When Albert Einstein came to America for the first time, he asked to see only two places. The first was Niagara Falls, understandable on his part for its sheer power and beauty. The other was Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wis., often touted as the birthplace of astrophysics, about 15 minutes from Lake Geneva.
Once you've seen the observatory, you'll understand why. Founded by the University of Chicago in 1897 and built in an imposing gothic Romanesque style with domes, brick and terra cotta, Yerkes is the Taj Mahal of observatories. It's an out-of-this-world experience to follow in Einstein's footsteps to see the largest refracting telescope in the world that's used for astronomical research.
Yerkes Observatory isn't the only cool thing to see near Lake Geneva, a town of 8,500 in southeastern Wisconsin. Since its founding in 1836, and with settlers and tourists alike clustering on its shores, it's been called the "Newport of the West" and the "Hamptons of Chicago." In the late 19th century, some of the families of Chicago's early movers and shakers, names including Sears, Wrigley, Maytag and Schwinn, began building elaborate summer homes (read: mansions) on the sparklingly clear and cerulean-hued lake. .
Today, the glacier-sculpted, spring-fed Lake Geneva is still ideal to visit during the warmer months. Probably one of the first things you'll want to do is amble around the lake. It's an easy stroll, with sailboat- and kayak-dotted panoramas, those gorgeous lakefront homes and flower-flocked gardens. You'll walk along the path that was originally old Native American trails of the Potawatomi and Oneota. While officially the shoreline is 21 miles, the path meanders for almost 26 miles as it intertwines with hills and forests.
If you don't care to walk the entire lake, then catch a U.S. Mailboat tour aboard the Walworth with Lake Geneva Cruise Lines. Not only is the scenery stunning, but summer brings out the mailboat jumpers as the Walworth delivers mail to about 75 homes. The young jumpers, agile and balanced with mail in hand, leap gracefully from the moving boat, sprint to the mailboxes to deposit letters and packages, and then soar back onto the stern.
As the gazelles vault back and forth and the Walworth chugs along on the 2½-hour cruise, you get a history lesson on the elaborate Gilded Age mansions that line the lake as if they had been chiseled into the shoreline.
Wine, cheese and magic
While the allure of Lake Geneva is in its laid-back vibe, plenty of opportunities for adventure exist. You'll find the requisite golf courses, ziplines, bicycle and scooter rentals, but also indoor opportunities to sample local wines and cheeses.
At the oxymoronically named Hill Valley Dairy, the focus is on small-batch artisanal cheeses, among them white and yellow Cheddar and my absolute favorite, Luna, a portmanteau of Gouda and Alpine-style cheese that pairs wonderfully with Malbec or pinot noir. It's a taste of Switzerland without having to travel to the other Lake Geneva. Along with Staller Estate Winery for stunning cold-hardy grape wines and Apple Barn Orchard & Winery for bold fruit wines like honeycrisp apple, a glass of vino and a freshly picked apple are never far away.
