Travels on Wheels

My older daughter lives in Chicago- a city I absolutely love, but that is a different blog post! She and I have both wanted to visit Wisconsin, so we decided to take a road trip. We packed up some snacks and sunscreen for the day and made our way to Wisconsin.

Wisconsin- “THE SKY LOOKS DIFFERENT”

As we drove through Illinois, eventually everything started to remind us of Vermont. There were a lot of farms and a few farmstands. The sky looked more open and bluer for some reason, as well. We passed a few lakes that looked beautiful on our way to Lake Geneva.

Lake Geneva– parking and walking

We finally arrived! The traffic was heavy, as expected on a beautiful summer day. We crawled through the streets trying to find a parking spot close to the water. There were handicapped spots, but they were all taken. We eventually found a regular spot near a restroom (which was providence for both of us).

Accessibility

It was a pretty far walk to the actual lake (especially with my cane and being in the heat). We made our way towards the beach, but it was closed to swimming because of blue algae. Bummer! I did notice a lengthy staircase for people to use to access the beach. Not accessible for me, but my daughter could have gone that way. Instead, we continued to walk and found a stretch of beach that was accessible. There was grass, shade, and a few steps away…sand and water! A wheelchair user could easily access the beach easily from this direction.

Around Town

Since we couldn’t swim and I was overheating, we decided to visit some of the adorable shops in town. We took the car and found easily accessible handicapped parking outside a set of stores having sidewalk sales for Labor Day. There were benches for sitting every 25 feet or so. Some even offered shade, which was quite a welcomed treat in the heat! Some of the shops had a step up into the shop, and others had staircases to go down into the shops. I declined those shops. Since it is a small town, there did not seem to be many updates for ramp usage because the entrances are older and smaller than newly constructed buildings.

Dinner…Yummy Thai!

Thankfully, my daughter is as much of a foodie as I am. She had made reservations for us at a Thai restaurant called Sabai Sabai Thai & Sushi Restaurant. They have a ramp in the front entrance for accessiblity and steps around the back of the restaurant. They offer indoor and outdoor seating. They also have upstairs seating, which we declined. We ate outside and it was perfection. I highly recommend the Red Curry Pineapple Chicken. It was accessible, delicious, and inexpensive. With two dinners and a sushi roll, our total bill was $42 and well worth every cent.

Thoughts

Lake Geneva is a great place to visit. It is beautiful and peaceful. I would come prepared, though, as parking can be difficult. I would also be sure to have transportation from the beach to the town (have a car waiting) as the walk can be long and arduous, and not every shop is wheelchair friendly to access. Please let me know your thoughts on Lake Geneva!