Lakefront Lodge with Panoramic Views and Hearty Steakhouse

Lake Geneva is sometimes called "The Hamptons of the Midwest," a designation associated with the summertime, when throngs of boaters and beachgoers flock to the resort area. But when the chris-crafts are stored for the winter and the beach volleyball nets come down, there's still no shortage of activity around Lake Geneva. Ice skaters crisscross public rinks, downhill skiers take to the slopes, and snowmobiles cut through the woods and across the frozen lakes, where ice fishers land walleye and northern pike. The Lake Geneva area thrives as a year-round mecca for outdoor adventure, catered by rustic-style luxury properties such as The Lodge at Geneva Ridge. Overlooking neighboring Lake Como, the lodge offers seclusion a few minutes' walk from Geneva Lake's north shore.

The Lodge at Geneva Ridge's lakefront vistas are best appreciated at the onsite Lakeview Grille, where wall-to-wall picture windows frame wooded slopes and the shores of Lake Como. In the kitchen, chefs hand-carve rib eyes, fillets, and prime ribs and prepare Friday-night fish fry ($10.95/person). Next door, the Lakeview Lounge offers equally impressive vistas in a lodge setting with a stacked stone fireplace and an oak bar with a brass runner, where bartenders mix specialty cocktails tailored to each patron's id.

Upstairs, resort-side king or two-queen rooms carry on the lodge atmosphere with mission-style wood furnishings. Despite the rustic touches, a stay at The Lodge at Geneva Ridge hardly means roughing it. Specialists at the onsite spa and salon draw from Swedish, Native American, Indian, and Japanese therapeutic traditions to craft a full range of massages and skin treatments, and a sauna and steam room chase away any winter chill.

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: Winter Sports and Historical Museums

Winters in Lake Geneva are decidedly quieter than summers, and in addition to a host of outdoor activities, winter brings with it the benefit of smaller crowds. Snowshoers and cross-country skiers trek through ice-frosted bare groves along the Geneva Lake Shore Path, and ice fishers set up colorful shanties on the lake's frozen surface. Snowmobilers also careen along county trails, and March 16–18 brings the grand finale of the Amsoil Championship Snocross Series to town as professionals soar over elevated jumps and blindfolded snowmen.

There's also plenty for families to do indoors. The Geneva Lake Museum takes visitors back in time with re-created 19th-century shops, and the 1897-era Yerkes Observatory holds the world's largest refracting telescope, which has the capability of reading the bottom line of a Snellen chart pinned to moon.