Door County Christmas Movie Trail invites visitors to explore 16 locations featured in ‘A Cherry Pie Christmas’

Just when you were getting used to calling it “A Wisconsin Christmas Pie,” the Door County holiday film is switching back to its original title for the next phase of its rollout and a new movie trail showcasing its locations.

It will once again be “A Cherry Pie Christmas” when it becomes available to stream on-demand beginning Nov. 15.

The digital release will allow viewers to watch the movie at their convenience across a range of free and on-demand platforms, including Tubi, Roku, Pluto, Vizio and Xumo as well as other holiday- and romance-themed free, ad-supported TV channels. It will be a featured title on Amazon’s Always Christmas channel later in the season.

The TV movie, which is set in Door County and was filmed there in March and April, premiered on Great American Pure Flix on Oct. 9 and on cable’s Great American Family channel on Oct. 11 as “A Wisconsin Christmas Pie.” It continues to air on both.

Director John Stimpson, who has made other holiday films, said it’s not uncommon for a network that licenses a film to change the name to highlight the location, as Great American Family did. As an example, “Christmas North of Nashville” and “A Paris Christmas Waltz” are other titles showing alongside “A Wisconsin Christmas Pie” on the channel.

The movie stars Katie Leclerc as Emma Parker and Ryan Carnes as Mitch Henriksen, former sweethearts who are reunited in their hometown over the holidays. Emma is a Chicago pastry chef who must decide whether to make a big-city career move or try to save her parents’ cherry orchard.

The natural beauty of Door County is on full display in the movie as are several longtime family businesses and iconic destinations.

Door County Christmas Movie Trail features 16 stops

The new Door County Christmas Movie Trail debuted Nov. 1 and invites viewers enchanted by the film to throw on a cozy scarf and grab a cup of coffee and explore some of locations that are featured.

Here’s how it works:

Sign up for free through the Destination Door County website at doorcounty.com/movie by filling in your name, email, mobile phone number and ZIP code. You’ll receive a text message that allows you to access your pass and add it to your phone’s home screen.

You’ll find a list of 16 places to check in at, along with fun information about how each was used in the film and events it has coming up for the holiday season. You learn things like which Door County folks make cameos and and where to get a cherry pie ornament like the one in the film.

Check in at 10 of the film locations to receive “A Cherry Pie Christmas” mug. Check in at 14 and you get the mug and Door County Coffee’s limited-edition Wisconsin Cherry Pie coffee.

The 16 locations are:

• Lautenbach’s Orchard Country, Fish Creek: Called Parker Cherry Orchards in the film, it’s the site of father-daughter heart-to-hearts as they walk through the snow-covered orchard.
• Tannenbaum Holiday Shop, Sister Bay: One of the most magical scenes in the movie with a wonderland of decorated and lit Christmas trees.
• Novel Bay Booksellers, Sturgeon Bay. It’s where Emma and Mitch comically run into each other for the first time.
• Anderson Dock and Warehouse, Ephraim: Emma and Mitch go looking for their names they painted on the building years ago.
• Hillside Waterfront Hotel, Ephraim: The Christmas party, attic and kitchen scenes were shot at the luxury property.
• Sister Bay Historical Society, Sister Bay: Home of the Christkindlmarkt and the cherry-pie bake-off during the ending.
• Door County Coffee, Sturgeon Bay: The cozy location is featured in coffee and lunch scenes with Emma, Mitch and Jen.
• Renard’s Artisan Cheese, Sturgeon Bay: Its popular Door County Cherry Cheddar plays an important role in the story (and the pie crust).
• Eagle Tower at Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek: It’s the scenic setting for one of Emma and Mitch’s strolls down memory lane.
• Scaturo’s Baking Co. & Cafe, Sturgeon Bay: That’s owner and baker Robert Scaturo playing himself as one of the contestants in the cherry pie bake-off.
• Henriksen’s Fish House, Ellison Bay: The family business helped inspire the Mitch character, who works at the fishery in the film.
• Waterfront Mary’s Bar & Grill, Sturgeon Bay: It’s the backdrop for the holiday fish boil scene.
• The White Gull Inn, Fish Creek: The historic bed and breakfast and restaurant shows up as a lunch location.
• Door County Trolley station, Egg Harbor: Emma and Mitch climb aboard for a ride.
• St. Nick’s Tree Farm, Sturgeon Bay: One of the featured vendors at the Chistkindlmarkt in the movie and the real-life makers of the kissing balls in the film.
• Tug John Purves, Sturgeon Bay: The dock adjacent to the 1919 restored red tugboat was used for the Henriksen Fisheries scene.

Door County Christmas Movie Trail participants who collect any prize from the trail by Dec. 31 will have a chance to win one of five movie posters autographed by the stars. Receipts from purchases made along the trail can also be turned into the Door County Welcome Center for a chance to win $500 in Door County gift certificates from a drawing to be held Jan. 5.

Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or [email protected]. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Door County Christmas Movie Trail invites visitors to explore 16 locations featured in ‘A Cherry Pie Christmas’

Reporting by Kendra Meinert, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette

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