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Lake Geneva with kids: What to do in in Lake Geneva Wisconsin

April 29, 2022 By Amy Hagstrom

My introduction to Lake Geneva Wisconsin was with the US Postal Service. Why? Because many of the elegant vacation homes hugging the lakeshore were once only accessible by boat, and some still request mail service by mailboat. Visitors can tag along, joining a Mailboat Tour with Lake Geneva Cruise Lines (for about $27 for adults and $15 for kids) for a perfect overview of the lake and its unique history as a playground for Chicago’s wealthy.

Once onboard, you’ll see why this lake region is the perfect place to escape if you’re a Midwesterner. As a bonus, families can watch ‘mail jumpers’ at work while on the cruise: these young adults and high school kids jump from the side of the mailboat to resident docks and back again, delivering mail while the boat stays in motion. It’s a talent you have to see to believe. Along the way, you’ll gawk at mansions owned by the likes of the Wrigley family, Maytag family and more. Even the boathouses and docks of these mansions are impressive.

After disembarking from your mailboat tour, an array of lakeside activities await. Here’s what else to do in Lake Geneva with kids:

Walk the shore path:

What could be tame of somewhat boring for kids is made fun by the variety of terrain and sights along Lake Geneva’s Shore Path. Running continuously the circumference of Lake Geneva (21+ miles around), the Shore Path takes you past all those mansions you glimpsed from the water, along with hundreds of additional elegant homes and gardens. The path is public all the way around, but as each home is responsible for maintaining their stretch of the path, what you encounter varies greatly. One section might be brick and the next dirt, or you may encounter stepping stones and then pavement.

Families must stay on the path (no playing in millionaires gardens or on their docks) and due to the sometimes rugged terrain, strollers and bikes aren’t a great idea. Several public access points are available to walk a section, including Lake Geneva Public Library, Fontana, Williams Bay and Big Foot Beach State Park. Walk a section and get picked up by the mailboat, or park a car on each end of your section (or just retrace your steps). Kids like seeing what type of path will come next, and parents enjoy taking in the mansions.

Tip: Go to the LakeGeneva.com and download the free Shore Path app. It will give you ideal sections to walk (describing the terrain encountered) as well as history on most of the mansions along the way.

Go to Tristan Crist’s Magic Show:

Maybe you think you don’t like magic shows. Or maybe you think they’re silly or boring. Trust me, you’ll like this one. Everyone in the family will. Tristan Crist is the most talented magician I’ve seen, and I’ve seen them in huge venues everywhere from Miami to Vegas. Tristan’s showmanship is highly entertaining, and his sleight of hand is awesome. His performs in Lake Geneva in order to own his own small theater, and the result is a truly intimate performance. It’s only 60 minutes long, so it works for families with all aged kids.

Zip line and climb with Lake Geneva Canopy Tours:

Lake Geneva Canopy Tours offers eight zip lines, five sky bridges, four spiral staircases built into trees and a 1200 foot long racing zip line. The ropes course is in a separate area, with the usual obstacles and nets. Each ‘side’ of the park starts at $55 admission. I’ve experienced canopy tours and zip lines everywhere from Mexico to Canada, and this one is on par with the best.

Boat on a lake:

Many people don’t realize that the Lake Geneva area actually includes three lakes: Geneva, Como, and Delavan. Geneva is spring-fed, which gives it its crystal-clear quality. However, Como and Delavan are both less crowded and quieter (and I’m told Delavan is the place for fishing). We got on Lake Geneva with Marina Bay Boat Rentals which is very conveniently located in downtown Lake Geneva (by the historic Riviera building). It’s BYO everything when you rent, from food to beverages to ice, but then the lake is yours. We rented a pontoon boat so we could cruise around near the shoreline to do more mansion gawking.

During the time of our visit, pontoon rentals were around $455 for four hours (they also offer two and three-hour rental prices, but four hours gives you time to stop for lunch along the lakeshore, tying up at a dock and perhaps pausing in a bay for some swimming. I did note that on quieter Delavan Lake, the same type of pontoon boat was a little less at $375 for four hours. Both lakes (as well as Como) also offer wave runners, ski boats, and other lake toys.

Ride a scooter:

This is one for families with teens 16 and up (who have drivers’ licenses) or grown-ups on a solo outing. Scooters (like Vespas) can be rented from Scoot Jockeys in Lake Geneva for a very reasonable $59 for two hours (or $69 for three hours). Or, you can join a tour for $109 (Fridays and Saturdays only). If you haven’t ridden a scooter before, don’t worry: the women who instructed us gave us lots of great tips and made sure we knew how to operate and ride our scooters before we left the parking lot.

If you want to embark on your own, Scoot Jockeys has several suggested routes (with maps), but there is some navigating of state highways and downtown traffic to access the best quiet country roads. If you don’t know the area at all, I suggest a tour. I felt much more comfortable with a local leading the way. Once we got out of downtown Lake Geneva, we found gently rolling, gently winding roads to explore. You do have to be comfortable on a Vespa-type vehicle to enjoy this activity, and if you have teens, they do need to be licensed drivers (and not too wild and crazy on these things!).

Rent a paddleboard or kayak:

If you don’t need a motorized means of zipping around the lake, almost all the marina areas around all three lakes offer rentals of SUPs (stand-up paddleboards), kayaks, inflatables and even pedalboards (think of a Stairmaster/surfboard combo). More affordable than renting a boat, adding a few toys to your beach day on the lake can go a long way. Our favorite marina for ‘toy’ rentals was Lake Lawn Resort on Lake Delavan (more on Lake Lawn below) but you’ll find fun toys everywhere.

Where to eat in Lake Geneva:

Popeye’s: Located downtown, this is the place to go for your typical ‘vacation’ food of fried fish, baskets of fries, and burgers.
Oakfire: nearby, Oakfire offers wood-fired pizza in an authentic Naples, Italy method. Their individual 12” pizzas can easily feed two.
Sopra: Our pick for date night if you manage to get an evening out alone without the kids (though certainly kids are welcome). Sopra offers elevated Italian-American cuisine and excellent cocktails in downtown Lake Geneva. Come a bit early and do some window shopping in town.
Pier 290 and Boat House: Located on Lake Geneva, both Pier 290 and Boat House offer boat-in diving (just boat right up to the dock) and lakeside seating. The Boat House is where to go to catch the sunset.
Rushing Waters: This unique dining experience is located on an 80-acre fish farm. Lovingly tended by self-proclaimed ‘fishmonger’ Nell and her team, this sustainable fish farm offers public fishing from one of their ponds. This is a great opportunity to teach kids about food sources as well as give them the chance for near-instant fishing success. How it works: for $9.50 per pound, kids can fish using Rushing Waters’ equipment. The catch will be cleaned and served at a $12.50 (additional) shore lunch, which includes side dishes at their restaurant on-site.

Where to stay at Lake Geneva with kids:

I stayed at Lake Lawn Resort on Delavan (about a 10-minute drive from downtown Lake Geneva). This resort is ready-made for families, with multiple outdoor pools, a large indoor pool complex, two miles of shoreline (with lawns and marinas), a small beach area, the aforementioned marina rental area (with the best prices we saw), golf, mini-golf, a playground area and tennis and basketball courts. There’s a mid-sized spa with reasonable prices, too.

The resort sprawls over the 250 acres (we found that most area resorts are designed similarly), but of note is all the interior hallways and walkways. It’s possible to go almost everywhere within the resort without going outside…a nice perk in the winter or when the wind picks up. There are eight different lodging sections. I stayed in Lakewood, which offers spacious suites (just be sure to ask for a water view, or you’ll be looking at the parking lot) and its own outdoor pool and hot tub. It’s also closest to the marina. The other sections are closer to the restaurants and indoor pool and hot tub, however.

The main restaurant is Frontier (full service) but there’s also a sports bar, a pizza and sandwich counter-service restaurant, and a poolside dining area. Though the aesthetics are dated (with a dark wood ‘North Woods’ type of feel) the grounds are beautifully tended and the lake couldn’t be closer.

If you want to be on Lake Geneva instead, I recommend The Abbey Resort, which also has indoor and outdoor pools, plus a virtual reality gaming room. They’re on a larger marina and harbor area.

Tip: Headed to Lake Geneva without the kids? Without a doubt, stay at The Geneva Inn, https://genevainn.com/ located right on the lake on the Shore Path, offering floor-to-ceiling lake views from their dining room and bar area. We enjoyed a meal here with excellent wine and cocktails.

Disclosure: I experienced Lake Geneva as a guest of the destination, for the purpose of review. All opinions remain my own. Photo credit: Amy Whitley and Walworth County Visitors Bureau.

What to do with kids at Lake of the Ozarks

June 10, 2019 By Amy Hagstrom

The Lake of the Ozarks is a well-known Midwest destination for summer fun and recreation. With 84 square miles of water, 1100 miles of shoreline, and a host of on-land attractions, the Lake has something for everyone. Here’s a taste of what to do with kids at Lake of the Ozarks:

The Bagnell Dam Strip:

This classic taste of the Lake offers fun, touristy attractions like old-time photos, a haunted hotel, and the Dog Patch Arcade, an open-air arcade with an old-school nostalgia.

Fun parks:

LeMans Family Fun Park, on Bagnell Dam Boulevard, offers single and double go-karts, a miniature go-kart track for the little ones, bumper boats (a great way to cool down on a hot day), and miniature golf with a view of the lake. They also have two other locations around the Lake area. If the weather’s bad, try Miner Mike’s, an indoor fun-plex with arcade, Ferris wheel, roller coaster, and more, open year-round.

Boating:

Boats and personal watercraft are available for rental all over the lake area. Fishing, tubing, skiing, and swimming in the quieter coves of the lake are perennial favorites.

Sightseeing Cruises:

Tropic Island Cruise takes guests on a 1 1/2-hour cocktail cruise in a 75-foot boat, highlighting some impressive multi-million dollar lakeshore homes. This is a great a date if you’re staying at a resort that offers child care (like Tan-Tar-A or the Lodge of the Four Seasons), but if you bring the kids along they might just get to steer the boat.

State Parks:

Ha Ha Tonka State Park was developed to feature the ruins of a castle built on the bluff overlooking the Lake. With hiking trails, a large spring, and a boardwalk stairway connecting the blufftop with the Lake, this is a highlight of the Lake area—and free to the public. And Lake of the Ozarks State Park offers beaches, mountain biking, a water trail, camping and cabins (even yurts!), and cave tours.

Food:

What would a vacation be without great food? From fine dining to down home Ozark cooking, the Lake has it all. Check out Tonka Hills Restaurant for casual, family-friendly atmosphere, with breakfast all day, a salad bar, and a fabulous fried grouper sandwich. If you’re on the lake, pull in around the 8-mile mark and grab a bite at Alhonna Resort’s Bobber’s Cafe. For a quick dessert, stop at the outdoor service window at Randy’s Frozen Custard, on Osage Beach Parkway, for a concrete or a cone. (Bonus: they have an air-conditioned room around the corner reserved for their customers, with an air hockey table.)

Shopping:

Osage Beach Outlets features more than a hundred brand name stores, from shoes to apparel to cutlery, and is open year-round. And who can resist the classic Ozarkland, whose exterior tells you everything you can find within its walls?

Other fun:

Tan-Tar-A resort has horseback riding and an indoor water park, both of which are open to the public as well as to resort guests, who get a reduced rate. The lake also boasts more than a dozen high-end golf courses.

On summer weekends, the Lake area fills up with visitors from surrounding metro areas, so if you can come during the week you’ll find the water and the roads less crowded. There are transitional seasons in the later spring and early fall in which some attractions are open weekends only, and many places close down in the winter, but during the Christmas season the Lake area offers several light displays worth driving through.

Be sure to check out our additional posts on Big Surf Waterpark, Bridal Cave, and the family-friendly Alhonna Resort!

Portions of our trip were made possible by the Tri-County Lodging Association’s Lake of the Ozarks Hospitality Bank, but all opinions are our own.

Idaho vacation pick: Hotel McCall review

July 29, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

We really enjoy vacationing in Idaho, both in summer and winter. Like Wyoming and Utah, this state continues to surprise us with awesomeness. Most recently, we took a six-day vacation rafting the Salmon River with O.A.R.S. rafting, which put us in scenic McCall, Idaho pre and post-trip. I’ve visited McCall many years ago while in college, and remembered a fun and lively lake town. McCall is still all that, but in addition to the energy that pumps through this vacation town in summer, there’s a dignified, peaceful side that will appeal to parents.

Hotel McCall Review:

We stayed at the Hotel McCall, located directly downtown one street from Payette Lake. While we were right in the heart of things at Hotel McCall, our suite itself (as well as the general hotel grounds) was quiet and spacious. We had a one-bedroom condo, which overlooked the lake and included a large master bedroom and bathroom with shower and jacuzzi tub, a full kitchen, and a living room with pull-out couch. The unexpected surprise: our rooms included a large outdoor balcony with table and chairs with a town and lake view; we were able to sit outside with a beverage or meal and see the tourist town at it’s best without being in the midst of it.

The layout of the Hotel McCall is unique: in addition to the main building with understated but upscale lobby area, another building is connected by a sky bridge and/or elevator. We stayed on this side, but it was an easy walk to the lobby. There’s a courtyard directly below and behind the hotel, which includes shops and dining, including a great bistro and wine bar, and green space where families can spread out and play a game of bocce ball.

There’s a saline pool for swimming year round (in summer, you’ll want to head to the lake, too), and included parking and WiFi. Our boys loved the DVD players in each room, with access to a long list of DVDs which could be checked out of the Hotel McCall library. For winter guests, ski lockers line the hallways, tucked away unnoticed in summer.

Onsite is a spa room where massages can be booked (if only I had time for this!) and a fitness facility. Nearby, Legacy Park is just across the street, with access to the lake, and there’s golf, hiking trails, and mountain biking within a few miles.

Dining:

We loved that Hotel McCall offered a continental breakfast set up from 7 am to 10 am each morning. This is such a value to busy and hungry families who don’t have time to cook in the kitchen or booked a room without one. There’s also Rupert’s, a casual dining restaurant with lake views and a bar. As noted above, additional restaurants are within very easy walking distance.

Room options:

We stayed in a one-bedroom condo which books for approximately $250-$300/night. Other options include regular 2-queen or king bed rooms for $149 to $160, a two-bedroom condo for $350, or a one-bedroom suite for $249. The condo we experienced was nicely decorated with a fresh, modern feel. We loved the deep tub!

This hotel is on the more expensive side, but for the amenities and location, we felt the value was there. Families wanting to be steps from everything, with space to settle in and make some meals, will be very happy here!

Directions:

Hotel McCall is located at 1101 N. 3rd Street, McCall Idaho. It’s easy to find on the main drag through town.

As I disclose whenever applicable, our stay at Hotel McCall was complimentary, for the purpose of review. All opinions are our own.

Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho

May 26, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

Situated next to the all-seasons tourist town of Sandpoint in the scenic Idaho panhandle, Lake Pend Oreille (pronounced pon-der-ay) is an outdoors-lover’s heaven. By winter, it serves as base camp to popular ski resort Schweitzer, and in summer it’s the ideal family playground for water sports, swimming, boating, hiking, fishing, and just about any other outdoorsy activity you can think of! We love this large, beautiful lake’s sandy, welcoming shores, Sandpoint’s friendly, casual atmosphere, and the surrounding wilderness’ promise of adventure.

Distance from the interstate: Right on I-95, approximately two hours from Spokane, WA.

Date last visited: June 2010.

Where to stay: This depends upon what you want from your vacation. Schweitzer Mountain Resort has a beautiful location high in the mountains overlooking the lake (and we usually, we recommend staying at major ski resorts in the summer months to take advantage of five-star amenities at a reduced rate), but be advised that lakeside activities such as swimming and boating are a thirty minute commute away. If the lake is what you’re after, try the Best Western Edgewater Resort, which is indeed right on the edge of the lake, near the city beach park and downtown shops and restaurants. If you plan to stay a week or more, save money and spread out in a beautiful mountain or lake house rental!

What to do: Mountainside, there’s much for families to do at Schweitzer. Mountain bike along their cut trails (rent bikes in the pro shop), rock climb on their ‘power tower’, or take a turn on the bungee trampoline. We recommend at least one day spent up at this resort (located 30 minutes from town).

Lakeside, start in City Beach Park (located along Bridge Street), where the sand is soft and white, swimming areas are safely designated, and the snack shack is always open. For more adventure, stop by the Sandpoint Marina (195 N. Triangle Dr.) to rent kayaks, canoes, and Sea Doos or take a hike in the Selkirk Mountains (trail maps available at the visitor’s welcome center in town).

Where to eat: Downtown Sandpoint is chock full of family-friendly cafes, sandwich shops, and coffee bars. One of our favorites is the Blue Moon Cafe (124 S 2nd Ave), but really, you can’t go wrong no matter where you end up! For something special, try a relaxing dinner right on the lake at Trinity at City Beach, where you can watch the summer sun set while sipping Mojitos.

If you’re just passing through: If you’re driving I-95 and need a place to get out and stretch, hold out for Sandpoint! Parking is ample at City Beach Park on Bridge Street; start there and let the kids swim and play in the sand. Grab sandwiches to go, or eat at Panhandler Pies (120 S. 1st) as you leave town. If you have a dog in tow, Lake Pend Oreille has a great dog beach located near City Beach along Long Bridge.

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