Goats on the Roof in Door County

Goats on the Roof in Door County

Issue 87

• Travel
• by Susan Sims

How else would the sod on the roof be maintained?

by Susan Sims, Publisher

A visit to Door County is never complete without stopping to gaze at goats atop the roof of Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant. Why are there goats on the roof you ask? Well, why not? 

The first roof-grooming goat was added initially as a joke by one of Al Johnson’s friends, but the goats have become a tradition. The restaurant, now run by Al Johnson’s children, has trademarked “Goats on the Roof” and the herd can be seen on the restaurant’s “Goat Cam.” 

As journalists on assignment, my husband Greg and I were granted rare access to climb up to the rooftop and gaze into the very curious eyes of a few goats. The walk up the same old wooden planks the goats use, wasn’t that much fun for me. I saw headlines “Writer breaks neck on way to view goats,” or something along those lines. 

Fabulous food on the patio; the question is “How many scoops of lingonberries are you putting on your pancakes?”

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