Lake Geneva is a resort city on Geneva Lake in southeastern Wisconsin. The lakeside Shore Path is dotted with Gilded Age mansions, many built by wealthy Chicagoans. Nearby, the 19th-century Black Point Estate and Gardens was the summer home of Chicago beer magnate Conrad Seipp. The Queen Anne–style house has Victorian furnishings. Local beaches include Big Foot Beach State Park, which has trails and picnic areas.
The city was named after Geneva, New York, as early settler John Brink found a similarity between the areas. The community was named Lake Geneva in order to avoid confusion with Geneva, Illinois, which is located nearby. The area gradually became a popular summer retreat because of the railroad access from Chicago
Most of visitors and guests are familiar with the many attractions in Geneva Lakes area: the beaches at Library Park, and Big Foot State Park, specialty shops and galleries, golfing, boating, hiking the Potawatomi Trail, lake cruises, great food, and lodging services.
The Big Foot Beach State Park offers 5 miles of hiking trails, a family campground, swimming beach and picnic and playground areas. Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are popular in winter.
U.S. Mailboat Tour
The town is the first and only one in the United States where jumpers deliver mail from a passenger– mailboat, a tradition that began in 1916 when the primitive roads were too difficult to traverse. It has continued uninterrupted, May through September, for the last 105 years. To be a mail jumper requires athleticism, agility, personality, and communication skills. The six jumpers selected each year are preserving the town’s history, but most are teens just seeking, as they call it, “a really cool summer job.”
At the same time this service became the most popular tour – of course there is a ticket cost associated to that, but it’s very excited.
..and here is how it works: the 75-foot Walworth with a load of 150 passengers, delivers mail and newspapers by moving between the docks and getting close enough to the pier for the Mailperson to jump off the moving boat, deposit the mail in the mailbox, grab outgoing mail, and jump back onto the boat – all while the boat keeps moving. Every delivery is different and challenging both for the Captain and the Mailperson! Sometimes the delivery ends with a splash in the lake!
The Walworth departs promptly at 10:00am every day with a load of passengers, mail, newspapers and a very unique mail person. The Mailboat returns to the Riviera Docks after its 2 ½ – cruise around the entire lake.
Horseback riding
Other hidden beauties featuring nature include Lake Geneva’s natural parks, petting zoos and horseback riding areas. Take in views of the lake, stroll along the trails and soak up each and every moment in this waterside city. It doesn’t matter when you visit, there is always unique beauty to experience in Lake Geneva.
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