My fiance and I visited this today for the first time. David, was extremely kind and informative. We had no idea dungeons and dragons started in this town. Such a great museum, great staff, and enjoyable visit. Make sure you check this place out, you will not regret it! read more

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Museums weren't one of the first things that came to mind for me when I thought of Lake Geneva until today, but thanks to the Geneva Lake Museum I won't be making that mistake again. Stopped in today to cool off and learn a bit about the history of the area after reading about them online. GLM delivered in spades with a collection of artifacts and information that is well worth the price of admission ($12) and workers who seem to take genuine pride in what they're presenting. I wish I'd caught my guide's name - he was a friendly man who was more than happy to tell me about any exhibit I was taking in, answer any questions I had, and even told me a bit about his own family's history in the area after I mentioned that part of mine had been in southeast Wisconsin for 150 years. Also of note: they do not shy away from Lake Geneva's status as the birthplace of Dungeons & Dragons, either, which is cool to see. read more

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I have always wanted to stop in and see what was inside. Absolutely impressive in every way. It show cases the history of the area from the 1800's in chronological order. The docent, Kevin, was just a great guy to talk too, and very knowledgeable. In addition to Geneva Lake history they have a dungeons and dragons room. Highly recommend! read more

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Great place to spend a couple of hours learning the history of the area. It starts with right before the European settlers arrived and continues through to the current period. The first street makes you really feel like you are back in the 1890s. There's sheets for kids to "find stuff" throughout - which makes it like a treasure hunt. The guides are very knowledgeable and friendly. There's an entire room dedicated to old maps and photos throughout time. read more

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Such a nice mini little museum in the area! You can learn a lot of history about Lake Geneva here - tickets are cheap and most of what they have is donated to preserve history of the city - there's a little town area that shows what the city looked like and what life was like in the early 1900's (and prior with native Americans), plus some old maps of the city, ww2/ww1/civil war uniforms and historical artifacts from the area - It will probably only take the average person an hour to go through completely - it's small so don't expect the field museum of Chicago or the museum of science and industry but it is very nice, I think it's a must if you visit lake Geneva. The front desk people are very friendly and are happy to answer any questions about the museum. read more

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Well my mom wanted to go to lake Geneva Wisconsin and it has been a while for her since the 1980s. It's funny how you can visit a town and not knowing the history about it or take the time to learn about it. Anyways I decided to come here because I just didn't want to take my mom walking around the main street of Lake Geneva Wisconsin and discovered this museum. It's not expensive to go and parking is free. The way the museum is conducted is that you have a curator or narrator guiding you versus just going in alone and reading the displays or exhibits. There are pros and cons to this and this is the first time I ever experienced that approach on how the museum was conducted. Anyways my guide named ike or John explain how there were native Americans that lived in Lake Geneva before European Caucasian settlers started to appear here. And that the deepest part of the lake is in Black point which is 100 + ft deep. Millionaires such as Wrigley of Wrigley's chewing gum and Harris Bank had built their mansions to get away here that was not too far from Chicago. Certain films before the pandemic in Hollywood they would film certain scenes here in Lake Geneva example would be the horror film from the '70s The Omen about Damien. Surprisingly there is a lot of people from Chicago who come over here the rich ones to get away from the city of Chicago, IL. I learned that yachts during the turn of the century were really just single boats that the people would take the train in the early days of Lake Geneva and ride the boats to get the scenery and the beauty of the lake. Other than that if you're a history buff this museum which is very affordable versus the museum's going to Milwaukee or Chicago is worth it. The only drawback of four out of five stars is that if you're okay having a curator or guide or narrator follow you around explaining versus taking your own time reading what's on the exhibit. read more

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Nice place to place an hour or two and learn about the history of Lake Geneva. Please has no off street parking but the is a parking lot across the street read more

Walking down the strip, I noticed we museum off the beaten path. $9 general admission, but we thought we'd give it a shot. Very interesting history of Lake Geneva and the surrounding area. Timeline guides you through each decade. From the native Americans, to the present. Great artifacts, and historical. antiques to enjoy. I learned a lot more about Lake Geneva that I didn't know. The staff was courteous and knowledgeable. If you have any questions, someone is there to answer. Great experience. Highly recommend this museum. read more

We had a fun visit the week of Thanksgiving. We had the place to ourselves on a Tuesday early afternoon. Parking in their lot was plentiful. The staff was so nice and gave us a little intro tour for the first few areas. The lady informed us that they are hands-on museum, so they welcome that the kids pick up and feel items (within reason, obviously). After that, we were free to explore the place. It was like a cute little town from 100 years ago - just as I imagined Lake Geneva looking back then. My kids (3 and 8) enjoyed walking around a visiting all the different rooms. We spent a little over an hour there. It was being decorated with holiday decorations the day where there and it was looking very festive. If you are in the area, definitely stop by. We got a Groupon ---so we got a nice discount. Kids are free. read more

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Definitely stop here on your next trip to Lake Geneva, especially if you have kids. It was an hour of exploring old memorabilia from Geneva Lake's past. They have a bingo board for the kids, which my son loved. The museum takes you through scenarios of the town's history from the Pottawatomie Indians into the 20th century. There were so interesting displays and it is obvious that the curators of the museum are really invested in Lake Geneva's history. They often have a Groupon, we used one, but after the rich experience we had, we made a donation on the way out too. I love the small town feel of Lake Geneva, and now I know a bit more about the city I love to visit thanks to the Geneva Lake Museum. Check them out! read more

Geneva Lake Museum - Learning some Geneva Lake history. - Museums Near Me - Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Very nice and informative!!! Nice displays of history from lake Geneva .. all employees were very nice. read more

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My boyfriend and I had a delightful time at this quaint museum full of fun facts about Lake Geneva! We were on a short trip from Chicago and made it through the museum in about two hours, taking in most of the content in the museum. There are plenty of historical artifacts, technological advances, domestic items, period clothing, furniture, fine art, military memorabilia, photographs, video footage, newspaper clippings, and timelines - dating all the way from the 1830s to present times. The museum is set up in chronological order with displays that let you feel immersed in the era you are exploring. It is very family friendly, and even as adults we had fun participating in the visual scavenger hunt! Our docent Tom was absolutely fantastic. He had such a breadth of knowledge and shared details related to the families and historical sites in the area. We thoroughly enjoyed listening to his stories and explanations. The staff are all the type of people who genuinely care about their town and take pride and joy in sharing it with others. Lots of fun items in the gift shop, too! read more

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This is a great place to visit to get the historical look and feel of Lake Geneva's pas to present. A wide variety of artifacts and recreations give you the actual feeling you've stepped back in time. A great place to visit anytime. read more

Very cute and wonderful museum of Lake Geneva's history. The staff are so friendly and always happy to answer any questions you may have. It's incredibly detailed with so many different artifacts and recreations. Definitely recommend! read more

Geneva Lake Museum - Overview of the first part of the museum with recreations of rooms from many years ago that you are able to walk through. - Museums Near Me - Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Good, well staged, authentic exhibits and a room full of historic maps of Lake Geneva. Great employees and volunteers that enhance the experience. read more

There are few higher accolades that can be given to a museum than "It taught me something I did not know." The Geneva Lake Museum does this in spades. We drove to Walworth County the day after Christmas (2015) not to visit a museum, but to go for a hike along a portion of Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail. However, by the time that we reached Lake Geneva, it was pouring. We decided to pull off the highway and see what was going on in the LG. We quickly spied the museum and thought, "Hey, let's check that out." (The older I get the more I love museums. In fact, the more unconventional they are, the more I tend to like them.) I wasn't expecting much. I figured a few nods to Wisconsin's Indian tribes, a couple of antiques, and maybe an old map. Well, there's that. But there's so much more. Going in, I was remiss to remember Lake Geneva's rich history and close ties to Chicago. The amount of wealth that accumulated along the shores of Geneva Lake is astounding. Some of the most iconic business titans of the 20th century spent time at the lake and their opulent lifestyles astound. The section of the museum dedicated to Ceylon Court--a home constructed from the remains of the Ceylon Court built at the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in Chicago--is fascinating and gut-wrenching at the same time. As too often occurred, architectural preservation attempts failed and this unbelievable home was torn down in the name of progress. Even more gut-wrenching, the story of Frank Lloyd Wright's prairie style hotel on the shores of the lake in the heart of the city of Lake Geneva, the Lake Geneva Hotel. After falling into decline, it was torn down in 1970 and replaced by the most hideous 8-story apartment/condominium in Walworth County. Oh, what I wouldn't do to see that hotel today. What were those maroons thinking?? Anyway, i think you get my point. There's a LOT to discover at this museum. It's not just Lake Geneva's history, but United States' history too. It is truly a fascinating museum. Be sure to spend at least three hours if you're sans kids. With kids, about 30 minutes. ;) Well done, Geneva Lake Museum. Well done! read more

4.5 stars - We spent about an hour here on Sunday (late March/non-tourist season). We parked for free in the museums lot (looked like a few places which is fine in the non-tourist season). The cashier was very friendly - we used a groupon. Also they had bottled water for $1 each which is nice. We were greeted at the beginning and given a brochure that briefly explained the different rooms. Our guide went over the early history of the Native Americans who lived in the area until they were forced to move to Kansas. Then we wandered through the various rooms looking at artifacts and taking a few pictures. There were only a few other people in the museum when we were there. Our guide met up with us again and talked more about a few of the exhibits. We also played with the model train for a bit. Overall, an excellent museum in a small(ish) town. Tip: check out groupon for 2 tickets for the price of 1 (although I ended giving an additional donation since the museum was really well done & I appreciated the additional information from the guide) read more

For a school project, I was required to visit a museum. I wanted to visit a museum I had never been to before, and to say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. Not only was the staff friendly and welcoming, it was affordable (college student discount), engaging, and so much more. I didn't expect to get a guided tour, but John took me around the museum and taught me so much about the area. There was so much to learn about and look at in this museum. I will definitely be visiting here again soon! read more

Simply put- worth a special trip to visit. We were surprised how large and well laid out it was. read more

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Admission is 7 bucks--6 if you are a student. The museum is self-guided and well laid-out. It's pretty small though: save 45 minutes to 1 hour to spend here. The lady at the tickets office was a bit rude to us when we asked her questions about the admission fee and the museum itself. You get what you pay for--or maybe a bit less. Yes, you can learn about the history of Lake Geneva here, but just as much as you can learn by conducting a quick search in Google. Honestly, not worth the time I spent here. Skip it if you have to. You won't be missing on anything substantial. read more

Really enjoyed my visit here today - the staff were so nice and explained everything there was to see, but also let me explore at my own pace. LOTS to look at, fun place to stop especially in the off season with free parking. read more

Definitely a place to visit to learn about the area when visiting Lake Geneva. The staff was very informative & proud of their town. There was a ton of things to see & they encouraged you to touch & pick up things. Some items were fragile & had notes not to touch them so we made sure to follow the rules posted. I'm glad we were able to visit the museum and we spent a good 1-2 hours looking around at all the different things they had. A must see! read more

I went for the craft show and they did a nice job. As for the museum looks interesting. Volunteers friendly. They do tend to chat with each other and block the way! read more

Amazing collection of history! The docents are extremely friendly and knowledgable. I stopped in on a whim and am very glad I did--it was a fantastic way to spend the afternoon. I was simply baffled by the HUGE assortment of artifacts. If you've got the time, it is definitely worth a visit! read more

I spent my bachlorette weekend up in Lake Geneva, and we decided to stop in at the museum. That day we were there, they were having a book/bake sale, and if you bought $5 worth of books you can get in the museum free...so we all stocked up on books! and had a great time looking thru the museum, they had a lot of great history! It was a clean, friendly environment , and the people that worked there were so nice! We had a great time! thank you all! :) read more

Nice place , my 7 year old loved looking at the antiques. Employees are really nice . Took about an hour to get through it. Something fun and quick to do in lake geneva . Kids are free . It's a one time type of place . read more

Our hands on museum, let's guests touch history. Free parking. Starting from 1831 with the Potawatomi wigwam, to farm tools and a cabin. The Main Street , holds 100 years of stores and houses to walk into. Adults and children alike enjoy, Talking to our docents.this is a warm and friendly place.come visit us! read more