MAILBOAT TOURS AT LAKE GENEVA, WI
START JUNE 15; PASSENGERS WATCH JUMPERS HOP ON AND OFF PIERS TO DELIVER MAIL
At Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, “e-mail” translates into “energetic mail” delivery. Agile mail jumpers leap from the passenger boat to mailboxes, dockside. The catch? The boat never stops and the mail never comes back undelivered. It’s the only marine mail delivery of its type in the country and passengers get to go along for the ride.
Beginning every June 15, at 10 a.m., daily, young swift mail jumpers hop from the side of the moving tourist boat to mailboxes on resident piers to deposit the mail and then dash back to catch the boat. A boat load of 150 passengers watch the non-stop action on the 2.5 hour mailboat tour and applaud the jumper- a “stamp” of approval- as she or he leaps back and forth. You could call it a first-class tour where the jumpers take their job in stride.
Talk about “pier” pressure! On Sundays, the jumpers deliver big, bulky newspapers to resident piers. At one dock, a golden retriever dashes to the end of the pier to carry the Sunday paper up to his master.
In between close to 65 jumps, the mail hopper “addresses” the passengers as he or she describes the historic estate homes along the shore, once owned by Chicagoans of fame and fortune, including the Swifts, Maytags, Bordens, and Wrigleys. Mail jumpers hope for a dry run, but that’s not always the case. An unexpected swim sometimes results. The daily mailboat tour extends through September. On Sundays, newspapers are “jumper” dockside.
Cost to ride the historic Walworth II Mailboat is $29 for adults, $27 for seniors age 65 and over, $21 for students age 14 through 17 and $16 for children ages 4 through 12. Group rates are also available.
Lake Geneva Cruise Line offers a variety of options including a combination narrated hike and boat tour, ice cream socials, Dixieland dinner cruises, Sunday champagne boat brunch, Black Point estate tours, private charters and more.
A unique way to see the shoreline hmes up close is to take a hike along eight miles of shoreline and then hop aboard one of the passenger boats for the rest of the tour. The up-close-and-personal self-guided tour follows a designated shoreline footpath with elegant mansions and manicured gardens to the right and Geneva Lake, beautiful boats, and lavish boathouses on the left.
Walkers buy cruise tickets at the Lake Geneva Cruise Line ticket office, Riviera Docks, downtown, before hiking over to the village of Williams Bay. The tour boat gives walkers time to walk the trail and then picks them up at the Williams Bay pier for the narrated boat cruise. Reservations are required. Additional walk and cruise options are available.
The unique tour is made possible because of an old law that requires the winding lake path around Geneva Lake be maintained and open to the public. As long as walkers stay on the path, they are not trespassing. Walkers should wear sturdy shoes because the walkway, originally a Native American Potawatomi footpath, ranges from stone, brick and wood planks to concrete ramps, sandy beach, steps, and packed dirt.
For more information (800) 558-5911
Lake Geneva Cruise Line offers cheap cruises , and a variety of options including a combination narrated hike and boat tour, ice cream socials, Dixieland dinner cruises, Sunday champagne boat brunch, Black Point estate tours, private charters and more.