Pay a visit to Lake Geneva | Summerguide

You have already been wowed by the tricks of magician Tristan Crist and as you sit in the darkened theater, you eagerly await the finale. As the music crescendos, the theater lights reveal Crist’s assistant in a small metal cage. He flourishes a curtain for only a few seconds, dropping it to reveal the assistant in a full-sized – Wait, you don’t want me to spoil it, do you?

Audience members gasp in unison, still shaking their heads as they exit the theater and head back to their Lake Geneva lodgings.

Crist’s show is one of the varied treasures awaiting visitors to this resort mecca just over the Illinois line in southeastern Wisconsin. For nearly 150 years, the Lake Geneva area has attracted lakeside retreat seekers from Chicago industry giants to Midwestern families, pre-wedding celebrants and nature lovers.

Billed as a four-season destination, Lake Geneva is particularly popular in the summer when lake breezes provide a respite from the heat.

“Summer is all about the water: in, on and around the water,” says Deanna Goodwin, marketing director for Visit Lake Geneva. She cites the three main lakes – Geneva, Delavan and Como – as the No. 1 reason people flock to the area.

Such legendary names as Wrigley, Drake and Schwinn agreed and built estates you can view from the popular boat tours originating in downtown Lake Geneva. You can choose from a full menu of tours, including a U.S. mailboat with a letter carrier hopping on and off to deliver mail to lakeshore dwellers.

Other cruises feature dinner, cocktails, lunch or a guided tour of the Black Point estate and gardens, built in 1888 for Chicago beer master Conrad Siepp. Close to 100 homes date to the 19th century, Goodwin says.

While starting with a boat tour is a popular way to orient yourself to Geneva Lake, some visitors hit the Geneva Lake Shore Path. Its 21-mile loop around the lake crosses some private property and provides views of old and new mansions. Dotting the shore are trail access points, including Big Foot Beach State Park.

The park provides a small beach, picnic area, camping, playgrounds and hiking trails. Those seeking a larger beach head to busy Riviera Beach in downtown Lake Geneva, Fontana Beach on the western shore and Williams Bay Beach, a quieter choice away from the crowds.

Another option is Community Park Beach on Delavan Lake, where you also can fish, try some watersports and cruise on the Lake Lawn Queen. Those aboard can spot several Frank Lloyd Wright houses and other landmarks on shore. The third major lake, Como, is just 9 feet deep and known for swimming, fishing and paddling.

Boat rental options abound in the area if you want to explore on your own. Bikers will find plenty of trails throughout the area including the 11-mile White River State Trail. In addition to the shore path, hikers often head to the free Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy to check out the four miles of trails through the 231-acre property.

Golfers can challenge themselves at 10 area courses, some designed by golf legends. Hot air balloon rides and ziplines afford views from above.

If you need a break from nature or a summer shower pops up, the Lake Geneva area has plenty of indoor options.

The 127-year-old Yerkes Observatory near Williams Bay offers tours of its Romanesque building housing the world’s largest refracting telescope. You are free to explore the surrounding 50 acres designed by Frederick Olmsted’s landscape firm on your own but must be on a tour to see the building’s inside. The observatory claims to be “the birthplace of modern astronomy” and has hosted visits from famous scientists, including Albert Einstein.

Goodwin says one nighttime tour affords visitors night sky views looking through the same telescope used by astronomy legends.

Another historic building is the Riviera Plaza and Ballroom, once the home of big band dances and now a venue for weddings and other events. The iconic building sits next to the downtown beach and boat tour docks and has locker rooms and snack shops on the first floor.

The Geneva Lake Museum tells the history of the region with galleries devoted to transportation, commerce, lakefront mansions and even a small nod to the once-popular but long-gone Playboy Club. A new exhibit honors the work of the late Gary Gygax of Lake Geneva, credited as co-creator of the Dungeons and Dragons game.

Downtown Lake Geneva has plenty of specialty and gift shops with crowds eager to empty their wallets. Multiple restaurants, bars and ice cream parlors are abundant downtown as well as throughout the area.

Other entertainment options include Safari Lake Geneva with its drive-through animal preserve, the Dancing Horses Theater, free summer concerts at the Phoenix Park Bandshell in Delavan and several stages for music, theater and other productions.

Summer festivals, sidewalk sales and art shows offer more fun.

And don’t miss that magic show with its shocking finale in a 175-capacity stand-alone theater on the outskirts of Lake Geneva, open all year. TripAdvisor has listed the show as the No. 1 thing to do in Lake Geneva. Audiences, though perplexed at the magician’s tricks, seem to agree.

For more information on the Lake Geneva area, go to www.visitlakegeneva,com. Once you are in Lake Geneva, the visitors’ center near downtown is a helpful place to get advice, maps and other information. Lodging of all types is available but fills up fast, especially for summer weekends. Make reservations well in advance.

Mary Bohlen, a Springfield travel writer and retired college journalism professor, likes exploring Midwestern spots and sharing her findings with IT readers.