Living in Fontana, WI: Real Estate and Relocation Guide
Quick answer: Fontana-on-Geneva Lake is a village on the west end of Geneva Lake in Walworth County, Wisconsin. About 3,120 people live here across 3.39 square miles. It has the largest public beach on Geneva Lake, a public boat launch, and 2 golf communities. Non-lake homes sold for a median of $655,000 over the 12 months through August 21, 2026, across 15 sales.
Here's what you need to know before you move here: the jurisdictions, the schools, the beach rules, the parking rules, and what property costs.
Where Fontana is
Fontana sits at the west end of Geneva Lake. Most people say Fontana. The full legal name is the Village of Fontana-on-Geneva Lake.
The ZIP is 53125. The area code is 262. The village covers 3.39 square miles.
Williams Bay is 10 minutes east. Lake Geneva is 20 minutes east. Walworth is 5 minutes south. Elkhorn, the county seat, is 20 minutes north.
Fontana runs quieter than Lake Geneva. The downtown is small, with shops and restaurants near the water.
The village holds both Bird City Wisconsin and Tree City USA designations. If you're coming up from Illinois, our guide to covers what changes.
Fontana Beach
Fontana Beach on Fontana Boulevard is the largest public beach on Geneva Lake. Wide sandy shore, a grassy area, changing rooms.
Lifeguards work 7 days a week from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The beach itself is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in season.
Day passes and concessions are sold at the beach house. Rates run $14 for ages 12 and up, $6 for ages 6 to 11, and free for age 5 and under.
Military members and seniors 65 and older pay $6. A non-resident season pass runs $140.
Village residents can get up to 12 beach season passes. Check with Village Hall for current rules and prices.
The public boat launch sits next to the beach.
Parking
Fontana charges for parking from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Residents get up to 4 parking stickers per parcel at Village Hall. This matters if you own here and expect guests. Ask about the current sticker rules before you buy.
Village Hall is at 175 Valley View Drive, (262) 275-6136. It's open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon Thursday.
Parking and beach access are part of what a village address buys, and they show up in .
Parks and the lake
Reid Park sits next to the beach with a gazebo, a playground, a softball diamond and picnic tables. The village runs Music in the Park at the gazebo on Thursday evenings, 6 to 8 p.m., in summer.
Duck Pond Recreation Area hosts village events, including the spring egg hunt.
Pioneer Park is a smaller neighborhood park.
The Geneva Lake Shore Path runs 21 miles around the lake, and a section of it crosses Fontana. The path is public. It passes in front of private homes, and walkers stay on the path.
Gordy's runs boat sales, rentals, service and storage on Lake Street. Gordy's Boat House is the restaurant on the same block.
Our companion lifestyle site covers in the region.
Schools
The Fontana Joint 8 School District is at 450 S Main Street, (262) 275-6881. It's a small district with one school covering elementary and middle grades.
High school students go to Big Foot High School at 401 Devils Lane in Walworth, (262) 275-2116. Big Foot is a union high school district, which means it takes students from 4 separate K-8 districts. It serves Fontana, Walworth, Sharon and the Town of Linn.
School lines don't always follow the mailing address. Check the assignment for a specific property with the district office before you buy.
Wisconsin open enrollment lets any Wisconsin student in 4K through grade 12 apply to a district other than their own. The window runs February 2 through April 30 at 4 p.m. for the next school year, and late applications aren't accepted.
Either district can say no for reasons set in state law. You can appeal a denial to the state within 30 days. Families usually handle transportation.
Apply to the district you want, not to the state. Details are at or (888) 245-2732.
Big Foot Recreation District
The Big Foot Recreation District at 401 Devils Lane in Walworth, (262) 275-2117, runs recreation programs for the Fontana, Walworth, Sharon and Linn area.
There's a fitness center, youth and adult sports, classes, and a summer day camp with field trips.
Fontana is small, so most organized recreation runs through Big Foot rather than through the village.
Fontana Public Library
The Fontana Public Library is at 166 2nd Avenue, (262) 275-5107. It sits below Village Hall.
Hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Closed Sunday.
The library belongs to a shared regional system, so your card works at member libraries across Walworth County and the counties nearby.
Golf
Fontana has 2 golf communities. Both are condominium ownership, and neither includes golf with the real estate.
Abbey Springs at 1 Country Club Drive, (262) 275-6113, is a gated community above Geneva Lake, established in 1971. The course is open to public play.
Owners get privileges at the Rec Center and the Lakefront Yacht Club, which has a beach, swimming piers, boat slips and in and out marina service. The slips and marina service run on a waiting list.
Golf at Abbey Springs is a separate membership from owning a home. The club sells golf memberships to the public, offers limited public tee times, and sells an off-season dining and recreation membership.
Geneva National sits on Lake Como, about 20 minutes northeast. It's the region's other gated golf community.
The explains how both are structured.
The Abbey Resort
The Abbey Resort at 269 Fontana Boulevard is the largest resort in the village. Hotel, the Avani Spa, meeting space, and several restaurants.
Dining includes 240 West and the Waterfront. The Waterfront is open daily with live music in season.
Abbey Harbor is the marina on the same site. It's the only place in the region where boat slips are sold as their own real estate, which is covered in .
Resort condominium units at The Abbey are a different product from residential condominiums in the village. The buying guide covers that separately.
Food and shopping
Chuck's Lakeshore Inn at 352 Lake Street is a lakefront bar and grill, open daily.
Gordy's Boat House at 336 Lake Street serves lunch and dinner daily on the waterfront.
240 West and the Waterfront are both at The Abbey Resort.
Big Foot Market at W4724 S Lake Shore Drive is a market and cafe with coffee, sandwiches, pizza and prepared food. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Fontana Farmers Market runs Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon, June through September, along Porter Court. Vendors sell flowers, cheese, vegetables, honey, herbs, quiche and handmade soaps.
For a full grocery, Daniels Foods at 681 Kenosha Street in Walworth is 5 minutes south and open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Larger stores are in Delavan and Lake Geneva, 20 to 25 minutes away.
More restaurant and event coverage is on our companion site's .
Health care
There's no hospital in Fontana.
Mercyhealth Hospital and Medical Center in Walworth is 5 minutes south. Aurora Lakeland Medical Center in Elkhorn is 20 minutes north and open 24 hours.
Clinics operate in Walworth, Lake Geneva and Delavan.
Events
The Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil and Steak Fry runs the last Saturday in July at Reid Park. The village calls it the biggest social event of the year.
Live music starts at noon and runs all day. Burgers and hot dogs are available throughout, with beer and wine at the beer tent. Dinner is served 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., and there's a drive-through at the park house from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. A kids' area with bounce houses opens in the afternoon.
Advance tickets are sold at Daniels Foods in Walworth and Chuck's Lakeshore Inn in Fontana. You can also reach any Lions Club member or call Andy Pearce at (262) 215-5550. The club puts much of the money back into local schools, parks and families. Our companion site covers area events on the .
The 4th of July fireworks launch from a barge off Fontana Beach at dusk on July 4. People watch from the beach and from boats.
Dan Green's Pig in the Park is a fundraiser at Reid Park on a Saturday evening in early July, drawing 900 to 1,000 people in recent years. It's named for Dan Green, a Fontana Park Commissioner and volunteer firefighter who died in a construction accident. His wife Mary runs it now. Proceeds go to Open Arms Free Clinic, Children's Oncology Services and Helping Our Heroes.
Music in the Park runs Thursday evenings at the Reid Park gazebo in summer. Check the village calendar for the current lineup.
Movies on the Beach is a village program at Fontana Beach. Dates are posted on the village site.
The spring egg hunt is held at Duck Pond Recreation Area on the Saturday before Easter, starting at 10 a.m. when the Easter Bunny arrives. It's sponsored by the village, the Big Foot Recreation District, Daniels Foods and The Abbey Resort.
The Fontana Frog is a village landmark and a common photo stop.
The Geneva Lake West Chamber of Commerce serves Fontana, Walworth and Williams Bay.
Weather and seasons
Summer is the busy season. The beach, the boat launch and the downtown fill up. Parking is paid and limited.
Fall is quieter, and the water stays warm into September.
Winter is slow. Geneva Lake runs 135 feet deep, so it freezes later than the shallow lakes nearby. Snowfall averages 35 to 45 inches a year. Winter highs sit in the upper 20s to low 30s.
Spring is short. Piers go out and boats go in during April and May.
Getting around and drive times
Highway 67 runs north from the village. Highway 50 connects east toward Lake Geneva.
| Destination | Approximate drive |
|---|---|
| Walworth | 5 minutes |
| Williams Bay | 10 minutes |
| Lake Geneva | 20 minutes |
| Elkhorn | 20 minutes |
| Delavan | 20 minutes |
| Janesville | 50 minutes |
| Milwaukee | 65 minutes |
| Madison | 75 minutes |
| Chicago | 90 to 100 minutes |
There's no train service and no public transportation here. The nearest Metra station is Harvard, Illinois, about 40 minutes south.
What homes cost
All figures below cover the 12 months through August 21, 2026.
| Segment | Sales | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Non-lake single family | 15 | $655,000 |
| Geneva Lake access, single family | 20 | $785,000 |
| Geneva Lake condominium | 31 | $625,000 |
| Resort condominium | 9 | $132,000 |
Fontana is unusual for the region. More homes here sell with lake rights than without them. Lake access and lake condominiums together made 51 sales, against 15 sales off the water.
Non-lake homes fell 22.0 percent from $840,000 on 21 sales the year before. On 15 sales, that figure moves on which specific homes traded.
Geneva Lake lakefront in Fontana had 1 sale in this window, which is too few to publish a median. Across the full 2020 to 2026 record, Fontana lakefront ran a $4,422,500 median across 20 sales.
Longer-run figures sit in the , the , the and the .
Frequently asked questions
Where is Fontana, WI?
Fontana-on-Geneva Lake is a village at the west end of Geneva Lake in Walworth County, Wisconsin. It covers 3.39 square miles and had a population of 3,120 at the 2020 census. Williams Bay is 10 minutes east and Lake Geneva 20 minutes east.
Does Fontana have a public beach?
Yes. Fontana Beach on Fontana Boulevard is the largest public beach on Geneva Lake, with a sandy shore, a grassy area and changing rooms. Lifeguards work 7 days a week from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Day passes run $14 for ages 12 and up and $6 for ages 6 to 11. The public boat launch sits next to the beach.
What school district is Fontana, WI in?
The Fontana Joint 8 School District at 450 S Main Street, (262) 275-6881, covers elementary and middle grades. High school students attend Big Foot High School at 401 Devils Lane in Walworth, which also serves Walworth, Sharon and the Town of Linn. Check the assignment for a specific property with the district office.
Does Fontana, WI have a golf course?
Yes. Abbey Springs at 1 Country Club Drive is a gated condominium community with a course open to public play. Golf there is a separate membership from owning a home, and the club sells memberships to the public. Geneva National, the region's other gated golf community, is 20 minutes northeast on Lake Como.
Do you have to pay for parking in Fontana?
Yes. The village charges for parking from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Residents get up to 4 parking stickers per parcel at Village Hall. Ask about current rules and rates before you buy, especially if you expect guests.
Does Fontana have a grocery store and a hospital?
Big Foot Market on South Lake Shore Drive is a market and cafe in the village, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. For a full grocery, Daniels Foods in Walworth is 5 minutes south. There's no hospital in Fontana. Mercyhealth in Walworth is 5 minutes away and Aurora Lakeland in Elkhorn is 20 minutes north.
What events happen in Fontana, WI?
The Big Foot Lions Club Lobster Boil and Steak Fry runs the last Saturday in July at Reid Park, with live music from noon and dinner served 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. The 4th of July fireworks launch from a barge off Fontana Beach at dusk. Dan Green's Pig in the Park is an early July fundraiser at Reid Park drawing 900 to 1,000 people. Music in the Park runs Thursday evenings in summer, and the Fontana Farmers Market runs Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon from June through September along Porter Court.
What does a home cost in Fontana, WI?
Over the 12 months through August 21, 2026, non-lake single family homes sold for a median of $655,000 across 15 sales. Geneva Lake access homes ran $785,000 across 20 sales. Geneva Lake condominiums ran $625,000 across 31 sales. Resort condominium units ran $132,000 across 9 sales.
Talk to someone who works this market
Kim and Joel Reyenga have worked Fontana and the Geneva Lake west end for a combined 50 years, across village homes, lake access, condominiums, golf communities and lakefront.
If you're selling, start with . Call (262) 325-9867, or request a
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