Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is home to some of the most expensive homes in the Midwest.  Some date as far back as the Great Chicago fire, when business tycoons like P.K. Wrigley (of the chewing gum Wrigley’s) built mansions on the lake while reconstruction of their Chicago homes were completed.  After completion back in Chicago, the Lake Geneva homes were used as summer homes, some which are still in the Wrigley family possession today.

On a recent boat tour, I snapped photo’s of many of these homes, most which would cost between $5-10 million dollars each.  Not bad for a summer residence.  Here are a few of these beauties:

Wrigley Estates

Stone Manor

Driehaus Estates

Alta Vista

And various other summer homes whose names escape me:

Which one of us would like a million dollar steam boat at their pier ?

If you are ever in the Chicago area, you might enjoy a boat cruise around Lake Geneva, less than 90 miles from downtown Chicago.  There are 1 hour, 2 hour,  lunch, dinner, sunset cruises and a special mail cruise in the morning featuring actual mail delivery by a very agile young delivery person.

The best part , I think, is all 22 miles around the lake is available to walk on paths provided by the mansion owners.  That’s right, you can walk in back of all of these homes as long as you stay on the path next to the lake.  Like so in back of Jerseyhurst:

I don’t believe P.K. would ever have imagined it, but thanks to the city of Lake Geneva, it happens every day.

(Most of the photo’s I took.  The others I borrowed, but cannot find who should be credited.)