Lake Geneva Boat Tours

The Lake Geneva Cruise Line is the main public tour operation, offering the U.S. Mailboat Tour (June 15 through September 15), Sunday Brunch Cruises, sunset cruises, Meteor Shower Cruises, and Santa and Holiday Light Cruises in winter. All tours depart from Riviera Beach in downtown Lake Geneva. Private boat rentals are available from Marina Bay Boat Rentals, Elmer’s Boat Rental, and Gordy’s Lakefront Marine. Website: cruiselakegeneva.com.

The Lake Geneva Mailboat Tour is a narrated public boat tour on Geneva Lake in which athletic mail carriers jump on and off the moving Walworth Mailboat at each stop to deliver mail to 75 lakefront estates, a tradition over 100 years old. The tour includes narrated history of each estate along the shoreline. It operates June 15 through September 15, departs from Riviera Beach, and sells out on summer weekends. Book through cruiselakegeneva.com.

Yes. The Lake Geneva Cruise Line Mailboat Tour provides a narrated history of the estates along the Geneva Lake shoreline, including properties once owned by the Wrigley, Maytag, and Schwinn families and other Chicago industrialists. Black Point Estate, built in 1888 and on the National Register of Historic Places, is accessible only by boat and can be toured through the Cruise Line. Check blackpointestate.org for current tour season details.

Marina Bay Boat Rentals at 300 Wrigley Dr. is the largest rental operation in downtown Lake Geneva, with pontoons, speedboats, and private charters. Elmer’s Boat Rental at 195 Wrigley Dr. has been family-owned for 80-plus years. Gordy’s Lakefront Marine in Fontana offers Cobalt boats and sunset cruises with an optional driver. Jerry’s Majestic Marine is also in Fontana. Carefree Boat Club offers a membership model from the Baker House pier.

Black Point Estate is a Victorian summer estate built in 1888 for Chicago beer baron Conrad Seipp on the south shore of Geneva Lake. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, it’s one of the best-preserved historic estates on the lake. There is no road access to the property. It is accessible only by boat. Public tours are available seasonally through the Lake Geneva Cruise Line. Check blackpointestate.org for tour dates and availability.

Yes. The Lake Geneva Cruise Line runs evening sunset cruises on Geneva Lake during the summer season, departing from Riviera Beach. Gordy’s Lakefront Marine in Fontana offers sunset cruises with an optional driver for groups who want a private sunset experience. Both are popular for couples’ evenings and small group outings. The Geneva Lake sunset facing west toward the Fontana hills from the water is consistently one of the most photographed views in the region.

Yes. The Lake Lawn Queen, departing from Lake Lawn Resort on Delavan Lake approximately 10 miles from downtown Lake Geneva, offers a boat tour past five Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes on Delavan Lake. It’s one of the highest concentrations of Wright residential properties anywhere. Check lakelawnresort.com for the current tour schedule. Delavan Lake itself is a 1,906-acre fishing and recreation lake worth visiting independently.

The Lake Geneva Cruise Line operates a seasonal calendar that runs from spring through December. The U.S. Mailboat Tour runs June 15 through September 15 specifically. Sunset cruises and Sunday Brunch Cruises operate through the summer season. Specialty cruises including Meteor Shower Cruises extend into late summer, and Santa Cruise and Holiday Light Cruises run November through December. Check cruiselakegeneva.com for the current full schedule.