Italy, India and Bali might have been best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert’s preferred locales—but an equally enlightening vacation awaits much closer to home in Lake Geneva, Wisc.
And even if you visited last summer, you’re in for some surprises. We’ve got the scoop on what’s new and happening this year!
Eat:
Boatyard Bagels
846 Main St.
Hand-crafted, kettle-finished, organic bagels are accompanied by homemade organic cream cheese in flavors ranging from “PB&J swirl” to “nutella & banana.” For lunch, there are homemade soups, salads and sandwiches with names like “The Anchor” (Everroast chicken, Brie cheese, Arugula, Granny Smith Apple and Honey Mustard on a poppyseed bagel).
Egg Harbor
827 Main St.
An outpost of the North Shore chain has opened a new location here. Perfect for families who love familiar menus!
Simple Breakfast & Lunch Café
525 Broad St.
This organic breakfast and lunch restaurant boasts “farm to table,” and buys from local farmers whenever possible. The breakfast menu features a “Simple Benedict”: an herbed polenta cake with chicken sausage, poached eggs and asparagus, topped with basil pesto hollandaise.
Baker House
327 Wrigley Drive
This historic home features a small plates menu, classic cocktails, live music—and funny hats. Don one and head outside for fireside lakefront dining and the nightly sunset toast, the Sun Downer Celebration.
Play:
Lake Geneva Canopy Tours
N3219 County Road H
Built among the trees in the surrounding forest, riders on this canopy tour traverse steel cables connecting a series of platforms in the trees, walk wire rope sky bridges, climb tree-based staircases and rappel back to earth. The tour guides provide information about the ecology, geology, biology and the history of the area on this 2 to 2 ½-hour tour. You’ll be 10 to 75 feet above terra firma the entire time!
Davis Flying Service Biplane Rides
(based at the airstrip at Grand Geneva)
Nothing could be finer than a bird’s eye view of the Geneva Lakes region. Vintage open cockpit biplanes accommodate four passengers. Barnstorm away!
Sleep:
Grand Geneva
Built by Hugh Hefner as the original Playboy Club, The Grand Geneva has a remarkable, 1,300-acre setting and 732 guest rooms, and much of it has undergone extensive upgrades in the past year.
New this year: the Grand Geneva has gone dog-friendly! Its new Pet Club invites dogs up to 25 pounds to experience the same comfortable travel experience as their owners. And, even if you don’t stay here, make sure to visit the hotel’s new outdoor dining space, Embers Terrace, with a 22-foot fire pit that’s perfect for an after-dinner drink. Cozy furniture and stunning views of the resort’s grounds make this a place to linger.
