Geneva Lakefront Communities

Fontana

Shaw-nee-aw-kee is the Potawatomi Indian word for “friend” and was a salutation given the John Kinzie party at the first visit of any white person to the village of Chief Big Foot. This is the site of today’s Fontana.

Situated on the west end of beautiful Geneva Lake with a background of tree-covered, glacier-formed hills, Fontana welcomes you. As in the time of the Potawatomi, Fontana is the friendly village with a myriad of opportunities for a memorable vacation or to live with nature’s beauty.

Fontana is home to The Abbey Resort, one of the area’s finest resorts, and heaven to fishermen and water sport lovers. It is enriched with three churches, and an excellent school system, a comfortable library, and is home to the Geneva Lake West Chamber of Commerce. There are parks for relaxing and a beautiful sand beach. There are small shops with shopkeepers eager to assist you. The modern, efficient police, fire and rescue departments keep order and minimize emergencies.

Any season of the year Fontana awaits YOU – Shaw-nee-aw-kee-Friend.

Williams Bay

Owing to its location along one of the finest lakes in the state and its award-winning lakefront development, Williams Bay is an attractive summer resort. It is the home of Yerkes Observatory, a facility devoted to research in astronomy and astrophysics and the world’s largest refracting telescope ever constructed and used for astronomical observations. Gage Marine, which runs the excursion boats on Geneva Lake, is headquartered here. Aurora University, a full-service educational conference center offering challenge courses, environmental programs and year-round lakeside recreation, has made its home in Williams Bay.

In the summer Williams Bay grows to nearly double its population with tourists ready to enjoy swimming, boating, fishing and leisure walks around the lake. Winter brings ice boating, ice fishing and snowmobiling to “the Bay,” helping to create a village for all seasons.