Okay, so I decided to take a break from my Pakistan posts and share with you what I’ve been up to this summer so far. For me, summer started after the month of fasting ended!
As soon as it did, I wasted no time in planning a short trip out of Chicago to a place I had been researching about ever since I moved here, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. My nieces were visiting also so it ended up being the perfect little 24 hour family vacation!
Strawberry Picking at Apple Barn Orchard & Winery
I have also been wanting to go fruit picking for ages and when I looked up things to do near Lake Geneva, this barn kept coming up for apple and strawberry picking. Since we were just in time for the strawberry season, that is what I planned to do first. My nieces love, LOVE strawberries so it was a lot of fun for them especially. I’m actually not a huge strawberry fan myself…that is until I picked these! Oh man, they were delicious and I even made strawberry trifle with them when I got home!
The barn is located about 15 minutes north of the part of town we were staying in, so I didn’t think it was too far out of the way. We left the house around 10:45 am and got there at 12 pm. Apparently, the sun is what makes the strawberries sweet, so we were there at the perfect time!
After picking to our hearts content, we went to the barn’s bakery (obviously) and also got some baked goods. We tried, strawberry donuts (they were meh mostly because I like my donuts super fresh, hot, right out of the oil), strawberry cookies (delicious!), strawberry muffin (delicious), strawberry tart (niece said it was good).
Hotel Check-in at The Cove of Lake Geneva Hotel & Resort
After strawberry picking, we were ready for lunch (I planned a picnic by the lake). But first we wanted to check-in at our hotel which was walking distance to the lake! I got such a great deal on it using booking.com. We got a nice studio loft for 5 adults and 2 kids (6 & 13 yr old) for $275/night which I thought was a pretty sweet deal for it’s location and condition! 
Everyone LOVED staying here. We had 1 king bed, 1 queen bed, 1 queen sized sofa bed, a kitchen, 2 full bathrooms and a balcony that I enjoyed having breakfast on the next morning.
Picnic by Geneva Lake
First of all, I found out the lake itself is called Geneva Lake but the city is called Lake Geneva, a little confusing. Anyway, we checked-in, and walked over to a grassy, shaded area of the lake. We laid out our picnic blanket and opened up all the goodies I packed the day before. I made egg salad sandwiches, there was fresh fruit of course (our freshly picked strawberries, watermelon and tangerines) along with a delicious chips and salsa I discovered at Target!
It was a light picnic lunch (with a great view) so we could have an early dinner and do some sunset walking later.
Geneva Lake Bay Tour
Next up, we took a tour of part of the Lake. After looking at all the options, we decided this Bay Tour which was an hour long narrated historical tour was the best for us. Anything longer, may have gotten a little boring especially for my grandfather who knows minimal English.
We arrived just in time for the last tour leaving at 3:15. Being a lover of architecture, I really enjoyed this! I loved seeing all the huge mansions along the shore lines and learning who some of them belonged to and also wishing one of them was mine. lol 
My 13 year old niece who likes knowing random history facts also enjoyed the tour, and everyone else liked the boat ride around the bay especially since we got lucky with beautiful weather and low humidity.
Prices:
Adults (18-64): $26 (weekdays) $29 (weekends)
Seniors (65+):$24 (weekdays) $27 (weekends)
Children (4-17): $14 (weekdays) $15 (weekends)
Dinner at Popeye’s Casual Dining
After the boat tour we walked around the town and looked at the shops.
Soon enough we were hungry and ready for dinner. I found Popey’s Restaurant which looked like they served up something for everyone in the family. The fish and chips is what attracted me to it, and that is exactly what I got. Everyone else got chicken sandwiches, burgers and more fish.
The food was your typical American restaurant quality meal. I thought my fish and chips were decent and everyone else was raving mostly about the broccoli cheddar soup which was a side option to many of the adult entrees!
Sunset Walking by the Lake
After the meal, the elders went back to the hotel and I went on a little walk around the lake with my nieces. The whole Lake is 8 miles and is walk-able which means you can see those mansions up close and personal!
Sunset was the perfect time to stroll through the area, I enjoyed every minute of it!
Breakfast & Departure
The next morning, we made tea and enjoyed the sweets we picked up from the bakery the day before. It was the perfect way to end our mini getaway! I’m already planning another visit there in my head with my girlfriends. Splitting the hotel cost with 4-5 other people would be so ideal and cheap!
What do you think? Would you go here?
3 Comments
I’d totally go there! Looks like an amazing family getaway! I can’t get enough of lakes and sunsets 🙂
Nice article, photography is awesome
well, I’d definitely go there! especially the picnic with the great view would be something that I’d totally enjoy 🙂 and it looks like you really enjoyed it there with your family too 🙂