When it begins to seem like vacation days are mysteriously and almost magically slipping away, find at least a temporary distraction in the hometown of world-renowned illusionist, Harry Houdini. You might not be able to recover lost holiday pay, but visitors can at least have a stab at learning a few tricks to entertain cubicle-bound colleagues back at the office.

One has but to take in a spectacular sunrise over Lake Michigan to get a glimpse of why Door County is such a popular destination - and beloved by those who actually live there. This small peninsula juts out of mainland Wisconsin separating Green Bay from the vast expanse of Lake Michigan sparkling off to the distant horizon. Bright fields and serene forests make way for scalloped coves and rocky promontories guarded by a stately lighthouse.

Unfolding tidily at the southern semicircle of Lake Winnebago, the small town of Fond du Lac is a top fishing destination even when frigid temperatures send less single-minded travelers scurrying indoors.

If I say "Green Bay" and you say "Packers", it's clear that the majority of your exposure to this fine Wisconsin destination is football oriented, and that's not such a big surprise. As home to an NFL team that had three Super Bowl wins and nine NFL Championship victories, this medium-sized city of just over 100,000 isn't all about tackles and touch-downs, though that's certainly a big part of life here at the edge of the water.

Many a child has encountered early joys dressed to impress in overalls emblazoned with the "Oshkosh B'Gosh" label ? and it's the little city on Lake Winnebago that started it all. Oshkosh, cut through by the Fox River, is still home to the factory, but, closed to the public, the most visitors can do is buy an Oshkosh souvenir to take home. But don't think for a minute that this is a place to pass through quickly ? there's more to life than clothes.

Settled comfortably along the shores of Lake Michigan north of Milwaukee, Sheboygan, half-way up the side of Wisconsin, is a medium-sized city with a very Bavarian past. Efforts to set Sheboygan up as a destination popular with a 21st-century crowd have succeeded, awarding visitors with pleasant parks to wander and a fine clutch of cultural sights.

Some people think Door County is about as close to heaven as it gets here on earth, a stretch of land washed by Green Bay waters on one side and bright blue Lake Michigan on the other. Whether you're catching the first light of morning streaking across the horizon from an island campsite or enjoying a locally made wine over a gourmet dinner and sunset, this lovely part of the world is so popular in part because it has the best of several worlds. Sturgeon Bay is really the gateway to the region, and serves as an excellent base for exploring the lower half of Door County.