It’s been a big year here at Seagull Bay.

Last November, Isaac and I added The Mill House to our collection of properties and spent the winter, spring, and early summer renovating this downtown property.

With the addition of The Mill House, we also updated our website and refreshed the Seagull Bay brand to make it easier to understand how we’ve grown and the different ways you can stay with us when you visit Bayfield, Wisconsin.

We’ve welcomed quite a few new people to our email list along the way, too. So, with summer winding down and our boys getting ready to head back to school, I thought it might be a good time to introduce ourselves to some of you and reintroduce ourselves to those who’ve stayed with us before.

And because fall is right around the corner, I asked Isaac and each of our three boys their favorite things to do in Bayfield this time of year.

Their answers made me smile, and hopefully they’ll make you smile too.

But before we get to those, here’s a little bit about how our family ended up here in the first place.

Our Place in the Seagull Bay Story

Our story began when we took a leap of faith and purchased Seagull Bay Motel with an 11-month-old on my hip and another baby on the way.

Isaac grew up here in Bayfield, and after the birth of our first son, Axel, he felt the pull to come home. We never imagined buying Seagull Bay Motel would be our ticket.

In June 2017, we were handed the keys. Since then, we’ve been raising our three boys, Axel, Ridge, and Banks, while restoring our lakeside motel and adding a few other properties along the way.

Through all the changes, what we love about Bayfield hasn’t changed. It’s the simplicity, the views, the time outside, and that sense of calm that comes from being close to Lake Superior.

Of course, the lake and the Apostle Islands are what draw people here from all over the world. Their beauty is undeniable.

But when I asked Isaac and the boys what they most enjoy doing around Bayfield in the fall, I was pleasantly surprised they didn’t all give me the same answer: fishing.

Don’t get me wrong. We spend a good amount of time with lines in the water. But each of them chose something different.

And I think that says something about what makes Bayfield so special.

There isn’t one right way to experience it.

You can spend your morning pedaling to the top of Mt. Ashwabay, your afternoon on the lake, or an entire day doing very little at all.

So, instead of giving you another long list of things to do in Bayfield, Wisconsin, I thought I’d share a few of our family’s fall favorites.

A Few of Our Family’s Fall Favorites

As our boys get older, everyone seems to be developing their own interests. Fortunately, Bayfield gives us plenty of room to follow them.

Isaac Would Rather Be Mountain Biking

Before having a family and owning a small business, Isaac and I both did a lot of CrossFit. We still enjoy it, although finding time to squeeze it in looks a little different these days.

Isaac also grew up spending most of his free time outside building forts, hunting, and fishing with his family. So it probably shouldn’t surprise me that his favorite fall activity combines two things he loves: staying active and being outside./

For him, that means mountain biking at Mt. Ashwabay.

Just two miles south of Seagull Bay, Mt. Ashwabay has more than 20 miles of singletrack winding through the woods. There are trails for different ability levels, so you don’t have to be an expert mountain biker to get out there and enjoy them.

Fall might be one of the best times to ride.

The air is a little cooler, the bugs have settled down, and the forest starts changing from green to shades of yellow, orange, and red.

And if you make the climb to the top, you’ll understand why Isaac keeps going back.

From the top, you can look out over the Pike’s Creek Watershed toward Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands. On a clear day, you might even catch the Madeline Island Ferry making its way across the bay.

It’s the kind of view that makes you stop, catch your breath, and be still for a minute or two before heading back down.

Axel, on the other hand, would rather spend his fall day at lake level.

Axel Always Wants to Go Fishing

Fishing is woven pretty tightly into life around here.

Our boys spend much of the summer with a fishing pole in hand, whether they’re casting from the dock at a local marina or heading out on the boat. And when they aren’t fishing, there’s a good chance they’re talking about it or trading lures with one of their cousins.

So it came as no surprise when Axel chose fishing as his favorite.

There’s some family history behind it, too. Isaac’s family has deep ties to the commercial fishing industry that was once an important part of life in Bayfield. While the industry looks very different today, fishing is still very much a part of the culture here.

For our family, though, it’s less about how many fish we catch and more about the time spent together.

Fall can be an especially beautiful time to get out on the water. The busy days of summer begin to quiet down, the shoreline starts changing color, and Lake Superior takes on a different feel.

If you don’t have a boat of your own, a local fishing charter is a great way to get out on the water. 

And if fishing isn’t quite your thing, Ridge has another idea for getting out there.

Ridge Is Learning to Sail

Earlier this month, Axel and Ridge spent five days learning to sail through the Bayfield Rec Center.

They learned the basics both on land and on the water, from tying knots and navigating to what to do if the boat capsizes.

We’ve had families stay with us while their kids participate in the sailing program, and I’ve always thought it’s a fun activity to build a Bayfield vacation around. Adults can get in on it, too, through the Rec Center’s collaboration with All Hands Sailing.

While the sailing classes wrap up before fall, there are still plenty of opportunities to get out on Lake Superior.

Imagine spending part of a fall day sailing among the Apostle Islands with big white clouds overhead and the first hints of fall color appearing along the shoreline.

You don’t have to fill every minute of a Bayfield trip with an activity, though.

Banks and I are proof of that.

Banks and I Are Holding Onto One More Beach Day

Banks is a kid after my own heart.

The two of us would be perfectly happy if summer lingered a little longer.

Some of my favorite summer days are spent sitting in a beach chair while the boys swim, fish, dig in the sand, and explore. Banks especially loves putting on his goggles and swim cap and searching for hidden treasures along the shore.

And while most people think of the beach as strictly a summer activity, September often has other plans.

We can still get some wonderfully warm, summer-like days, and when one comes along, we take advantage of it.

Two of our favorites are Frog Bay Tribal National Park and Meyers Beach. Both have sandy shorelines to explore and hiking trails for those days when it isn’t quite beach weather.

Frog Bay is about 15 to 20 minutes from Seagull Bay in Red Cliff and has a beautiful stretch of undeveloped shoreline. Getting to the beach is part of the fun. Trails wind through the forest toward the water, and depending on the time of year, you may find blackberries or thimbleberries along the way.

It’s quiet and peaceful, and it’s just as nice for sitting with a book as it is for splashing in the water.

Meyers Beach offers a completely different experience.

It’s best known as the gateway to the mainland sea caves of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and you’ll often see kayakers heading out along the sandstone cliffs.

But you don’t need a kayak to enjoy it.

You can kick off your shoes and walk the beach, hunt for beach glass, or head out on the Lakeshore Trail, which follows the shoreline above the sea caves.

On those warm September days, you might even end your hike with a quick dip in Lake Superior.

And when the weather starts feeling a little more like fall than summer, the beach is still worth visiting. Bring an extra layer, walk the shoreline, and see what you find.

That’s probably what I love most about this time of year.

You don’t always need a plan.

Find Your Favorite Way to Spend Fall in Bayfield, Wisconsin

As I was putting everyone’s answers together, I realized they tell you quite a bit about our family.

Isaac wants to get out and move. Axel wants a fishing pole in his hands. Ridge is ready to try something new. Banks and I are holding onto summer for as long as we possibly can.

Your perfect fall day might look completely different.

Maybe you’ll wake up early for a bike ride and spend the afternoon wandering around downtown. Maybe you’ll head onto the lake with a fishing guide, go sailing, hike along the shoreline, or get lucky enough to squeeze in one last beach day.

Or maybe you’ll pour yourself another cup of coffee and decide the view from your room is enough for a while.

That works, too.

As Seagull Bay has grown, we’ve tried to create different ways for people to experience this place we call home.

You can wake up to Lake Superior at The Motel, tuck into the woods at The Outbounder, spread out with your family at Brownstone Cottage, or stay right in the heart of downtown at The Mill House.

Each one gives you a slightly different version of Bayfield, but the idea behind them is the same: a comfortable place to settle in while you make the trip your own.

Fall has a way of slowing things down around here. The crowds thin. The mornings get cooler. And there’s still plenty of time to get outside before winter arrives.

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to come back to Bayfield, Wisconsin, maybe this is it. Come enjoy fall with us and enjoy the view!

Mollie, Isaac, Axel, Ridge, and Banks

QUICK LINKS:

Mt. Ashwabay

All Hands Sailing

Frog Bay Tribal National Park

Meyers Beach (U.S. National Park Service)