Lake Geneva is the state’s premier resort destination. Meeting attendees can pamper themselves at area spas and walk in the backyards of millionaires along Geneva Lake. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, take your delegates to the sky or lake for distinctive tours of the area.
The Geneva Lake Shorepath Walk is a focal point of the area, as are the many historic homes it passes. Notable figures such as the Wrigley family, of chewing gum fame, and the Selfridge family, of the famous department stores, built houses in the area after the Great Chicago Fire.
“By walking the path, you can essentially walk in their backyards,” said Karen Arthur, marketing and communications manager at the Lake Geneva Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “In most places you would not be able to walk through a multimillion-dollar owner’s backyard.”
The town boasts a mix of high-end hotel properties and cozy bed-and-breakfasts. There are 11 golf courses in the immediate area, many built by big-name golfers such as Arnold Palmer and other celebrities that left their mark on Lake Geneva.
Spas offer a relaxing atmosphere and include Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, with access to snow sports, dining, entertainment, golfing and even horse-drawn carriage rides, and the Abbey and Avani Spa.
“Abbey Spa has a really nice pool and floor-to-ceiling windows,” Arthur said. “It’s beautiful; it’s almost like being outside.”
Aerial Adventures Zip Line Canopy Tours and Teambuilding, as well as Lake Geneva Canopy Tours, offers zip-lining and canopy tours, and visitors love to come during different seasons to see how the scenery changes. For more fun team-building activities, visit BattlefieldLive WI or CMP Tactical Lazer Tag. WCF Corporate Events offers more activities for groups.
For a special dinner experience, see a performance at the Dancing Horses Theatre and Animal Gardens. Horses of a variety of breeds with their trainers perform tricks in a parade of exciting costumes and lights. The site includes other wildlife, such as talking and singing birds.
Hot-air-balloon and helicopter rides let visitors see the best of the natural surroundings from a fun perspective, and boat cruises on vintage yachts are a great way to explore the lake.
Boat cruise tours include narratives about the homes on the lake, an example of which is Black Point Estate Historic House and Gardens. Home of beer baron Conrad Seipp, this Queen Anne-style house was his summer cottage in Geneva Bay and can be reached only by boat. Learn about the Seipp family, the antique furnishings of the home and the serene gardens overlooking the lake.
Other venues for events are the Grand Geneva and Abbey resorts; cruise boats; and the Geneva Lake Museum, which refers to itself as a living time capsule.
Spotlight on Geneva Lake:
Primary meeting facilities: Grand Geneva Resort and Spa
Other meeting properties: Geneva Ridge Resort and Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Lake Geneva Resort
Largest meeting space: Grand Geneva Resort and Spa (62,000 square feet of meeting space)
Total hotel rooms: 2,000
CVB website:
