Southeastern Wisconsin Articles

Shortly after its purchase from the local Indian Tribe in 1831, Lake Geneva was named by its surveyor for his home town in New York State. Lake Geneva with its 5,500 acre spring fed lake, Geneva Lake, quickly began its still thriving tourist career, and a popular place for lakeside vacation homes. With the sparkling clean lake and beaches and verdant rolling landscape, it was, and still is, an idyllic getaway place.

Since the Illinois border, on the southern end of the lake, is only a few miles away, Chicago’s affluent began building opulent vacation homes here. Prominent families like Wrigley (of chewing gum fame), Field (Marshall Fields), Wacker, Maytag, Swift, and Schwinn, among others, built huge mansions here in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The largest, Stone Manor, an 18,000-square-foot Italianate palace with a 250-foot veranda, was built in 1901 for a million dollars!  

Rail service, which began in 1871 from Chicago to Lake Geneva, made travel easier for families who came for the summer seasons with entourages which included many servants.

That same year Chicago was struck by the Great Fire. Many of the city's ultra rich fled to their Lake Geneva country homes until their city homes could be rebuilt.

Now you can walk along the 26-mile circumference of the lake to see these mansions up close. A booklet, “A Walking Tour of Olde Lake Geneva Towne", lists these and other historic buildings, along with histories and addresses.

One of them, St. Moritz, was built in 1885. It is a wonderful Queen Anne-style house with a turret, gables, spindles, and cut-away-carvings. Chicagoan and Lake Geneva founding father Dr. Philip Maxwell built the impressive Italianate Oaks Inn in 1856.

Many leisure activities of the area center around the lake which, at 162 feet, is the second deepest in Wisconsin.

A good way to learn about the lake and its environs is to take one or more of  Geneva Lake Cruise Line’s narrated boat tours including: a Sunday ice cream social tour; dining cruises; and a sundowner cruise. On the mail boat tour, the mail person jumps off the boat’s bow, delivers mail to docks’ mailboxes, grabs outgoing mail, and then leaps onto the stern, all while the boat is moving.

Tours of the 1888 Black Point Estate, with its original furniture, is only available through the Cruise Lines.

Many places rent a variety of boats, including; pontoons, ski boats, wave runners, speed boats, jet boats, paddle boats, and canoes. Other water sports can be enjoyed as well. You can even get instruction in scuba diving.

Fishing is popular here and you can fish on your own or with a guide. Two nearby lakes in the area, Delavan and Como, are also good for fishing. Prevalent fish are bass, walleye, northern pike, and small pan fish. Most bait and tackle shops or guide services sell fishing licenses. In winter ice shacks can be rented and guides are available for ice fishing.

For a bird’s eye view of Lake Geneva and the lake try parasailing, and ballooning, (offered year round) or take a helicopter tour.

On the ground there’s lots do as well with twenty-four golf courses, many highly rated, within 20 minutes of downtown Lake Geneva, as well as horseback riding, and carriage and hayrides.

The town’s population is 7,417, and its downtown area, dotted with old fashioned street lights , is a pleasant place to stroll about. The 700 block of the downtown area is on the national register of historic sites, with buildings dating from 1870 to 1910.

Though Lake Geneva is a small town, it's far from unsophisticated with art galleries and a small antique mall eight blocks north of downtown.  An eclectic book store cum art gallery is the Bread Loaf circa mid 1840’s. The town library was designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright student and stands near the town beach. For townspeople the beach is free, but for visitors there’s a five dollar charge to use it. All residents have full lake access rights, including free boat launching.

Shopping enthusiasts can check out shops like: Oh My Gauze, everything sold is of fine gauze cotton; Overland Sheepskin, with sheepskin items including coats, car seat covers, pelts and rugs; The Gourmet Shop with gourmet cheeses and sausages; Flemings, an Irish store; and the Cheese Box, where sampling is encouraged.

Among places to eat are Popeye’s, a family owned restaurant which offers barbecues and Greek specialties, and a great view of the lake, and Houlihan’s, also with a lake view. Houlihan’s is known for dozens of exotic martinis. It offers a three drink sample special, which is a must try, for a great price. It also serves fantastic food.

The first annual Lake Geneva Wine Festival’s dates are September 6^th to the 9th.In winter there’s downhill and cross country skiing at the Grand Geneva Resort about a mile from town, and cross country in Big Foot Park and in the Kettle Moraine Forest ten miles north of town. An annual Winterfest and National Snow Sculpting Competition will be held the first weekend in February.

Other communities on Geneva Lake are Williams Bay, five miles from the heart of Lake Geneva, and Fontana, each with a couple of thousand in population. Williams Bay, a picturesque village, is famous as the home of the University of Chicago's Yerkes Observatory, with the world's largest refracting telescope. Saturday tours are offered and visitors can see the famed 40-inch telescope and the Quester Museum. Williams Bay has several art galleries, restaurants, and antique shops.

Today if people want to build lakeside homes on Geneva Lake, according to George Hennerley, the director of the Lake Geneva Chamber of Commerce, “lakefront property is about $20,000 and up a linear foot, and there is little land left. Many people are buying pre- existing houses and tearing them down or purchasing homes in a development which has lake access and which all the homes share.”

For Lakeshoredreams.com, the counties grouped in Southeastern WI include;

Washington County WI, Waukesha County WI, Milwaukee County WI, Racine County WI, Kenosha County WI, Walworth County WI, Ozaukee County WI

“This is so exciting,” said Sheila, when she saw their new 16 foot red canoe that came from Cabela’s. “We’ve never won anything before.” Sheila grew up in the 3 Lakes area of Wisconsin and has had a love for the water from an early age.

“We’re so excited. We’re going to put her in the water tonight,” added Wally, a retired bank officer and boat enthusiast. Wally recently purchased a pontoon boat and plans to use both frequently in the coming summer months.

The Jaskowski’s have been living near the banks of Lake Shangri-La since 1973. Originally from Chicago, they moved to Bristol simply “because they wanted to be by a lake.” They found their first lake home by word of mouth and were so impressed by the lake and the community that they moved on it immediately. The Jaszkowski’s are currently planning to build a new two story walk out on the shore of Shang Gi La and are looking forward to being closer to the water.

“It will make launching the new canoe much easier,” they both laughed.

With over 160 acres of water and plenty of shoreline, the horseshoe shaped Shangri-La is large enough for power boats and other motorized water craft, but has plenty of shallows and no wake areas perfect for canoeing. The lake is also home to the Biggest Little Ice Fishing Derby in Southern, WI., an annual event that brings hundreds of anglers to the community. 

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