After a great time visiting Springfield, Illinois to see all things Lincoln, or as much as I could, then heading to the Anderson Japanese Gardens before nerding out at Yerkes Observatory, I finally reached Lake Geneva, Wisconsin late Sunday afternoon.
Lake Geneva is the destination our family chose for our annual family vacation (minus two families this year, unfortunately). My parents are very generous and are the benefactors behind these annual vacations, paying for the resort itself and some spending money, as well as a dinner or two. We’ve previously gone to Wisconsin, but it was the Wisconsin Dells. That was one of my all-time favorite trips, so, Lake Geneva had a lot to live up to, particularly coming off the heels of Springfield, and I think it surely did, but for different reasons. Less for history, although there’s that, too, with its connection to Chicago, but more for food and to use my niece’s word, aesthetic.
Also, I don’t know about anyone else, but I take utter joy in unpacking everything before doing anything when arriving at my vacation destination.
So, I always go into vacations with a list of “things to do” and “food/drinks to try.” I’m not aiming to hit all of them — that wouldn’t be possible or desirable — but it’s nice to have as a safety net of sorts. But also, the resort itself, Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, is itself a thing to do and food/drinks to try with its waterpark and dining options. The main goal food-wise while staying in Lake Geneva: try cheese curds from various places and pick my favorite. Spoiler alert: While I did pick a favorite, it’s cheese curds! They’re all delicious, although I personally don’t care for ranch as a dipping sauce. By themselves or with marinera sauce, please. Funny enough, one of the restaurants on my list was Magpie’s Den & Pen, which is noted for its cheese curds. I had it as Maggie’s or something in my Notes app, so, I was already confusing myself my first hour in Lake Geneva. Nonetheless, while I waited for family to arrive at the restaurant, I did a surprisingly good Chica-Chida peanut butter tequila shot followed by a refreshing pint of Guinness. When I was at Anderson Japanese Gardens earlier in the day, I almost picked the caprese sandwich instead of the crepe. I’m glad I didn’t because Magpie’s Den & Pen had it on their menu, too. It was delicious. And, to use that phrase again, funny enough, I totally forgot about trying the cheese curds.
Interlude: Something we quickly learned about Lake Geneva is that aside from two expansive lots that I noticed, there’s a rather nominal parking fee wherever you park. Nominal in the sense of a couple bucks for a couple hours, but it adds up with frequent back-and-forth trips! Our Resort was about 8 minutes beyond the downtown (opposite direction of Williams Bay). My dummy self didn’t even think about paying to park when I parked for Magpie’s and incurred a $30 fee (which also had a service fee added to it). Oops. No complaining here; that’s my bad.
After Magpie’s, I went down the street to Yogeeze, a rather typical choose-your-own-decadent-adventure frozen yogurt place. I had banana and chocolate fudge with all manner of toppings. I’ve been watching my calories for the past seven months, and let’s just say, Lake Geneva was testing the count! Stop the count!
The next morning, while the men were golfing (I’m not counting myself in that since I don’t golf), some of the women and I went to Egg Harbor Cafe in downtown Lake Geneva. Another interesting dynamic with Lake Geneva that I noticed is while the restaurants and coffee shops open early, all the shops and other spots don’t open until 10 a.m. As someone who tends to rise early and eat early, that created an interesting food-to-other-things gap, at least as it concerned seeing the shops. Nonetheless, what to know about me when eating on vacation is that I like to try new things. I either like to try what that place is known for, such as the horseshoe in Springfield or cheese curds in Wisconsin, or just in general try something I’ve never had. At Egg Harbor Cafe, I had shakshuka for the first time. As someone who doesn’t tend to eat poached eggs, I loved this dish; the right amount of kick to it, with a spoonful of flavor each time. I cooled myself down with a yummy brown sugar iced latte; I don’t typically do iced coffee, especially in the morning, but I followed my older sister’s lead.
After filling up on food and coffee, we walked around through the stores once they were open, which included yet more food, as I picked up a thing of maple walnut fudge (yummy, if rich!). One of my favorite spots was a store on my list: Lakeside Books. I love visiting local independent bookstores. This one was so cute with its presentation outside and its intimate feeling inside. I bought four books, of course.
After that excursion and when the men returned, some of us went back with my parents to the Grand Geneva to swim (we could only access the pool via them; they weren’t staying at the Timber Ridge Lodge). This is really more of “what did I eat and drink on vacation” blog post at this point, but I mean, that’s a big chunk of vacation! To continue that theme, while poolside (surprisingly small pool for a relatively big resort!), I had a frozen espresso martini and a frozen mojito. Those are my two favorite go-to drinks at this point (along with a cucumber mule now!), but I’d never had them frozen. Quite good; I think the mojito works better frozen, though.
That evening, the family reconvened at the Tuscan Tavern & Grill. I had an unbelievable melt-in-your-mouth Italian walleye paired with a Castle Rock Pinot Grigio. These days, I tend to go with cocktails, but with fish, and at this establishment, wine felt appropriate. I actually had room for dessert, so sea salt caramel gelato it was paired with a cappuccino. I’ve always read in books how people drink alcohol with their meal and then “retire for dessert and coffee.” I never understood that order-of-operations until Tuscan Tavern & Grill because that was divine. I highly recommend doing it.
After dinner, I walked down to the Lake Geneva shore to take in the sunset. Wherever I go, I will always appreciate a sunset (or sunrise) on water. It’s one of nature’s best combinations. Nature therapy.
The next morning, I met my parents at a breakfast place of my choosing: Simple Café, which for my fellow pescatarians or vegetarians or vegans, this is the spot for you in Lake Geneva. It’s made for us! I had the seasonal harvest frittata, which is eggs, spinach, asparagus, oven roasted tomato, and grilled onion topped with goat cheese, salsa rojo, and avocado with corn tortillas on the side, and paired with breakfast potatoes. Gun to my head, I think I liked this even more than shakshuka, and I liked that a lot.
For readers yearning to read about something other than what I ate and drank, you’re in luck! Next, my brother rented a pontoon for the 12 of us interested in going, which included a donut-shaped float for tubing. Anything with the water is going to excite me. That said, I was apprehensive about two aspects of the boating experience: a.) there’s no bathroom on the pontoon, and I doubt I can hold my pee, especially while imbibing, for four hours; and b.) four hours in the sun is a lot for a ginger like me, even with copious, repeated uses of sunscreen. Still, water. I joined, of course. Like my family encouraged, I figured I’d pee in the lake, which I didn’t find an easy experience! As for the sun, I didn’t walk away unscathed; I did burn in a few choice spots I missed with my sunscreen, but overall, I was fine. To the experience itself: awesome. I loved being on the boat, jumping into the lake (with a rather inelegant front flip), and doing tubing for the first time with one of my nephews. It was hard! After more than 10 minutes of being dragged by a boat left and right and through waves up and down with a whiplash-like effect, my arms were noodles and my neck sore. I also felt the tension between not wanting my brother, who was driving the boat, to “win” by knocking me off, but I also thought it would be fun to experience getting knocked off! The first time I was knocked off was more so because I was about to lose my swimming trunks, but I also wanted to experience it. The second time I was knocked off, I was just freakin’ tired of holding on and thought maybe while the boat was circling around, I could get a pee in (I didn’t). That was a vacation highlight, though, in terms of both the activity itself and the family bonding time. Even so, four hours was a lot with the sun and the boat motion. I’d do it again. And yes, to slip in one drink item, I tried New Glarus’ Spotted Cow since they’re a Wisconsin-based brewery. That’s a thumbs up from me.
Interlude: Somewhere in this vacation, I did partake in the Timber Ridge Lodge’s waterpark, which was a blast. They had a lazy river and two waterslides, one you do freestyle and one with a tube. The freestyle one was actually pretty intense! It also made for good exercise going up and down the stairs to get to the slides.
For dinner Tuesday night, we went across where we checked in for our pontoon to Nick’s on the Lake, formerly known as Popeye’s (but I don’t think it’s that Popeyes). After two and a half days in Lake Geneva, I finally had cheese curds! They were good, of course. They’re so easy to just keep eating. And again, I don’t even need the sauce for dipping. I also know that people feel like at beachy resort places, fish is the thing to try, which I did the previous night, but when I saw Nick’s had a margherita flatbread, I had to have it. That’s my favorite style of pizza. I was simple cocktail-wise, pairing the flatbread with a margarita. That night, we went back to my parents’ side of Grand Geneva and had s’mores over a bonfire. Nothing brings out the inner child in me like s’mores and a bonfire. It also instantly reminds me of the 1993 film, The Sandlot.
I had The Porch on my list as a coffee place to try, but me and the women knew we were going there Wednesday morning while the men were golfing again because our waitress at the Tuscan also is a barista at The Porch. My caramelized peanut butter (didn’t know that was a thing!) latte was the best coffee I had all vacation and paired exquisitely well with an everything seasoning bagel with cream cheese.
(After The Porch, we ventured to … TJ Maxx, a new one in Lake Geneva, and Target. Not my choices, as I wouldn’t go somewhere I can go to in my hometown, but I’m a good sport. Plus, I picked up some candy. Also, while they were finishing up at TJ Maxx, I hopped over to the Natural Grocers to see what it was all about. They’re essentially a smaller version of The Fresh Market or Whole Foods, with a very eco-conscious mentality. I nabbed their cute little snack packages of various nuts and seeds, like cashews and pumpkin.)
For dinner, I was back in Williams Bay at Pier 290, where I again tried the cheese curds (delicious), along with an unbelievably juicy watermelon stack (watermelon topped with balsamic vinaigrette, mint, black pepper, and goat cheese) while also drinking my favorite cocktail of the trip, a raspberry beret (a blend of Ketel Citron, house-made raspberry simple syrup, Prosecco, ginger liqueur, and Chambord). For the main course, I had the Mediterranean Bowl (quinoa with heirloom tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, toasted almonds, crispy chickpeas, and balsamic vinaigrette) topped with shrimp. I didn’t have a single bad meal while on vacation, but if I had to pick my favorite, it might have been Pier 290’s Mediterranean Bowl. Given that they also had my favorite cocktail and appetizer (the watermelon stack), I think Pier 290 wins! (Wins what, I don’t know.)
Since that one was an early dinner, we had time to go see a highly-recommended entertainment show in Lake Geneva, Tristan Crist Magic Theatre. This also turned out to be a vacation highlight for me as a longtime fan of magic. It was a fun, interactive, and intimate show with an eclectic display of magic, including mentalism, disappearances/reappearances, metamorphosis, and a gorgeous levitation illusion. His assistant, Shannon, was impressive, too, especially with her fast-change costume work! I also loved the odes woven in throughout the performance to magic greats, like Harry Houdini and Tristan’s favorite, Howard Thurston. What’s amusing, though, is that with all the big set pieces and magical illusions Tristan did, the magic trick I’ll most remember is the iPhone calculator trick he did with the whole audience. I still can’t wrap my head around the timing of it, literally. But the best part of the experience was after the fact getting to take a photo with Tristan and Shannon. For free. Not a lot of entertainers and performers would do that, much less for free. That was neat. I had to ask Tristan if he’d ever been on Penn & Teller’s Fool Us show because he’d be pretty solid on it, I think! He said he hadn’t. I thanked him for the show, anyhow.
After the show, I retired to my hotel room and changed into my version of PJs (shorts and a T-shirt). I thought I was done for the night. Then, my sister sent a message to the group chat for the vacation that they had stopped at the Rainbow Cone, which was on my food list! I checked the location. It was back near where we just were for the magic show, less than 2 miles away! I put my shoes on and headed out. Turned out, by the time I got there, while the sister had left, my brother and his family were now there. Man, to use that word again, this place was decadent, to put it mildly. I tried one of my brother’s mini donuts while I waited for my chocolate peanut butter crunch super sundae. What makes it super sundae aside from what I just listed? Probably that it has mini donuts within it! Whoops. Given that we were also an hour behind Eastern Time Zone, that I had this super sundae at the equivalent of 10 p.m. made me feel very gross, even if it was delicious.
Fortunately, I walked some of it off Thursday morning by finally doing the main attraction, as I see it, to Lake Geneva: Lake Geneva and its Shore Walk! If you wanted to, and there are plenty who do, you could walk the entire route around the Lake, or between 21-26 miles. Holy moly. That would be an eight or so hour ordeal. I did a little more than five miles. The way I figured it, I was going to walk at least 45 minutes and however far that took me, and then turn back. While there was a bathroom when I started, I didn’t see one that entire time and didn’t want to risk it. Still, I think five miles was sufficient to enjoy and experience Lake Geneva. It was another vacation highlight because it’s unlike any walk I’ve ever done. I entered at the Lake Geneva Public Library and headed west (or right when you’re facing the lake). On the left, you have the beautiful lake views. I could not have asked for a more gorgeous day to do the walk. But then, on the path itself, it kept changing from red soil to gravel to stone to grass to dirt with a wide array of flowers and trees to look at. That made it curiouser and curiouser and compelled me to keep walking. But also, then, to your right, you’re quite literally walking alongside a row of mansions. Sometimes, it felt like I was in their backyard, almost encroaching upon the occupants. It was neat to see the mansions and the different architectural choices, as well as landscaping and varying backyards. Of course, with all that to see, two of my biggest takeaways was seeing a gleeful dog taking a dip in the lake before continuing on with her walk, and seeing a robotic lawnmower.
After the walk, since I had another hour on my parking, I obviously partook in the book sale the Friends of the Lake Geneva Public Library had going on. I left with four books. That brought my book total to eight books while on vacation, for those who are keeping count.
Then, I thought I could use some more coffee, so I headed back to The Porch. As I was waiting in a line out the door, I thought I should try a different coffee place on my list. While heading there, I stumbled into the weekly farmers market Lake Geneva puts on, which snakes around their historic 1880 Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion, which was open to viewing and hearing the impressive organ.
The farmers market itself was extensive and fun to explore and sample yet more food and drinks. While I did find peach coffee at a local place, Buzz Cut Coffee, and it was good, I really needed something more refreshing after such a long walk. I found it at Mad Lemonade Co., with their signature drink (always gotta try the signature whatever!), a cherry lime lemonade. It was huge, but delivered on being refreshing.
At this point mid-Thursday, my last day in Lake Geneva, I wasn’t quite hungry, but I wanted to at least try another restaurant for lunch before our reserved dinner later that night. For me, it was a choice between Flat Iron Tap, another place I had seen was noted for its cheese curds, and Topsy Turvy Brewery, which has the intriguing aesthetic of being inside an old church. I went with the former, and then was excited my mom tagged along. Again, trying to keep it light for dinner and failing, I ordered the cheese curds along with French fries (I always have a hankering for French fries!). On my last day, I thought Flat Iron Tap had the best cheese curds. It was decided. Or was it? Stay tuned. The French fries were great, too, as was the local Neapolitan milk stout I had. But the best part, of course, was the conversation and time with my mom.
In between lunch and dinner, I finished up my shenanigans at the arcade, including with Bruce’s Bowl-a-Rama, which wasn’t bowling in the traditional sense given the smaller size of the balls, but it was still fun. For those keeping count still, I scored a 149. Arcades are a bit of a sham, but you know it’s a sham. You know the claw machines are often BS, and you’re spending unnecessary money to win janky prizes you don’t care about anyway. But it’s so fun!
Our final dinner, which also served as a birthday celebration for my nephew turning 21 and my brother-in-law turning 50, was at The Getaway. This restaurant has a connection to the 1893 World’s Fair, which tickled me having just read Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City, but the restaurant also has Chicago gangster connections. Great name for a gangster restaurant! The police won’t catch on surely. I was tired of alcohol by that point, and instead chose a mocktail, their maiden (lemon syrup, pomegranate juice, ginger, and starry), which was so good, if sweet, I had two. For the meal, I also tried to keep it light, still feeling it from the Flat Iron Tap, and had the strawberry fields salad. It was refreshing and delicious. This time, I didn’t order the cheese curds, but the rest of the table ordered three baskets worth, so, I had to try them. And sorry, Flat Iron Tap, but coming in under the wire to have the best cheese curds in Wisconsin, or at least, of the places I tried, it’s The Getaway! And I’m not saying that out of fear of gangsters! Seriously, though, they were great because they had something none of the other cheese curds had: garlic. Garlic wins every time, folks. Somehow, I squeezed in more room for melt-in-your-mouth tiramisu. So much for being healthierish with the salad and no alcohol.
The Getaway was the perfect way to end our time in Lake Geneva, not only as a birthday celebration and because of the delicious food, or even the metaphor of “the getaway,” but because we were right on the water and the sun was setting. It was picturesque and fitting.
I had a great time eating, drinking, and exploring my way through Lake Geneva. You just can’t beat the nature therapy (or food and drink therapy). Wisconsin has it going on between the Wisconsin Dells and Lake Geneva. And I still haven’t been to other notable spots in the state! Way to go, WI.
And I especially like these family vacations now that some of my nephews and nieces are a bit older. You can talk to them like the budding adults that they are. Some of them are still children and that’s fun, too, but there’s a different kind of newfound joy I’ve discovered with the former.
If you want the blurb takeaway: I ate a lot of food, including enough cheese to set back the federal stockpile, tried too many cocktails, bought eight books, went tubing for the first time, enjoyed a magic show, and had an overall blast in Lake Geneva. I especially enjoyed the family time. I can’t take these opportunities for granted.
Milam's Musings 