Natural beauty, friendly folks and state-of-the-art meeting and event venues are just part of the charm of this easy-to-get-to Midwest destination.
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, may have begun as a playground where Chicago’s business magnates escaped the city heat in their spectacular summer “cottages,” but on a recent press trip I realized just why it now also serves as an ideal getaway locale for business meetings, events and incentives. The area’s combination of stunning lake views and picturesque landscape, diverse venue choices, historic charm and easy access from major Midwestern cities make it more than just a sweet summer vacation spot.
Lake Geneva may feel like a world apart, but in reality it’s Just 90 minutes from Chicago and less than an hour’s drive from Milwaukee and Madison, making it convenient for participants traveling from urban hubs — it was less than a two-hour direct flight for me from Boston to Milwaukee, and the gorgeous scenery made the trip from the airport to the resort fly by. And there’s much to do other than ogle the remaining 100 or so lakeside mansions, elaborate landscaping and sweet boathouses — though a tour by mailboat is de rigueur (more on that later).
The area also boasts a range of event spaces, resort properties and historic venues, along with standout teambuilding activities and highly experienced event staff, customizable catering, AV support and dedicated planning services designed to make a planner’s work seamless and stress-free.
Where to Stay
There are several lakefront resorts that are top choices for groups that need modern amenities, ample meeting space and resort-style leisure activities. Among the venues we experienced were:
I instantly fell in love with my suite at the gorgeous Lake Lawn Resort, a 275-acre, newly renovated 271-room charmer that stretches along two miles of scenic Delavan Lake. Founded almost 150 years ago — they’re gearing up for a big anniversary celebration in 2028 — the resort has morphed from a family camping retreat to an ultra-luxe resort featuring everything from traditional accommodations to specialty suites to large single-family homes perfect for VIPs and small corporate gatherings. My one-bedroom suite in the award-winning main lodge had a full kitchen, living room with a cozy gas fireplace, a full bath with a soak tub and shower, and a walk-out patio with rockers facing the lake.
The resort features 32,000 square feet of meeting space in 22 rooms, including the 4,635-square-foot Lake Lawn Room with vaulted ceilings and windows overlooking the lake, the 5,170-square-foot Geneva Ballroom that can accommodate up to 500, and the unique 2,910-square-foot Great Room, whose vaulted ceilings, huge stone fireplace and adjoining area with lake views harken back to the resort’s early heritage. For outdoor spaces, there’s the Lakeview Terrace, which can accommodate up to 225, the expansive Lakefront Lawn, and the intimate Lakeview Terrace Igloo, which can hold up to 75.
The resort offers full catering service, including indoor and outdoor breaks, along with customizable meeting packages and a plethora of team-building activities led by trained staff. When not in meetings or doing team-building activities, attendees can golf at the on-site championship golf course and relax at the Calladora Spa & Salon.
The 358-room Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, where we had the first of many spectacular meals, also has an interesting history. Started as the Lake Geneva Playboy Club back in 1968, the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired, 1,300-acre, AAA Four Diamond property has an indoor water park that connects to an outdoor pool, two championship golf courses (and a nine-hole beginners course soon to open), a riding stable, tennis and pickle ball courts, and even a small ski area, so there’s no shortage of activities to partake of without ever leaving the grounds. Accommodations range from King, Junior, Executive, Premier and Grand suites to an array of villas for those VIPs. Guest rooms feature private patios or balconies overlooking the rolling green landscape.
The Grand Geneva also boast 62,000 square feet of event and meeting space, including the 13,000-square-foot, pillar-free Forum Convention Center, which can host anything from trade shows to galas. From built-in rigging points to a private entrance and easy accessibility from guestrooms and parking, the forum can handle just about any group’s needs. The resort’s 7,680-square-foot Grand Ballroom can elegantly accommodate up to 400, and comes with 2,223 square feet of available pre-function space; and there are several other ballroom and breakout spaces. The outdoor options also are extensive, from outdoor lawns and gardens to tennis courts, fire pits, patios and green space at the Adventure Center. One of the coolest has to be The Mountain Top, a 7,500-square-foot outdoor venue with 360-degree views.
The Abbey Resort — which did not begin as a religious retreat as its name may imply, but rather as a gathering place for all — features 334 newly renovated guest rooms, suites and villas on 90 acres of manicured grounds on the shores of Geneva Lake. Even if your group is there to work, they’ll feel like they’re on a retreat in this tranquil venue, even more so if they indulge in the treatments available at the gorgeous 35,000-square-foot Avani Spa.
The resort has its own team-building department, the Abbey Group Pursuits, to design a team-building activity that’s right for each group’s specific goals. There are also an 18-hole championship golf course, horseback riding, and indoor and outdoor pools to luxuriate in.
The Abbey is home to the Lake Geneva Conference & Event Center, featuring 40,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting space, including a 6,000-square-foot conference center. There also is an onsite AV team to help with groups’ production needs, as well as customizable catering menus and meeting packages. Among the resort’s most unique meeting venues is the Abbey A-Frame, a unique 1,800-square-foot space overlooking the harbor that features three levels of seating and a working fireplace.
The Cove of Lake Geneva, just across the road from Geneva Lake, offers 194 spacious suites with private patios, living rooms with fireplaces, and full kitchens, each with their own unique spin on lake life décor. The resort’s downtown locale means attendees can walk to check out the area’s charming shops, restaurants, boutiques and galleries — including the Topsy Turvy Brewery, a historic church building-turned-brewpub that I did not have time to visit but have bookmarked for my next trip. On-site amenities include indoor and outdoor pools and an arcade room sure to be popular with the bleisure attendees who brought the kids along.
Among the Cove’s meeting spaces are the 3,710-square-foot Promenade, which can accommodate up to 300 and is divisible by airwall. The vaulted-ceilinged space was awash in natural light when we visited. The Cove also offers the light-filled, 2,180-square-foot Lakeshore for smaller meetings, and the 502-square-foot Seagull for board meetings and other intimate events.
Maxwell Mansion is a very different animal from the other resorts we had experienced. Built in 1856 to cater to dignitaries and socialites, the property has been completely reimagined into a cool, very unique boutique venue bursting with unique and unexpected touches, from a giant red velvet lounge to a hidden, below-ground speakeasy. The mansion’s 28 guest rooms are spread across three buildings: the historic mansion itself, the Stable, and the Carriage House, each with its own charming touches. The property is a little bit Victorian, a little bit rustic chic — especially in the Carriage House and Stables — and a whole lot of fun. The Apothecary Bar alone is well worth the visit, with custom-crafted libations that defy description but make the palate sit up and say, “More, please.”
Where to Eat
While there are restaurants galore, we didn’t have to venture far from our resorts to have spectacular meals. Our first night we dined al fresco at the Grand Geneva’s The Landing, where we feasted on locally sourced corn and brat chowder, roasted chicken with cheese ravioli, beer-braised short ribs and a honey cake, all perfectly paired with the perfect beverage (alcoholic and non). And that’s just one of the resort’s four restaurants.
The next day we had lunch at the lakeside Pier 290 in Williams Bay. The food — yes, we had cheese curds, and they were amazing — was good and the service excellent, but what I most enjoyed were all the cool antique nautical touches and other items recovered from the Lake Geneva area that were incorporated into the décor. The restaurant features three private event spaces and catering from Pier 290 and the in-house caterer, Lake Life Catering. Another lunch stop was at Lake City Social, connected to The Cove, where I had a great blackened fish taco dish and, of course, cheese curds.
Dinner was at The Abbey Resort’s 340 West, where Executive Chef Noah Gumustekin feted us with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. The seafood tower was amazing, as was the wild mushroom ravioli. Others in our group ate at Oakfire, a remodeled house-turned-diner that specializes in wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas; and Sopra, an American bistro in downtown Lake Geneva that serves Italian American cuisine with a global twist.
Our last night’s farewell dinner was at Lake Lawn’s 1878 on the Lake, where we feasted family style on some of the tastiest, most interesting dishes imaginable — like pork belly burnt-end lollipops, a beer cheese soup I could live on for the rest of my life, and oh-my-goodness the lobster pappardelle pasta, which I wanted to bag up and take home if TSA would have allowed it.
Special Event Venues and Activities
The Riviera: A historic venue in the middle of the boating action on the shores of Geneva Lake, the Riviera features 20-foot-high ceilings, huge windows overlooking the lakefront and the beach, a veranda overlooking the Lake Geneva Cruise Line docks, and a downstairs with fun retail shops. Newly renovated, the Riviera can accommodate up to 380.
Mailboat Tour with Lake Geneva Cruise Line: If your group only has time for one excursion, this is the one quintessentially Lake Geneva activity you have to provide. We boarded the boat and watched as the crew expertly delivered the mail dockside to about 75 of those amazing lakeside mansions by leaping off the mailboat, running to stash the mail in the mailbox on the dock, then running and leaping back onto the boat. The cruise also included a guided tour to the mansions as we glided by, as well as local history and points of interest.
Yerkes Observatory: If it was good enough for Albert Einstein, who said it was one of two must-visit places on his first trip to the U.S. back in 1921, I can guarantee it will wow your attendees. Steeped in history and guided by the most knowledgeable, interesting and enthusiastic tour guide you’ll ever encounter, Yerkes is home to the world’s largest refracting telescope, extraordinarily fascinating architecture, and a peek into the history of astronomy. Sadly, it is not wheelchair accessible, but for those who can climb staircases to marvel at the cosmos, it’s a must-do.
Tristan Crist Magic Theatre: I know, magic, ugh. But this intimate theater and Tristan Crist’s blend of theatricality and “how did he do that?” tricks kept us rapt — no wonder this show was rated the #1 thing to do in Lake Geneva by TripAdvisor.
Tastes and Treats foodie extravaganza: I didn’t do this one, but it got rave revues from my colleagues who did. They liked shopping at Horticulture Hall, they loved taking a cooking class at the Lake Geneva School of Cooking, but it was the honey tasting at Queen Bee that really had everyone buzzing.
Outdoor adventures: My group started off at the Lake Geneva Scooter Tours and Rentals, where an expert taught us scooter-riding basics and safety essentials, then took us for a spin around the Grand Geneva Resort. In the afternoon, we got our zipline on with Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures, where we got harnessed up, clicked in, and zipped down an assortment of ziplines that started small and easy and worked up to “holy cow” level (which seemed appropriate seeing as we were in Wisconsin). We had a little time to spare at the end, so our guides kindly took us over to check out the high ropes course, 
which was infinitely more challenging but no less fun. The outfit also offers climbing tower excursions, hiking, mountain biking and, of course, customized team building. There’s even a cozy room in the lodge for debriefings.
I didn’t know what to expect from this trip to Lake Geneva, but what I found was a winning combination of luxurious resorts, historic ambiance and fun and unusual activities and off-site venues. Attendees will leave the meeting with stronger networks, more productive attitudes, and a lot of amazing memories.
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