoma Murals

A map on a building near the parking lot adjacent to Heritage Park on Steele St. (merges with Navarino St.) shows the mural locations. "Walldog" artists from Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota have turned the charming downtown of this historic port city into a giant outdoor art gallery. The oversized murals that adorn the walls bring back the days of hand-painted billboards.

Renard's Cheese

248 Hwy. S, Algoma, open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays

What would a trip along Wisconsin's Schooner Coast be without a stop for some cheddar cheese? Renard's is family-owned and operated and is famous for its award-winning aged cheddar. To add to the fun, the cheese shop is shaped like a round cheese box.

Wienke's Market and Our Daily Bread Bakery

292 Hwy. S, Algoma, open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, Saturday and Sunday open until 5:30 p.m.

A unique family farmstead owned and operated for more than 35 years, processing pickles, jams, jellies, pie fillings and many other home-canned products. The in-store bakery produces homemade country scratch bakery goods including Door County Cherry pies and lefse.

Bearcat's Fish House

295 4^th St., Hwy. 42, Algoma, open year-round, seven days a week, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

A family-owned business that gives you a genuine taste of the local fishing industry. Try all sorts of varieties of smoked, pickled or fresh fish.

Added in 2026

Art Dettman Fishing Shanty on the Algoma waterfront. Photo: Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Algoma has gone by three names. Settlers called the place Wolf River in 1851; it became Ahnapee in 1859 and incorporated as a city under that name in 1879; the legislature renamed it Algoma in 1897. Around then its commercial fishing fleet was the largest on Lake Michigan, and sport fishing has kept the harbor busy since.

Population (2020 census): 3,243
River: Ahnapee, at the harbor
NRHP: Art Dettman Fishing Shanty, 1993
Trail: Ahnapee State Trail north to Sturgeon Bay

Worth adding to the list above

The Art Dettman Fishing Shanty, a weathered shed near the harbor once run by a former mayor, is on the National Register and still used for commercial fishing. The red Algoma Pierhead Light has stood in its current form since 1932, when the 1908 tower was lifted onto a new steel base; its Fresnel lens was taken out in June 2019 and went to the North Point Lighthouse museum in Milwaukee. Cyclists can leave town on the Ahnapee State Trail, a level former rail line that runs up the Ahnapee River to Sturgeon Bay.

Two old shipwrecks were found within sight of Algoma recently: the schooner Trinidad (sank 1881, found 2023 in about 270 feet of water) and the Margaret A. Muir (sank 1893, found in May 2024 in about 50 feet). Both are now on the National Register.

Sources: Wikipedia articles on Algoma, Algoma Light, Art Dettman Fishing Shanty, Ahnapee State Trail and Margaret A. Muir (schooner); National Register listings 93001428, 100010476 and 100011949 (read November 2026).

Questions visitors ask

Why do older maps say Ahnapee instead of Algoma?

Ahnapee was the town's official name from 1859 until 1897. The surrounding town still carries it, and so do the river and the state trail.

Can I bike from Algoma to Sturgeon Bay?

Yes. The Ahnapee State Trail links the two; part of it doubles as the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The grade is level, and walkers and horseback riders share it with bikes.

Original text restored from the Wayback Machine capture of May 11, 2015. Typos and dead links were tidied; nothing else in the original section was rewritten. How this archive works.