Peninsula State Park campsites have been upgraded

FISH CREEK – This year, visitors to the Peninsula State Park can experience the park’s facelift with new and improved equipment, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said on Wednesday.

Campers will be able to see most of the upgrades, with new grills and fireplaces on the campgrounds and new drinking fountains in all of the campgrounds. A total of 400 campsites have been redone and 23 have been fitted out to provide electrical service.

The South Nicolet Campground now has a new shower facility, as well as improvements to the washrooms. The toilets at Weborg Point Campground have also been updated.

The rest of the park has 11 new waterless dry toilets, a new sanitary emptying and filling station and new toilets at the Northern Sky Theater.

The White Cedar Nature Center also has a new addition, but will remain closed due to construction and the pandemic.

Friends of Peninsula State Park launched last fall a public campaign for more improvements to the Nature Center, including an amphitheater, new walkways and an expanded parking lot.

Other updates expected over the next two years include improving trails and property roads, according to MNR.

Park amenities start to open for the season

Several park facilities will open this spring, although many have implemented new or updated policies to deal with the ongoing pandemic.

For example, the Peninsula State Park golf course opened on May 1, with the clubhouse limiting occupancy and requiring face masks, according to their website.

Electric and push carts will be sanitized between uses, and tee times are spaced out to avoid large gatherings. Golfers are advised not to touch the flag sticks and to bring their own supplies as rakes, ball washers and water coolers are not available.

The Eagle Bluff Lighthouse will open on May 15 for tours, and so far masks will be required, according to their website.

The Nicolet Beach Camp store will open on May 28, before Memorial Day weekend.

The Northern Sky Theater will open for the season on June 14 with the outdoor performance “The Fisherman’s Daughters” by Katie Dahl, which follows two sisters from Fish Creek in 1908 whose property is about to become part of the Peninsula. State Park, according to the theater.

“The Fisherman’s Daughters” is a preview of a future premiere and will run in the park through July 10.

Eagle Tower remains closed for construction

Eagle Tower, which was scheduled to open on April 30, delayed its opening to the public “due to unforeseen construction delays,” according to the DNR.

A new opening date has not been set, but the DNR believes it will be in the coming weeks.

The tower was originally built in 1932 to replace the 1914 one, according to Friends of Peninsula State Park. After security concerns forced it to close, the tower was dismantled in 2016.

When Eagle Tower reopens, it will feature an 850-foot accessible ramp and be 15 feet shorter than the 1932 tower, but still offer panoramic views of Lake Michigan.

Contact Daphne Lemke at 920-907-7968 or dlemke@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @daphlemke.

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