How to Plan the Perfect Fall Getaway to Lake Geneva

Your Guide to a Fall Getaway in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

My husband and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary last week, and we marked it with a quick weekend getaway to Lake Geneva to do all the fall things: apple picking, scenic drives, and PSLs!

After seeing my Chicago blogger friend, Megan from Moderately Excited, share snippets of her amazing fall getaway to Lake Geneva on Instagram, I decided we should cancel our dinner reservation for Monteverde in the city, and opt for a quick, last-minute anniversary trip.

In this post, I’ll share advice to plan your own fall getaway to Lake Geneva --- even if you make it a day trip! After all, Lake Geneva is only about a two-hour drive from downtown Chicago.

One quick note: if you want to see the colorful fall foliage, now is the time to go! You can track the leaves changing on Travel Wisconsin Fall Color Report. As of mid-October many of the leaves were brilliant golden colors. However, there was still plenty of green, so I imagine it's even more gorgeous right now!

An Itinerary for a Quick Getaway to Lake Geneva in the Fall

Where to Brunch in Lake Geneva

We started our day with brunch at Egg Harbor (827 Main St.) in Downtown Lake Geneva. It has a cozy farmhouse feel with solid breakfast and lunch options. It’s pretty popular so when we arrived around 11 a.m. we had a 30-minute wait. Not a problem though. The downtown area is lined with super cute shops, so we grabbed some Starbucks (PSL - check!) and did some window shopping before we ate.

Another great brunch option is Simple Cafe (525 Broad St.). The menu is loaded with healthy options, with a focus on farm-to-table, fresh, seasonal items such as butternut squash bisque and pumpkin pancakes. I highly recommend this spot too!

Image source: Egg Harbor Cafe

 

Walk along Lake Geneva’s Shore Path

If the weather is nice enough, take a walk around the lake and admire the historic mansions along the way. The Shore Path stretches more than 20 miles. You can admire the lake and fall foliage while checking out some sick homes!

 

Drive Along Snake Road  

Lake Geneva in the fall is all about colors. There are some beautiful, scenic drives near downtown to enjoy the leaves changing colors. Rustic Road 29, also known as “Snake Road” weaves through the countryside and it’s stunning in the fall. To find it, take Main Street (HWY 50) heading West out of downtown Lake Geneva --  and you’ll find Snake Road. Drive slowly because it’s only about three miles long. By the way, if it’s warm enough, you can rent scooters to cruise through the countryside!

Apple Picking in Lake Geneva 

Nothing like some good wholesome fun in the apple orchard! 🙂 Kam and I went to Royal Oak Farm (15908 Hebron Rd, Harvard, IL), which is about 10 miles from downtown Lake Geneva. It’s a large, family-run farm with delicious apples! Seriously, these babies were beauts!

I kept searching for the big fat ones -- which were always high on the tree -- and asking Kam to get them for me. 🙂 He was the best apple picker! It’s such a cute way to spend an afternoon. We did it up at that farm. We completed the apple maze, sampled some fudge, sipped on fresh apple cider, picked pumpkins -- all the fall things.

 

Zip Lining Through the Fall Foliage

If you need a little more action than apple picking, you might like Lake Geneva Canopy Tours (N3232 Co Rd H). It’s a two-hour experience where you “fly” between the trees on nine different zip lines. It ends with a 1,200-foot zip line that is pretty epic! I did the canopy tour once in the summertime, but I imagine it’s stunning in autumn.

Where to Eat Dinner

I’ve been going to Cafe Calamari  (10 E Geneva St.) for years. It's a cozy, white tablecloth Italian restaurant. This is where Kam and I intended to have our anniversary dinner, but then we just ordered in pizza and opened a special bottle of wine. Typical. Cafe Calamari is a great spot though.

Anyway, another cute restaurant is the Baker House (327 Wrigley Dr.) in downtown Lake Geneva. It’s more of an experience, really. The restaurant is a mansion overlooking the lake and the rooms are lavishly decorated to transport you back in time to a fancy home in the late 19th century. The staff even dresses the part and there are vintage hats for guest to try on.

Lake Geneva in the fall makes such a lovely getaway.  I hope you get a chance to experience this place, especially this time of year.

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