Business in Sister Bay has picked up since mid-June, bouncing back toward normal levels for the summer tourism season, with one exception. Village President Dave Lienau says that hotels in the area are still lagging the general economy. Visitors are finding ways to spend the night in northern Door County, but hotels remain the last choice for many.

Lienau and Louise Howson from the Sister Bay Advancement Association say it has become common for out-of-towners to give the area a trial run, first testing the waters for an afternoon. Once they find that they feel comfortable, they are turning their day trip into a more extended stay. Hotels are gaining walk-in traffic, especially on the weekend, but it is not offsetting the loss of reservations in full.