Walworth County

Walworth County is a county is located in Southeast Wisconsin. While being the most rural county in the region, it enjoys a strong tourism industry in Lake Geneva and Delavan.

Regions

Walworth County has four population centers: Lake Geneva, Elkhorn, Delavan and Whitewater. The rest of the County is dotted with smaller cities and unincorporated areas and farmland.

Cities
  • 🌍 Delavan : A lake community and home to Lake Lawn Resort.
  • 🌍 Elkhorn : The county seat and Christmas Card Capital of the World.
  • 🌍 Lake Geneva : A lake community and popular tourist destination area. Home to a number of resorts and golf courses.
  • 🌍 Richmond : A small community containing Lake Lorraine and Turtle Lake
  • 🌍 Whitewater : A college town and home to the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater. Partially located in Jefferson County.
  • 🌍 Williams Bay : A lake community located on the western side of Lake Geneva and home to George Williams College of Aurora University

Other destinations

Understand

Walworth County has a unique mixture of agriculture and tourism.

Talk

As with most of the Midwest, English is by far the most common language spoken in the area. Spanish is an increasingly common language, especially in Walworth and Delavan.

Get in

Walworth County is mostly accessible only by car. Prominent routes leading into the County include I-43 (from Milwaukee or Beloit), US 12 (from Chicago or Madison), US 14 (from Chicago or Janesville) and WI 11 (from Racine or Janesville).

Get around

Most of the County is only accessible by car. The following major routes grant easy access to most of the County:

  • Interstate 43: Interstate 43 travels southwest to northeast through the County entering near Darien and exiting at Mukwonago. It interchanges with every other major route in the County and runs directly through or immediately adjacent to Darien, Delavan, Elkhorn, East Troy and Mukwonago.
  • US 12: US 12 moves on a southeast to northwest route through most of Walworth County entering at Genoa City and exiting near Whitewater. The stretch between Genoa City and Elkhorn is open freeway. It runs through or immediately adjacent to Genoa City, unincorporated Pell Lake, Lake Geneva (Wisconsin), Elkhorn, and Whitewater.
  • US 14: US 14 services only the southwestern portion of the County and enters south of Walworth and exits immediately west of Darien.
  • WI 50: WI 50 moves on an east-west route entering immediately east of Lake Geneva and terminating at its intersection with WI 11 near downtown Delavan. It is one of the two major routes located immediately near Williams Bay and Fontana.
  • WI 11: WI 11 moves on an east-west route entering immediately west of Burlington in Racine County. It passes through the downtown areas of Elkhorn and Delavan prior to joining US 14 and exiting immediately west of Darien.
  • WI 67: WI 67 is a north-south numbered route entering the County immediately south of Kettle Moraine State Park in the area near Palmyra and passes through Elkhorn, Williams Bay, Fontana, Walworth and Sharon prior to exiting immediately west of Sharon.
  • WI 120: WI 120 is a north-south state route serving East Troy and Lake Geneva. It originates in downtown East Troy and exits south of Lake Geneva where it becomes IL 47.

See
Lake Geneva, not the one in Switzerland
  • Lake Geneva: One of the major attractions of the area, Lake Geneva is a large, freshwater lake with year-round activities for boating, fishing, hiking and ice fishing. There are public launches at the City of Lake Geneva, Fontana, and Williams Bay. There are regular boat tours of the lake during the summer focused on the history of the homes built on the lake.
  • Clifford F. Messinger Dry Prairie & Savanna State Natural Area: A state park in north central Walworth County, covering the southernmost extent of the Kettle Moraine area. There are plenty of opportunities for biking, hiking, camping and RVing near Whitewater Lake with easy access to both Whitewater and Delavan. Messinger is unique in that it also serves as a refuge for the Mississauga rattlesnake, a docile species native to the area.

Do
  • White River Trail: A 19-mile crushed rock trail sitting on a former railroad, the White River Trail offers hiking, bicycling and snowmobiling (seasonally) throughout its entire length. It begins in Elkhorn and crosses into Racine County where it terminates near after a short break in Burlington. There are numerous entrances and a bike rental shop in Springfield, north of Lake Geneva.
  • Kettle Moraine State Forest Southern Unit Trails: The Wisconsin DNR maintains a number of trails for hiking, horseback riding and bicycling throughout the southern stretches of the Kettle Moraine, located from just south of Whitewater through Eagle and Palmyra.

Eat

Drink

Stay safe

Walworth County is an exceptionally safe area. Motorists are cautioned that travel can be difficult in the winter or during periods of heavy wind.

Go next

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