Living in Williams Bay, WI: Real Estate and Relocation Guide
Quick answer: Williams Bay is a village on the north shore of Geneva Lake in Walworth County, Wisconsin. About 2,950 people live here. It is home to Yerkes Observatory, the 231-acre Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy, and a public beach and boat launch. Non-lake homes sold for a median of $549,904 over the 12 months through August 21, 2026, across 46 sales.
This guide covers schools, parks, shopping, health care, drive times and what homes cost.
Where Williams Bay is
Williams Bay sits on the north shore of Geneva Lake. Downtown is at Highway 67 and Geneva Street. The ZIP code is 53191. The area code is 262.
Lake Geneva is about 10 minutes east. Fontana is about 10 minutes west. Elkhorn, the county seat, is about 15 minutes north.
The village is walkable but hilly. There is no public transportation, so you need a car.
Until the 1960s, Williams Bay was the end of the Chicago and North Western Railway line. The village beach and boat ramp now sit where the train station used to be. Part of the old rail bed is a walking trail inside the Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy.
Yerkes Observatory
Yerkes Observatory is the best known place in Williams Bay. The University of Chicago built it in 1897.
It holds the largest refracting telescope in the world. That is a telescope that uses lenses instead of mirrors. People call it the great 40-inch. It first saw light in May 1897.
The building was designed by architect Henry Ives Cobb. The grounds were laid out by John Charles Olmsted, part of the firm founded by the designer of Central Park in New York. The campus covers about 50 acres.
The observatory has a long history in science. George Ellery Hale was its first director. The American Astronomical Society held its first meeting here in 1899. Albert Einstein visited in 1921.
The Yerkes Future Foundation runs the site today. It closed for restoration in 2018 and reopened for tours in May 2022. The grounds include about 4 miles of walking trails, restored prairie, a pollinator meadow, oak savannas and an apiary. Tours and programs run through the year. Check the observatory website for current hours.
Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy
The Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy covers 231 acres on the west side of the village at 251 Elkhorn Road.
It has more than 4 miles of trails, along with ponds, streams, boardwalks, a bird-viewing tower and a pavilion. Birders have recorded dozens of species there. Admission is free.
The conservancy runs programs and guided walks during the year. It is the largest piece of open land inside the village.
Parks, the beach and the lake
Edgewater Park sits right on Geneva Lake with picnic space and lake views. The village holds events there.
East Park and the village beach are next to the municipal pier. The beach and the public boat launch are both here. This is the main public access to Geneva Lake in the village.
The Geneva Lake Shore Path runs 21 miles around the whole lake. About 4 miles of it pass through Williams Bay. The path is public and crosses in front of private homes. Walkers are asked to stay on the path.
Gage Marine operates at 1 Liechty Drive. It runs boat sales, service, storage and valet service. Storage and valet let boat owners use the lake without owning a pier, which affects . The Lake Geneva Cruise Line also runs from here, including the Mailboat tour.
The Williams Bay Municipal Pier is a stop on the Lake Geneva Cruise Line full-lake route. You can walk part of the Shore Path and ride back.
Our companion lifestyle site covers in the region.
Schools
The Williams Bay School District is at 250 Theatre Road, (262) 245-1575. It is one of the smallest districts in the county and runs a single campus with an elementary school, a middle school and a high school.
School district lines do not always match the mailing address. Some homes with a Williams Bay address sit in a different district. 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 application window runs February 2 through April 30 at 4 p.m. for the next school year. Late applications are not 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 to attend, not to the state. Details are at or (888) 245-2732.
George Williams College of Aurora University has a campus at 350 Constance Boulevard, (262) 245-5531. The lakefront campus offers undergraduate and graduate programs. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is about 30 minutes northwest. Gateway Technical College has a campus in Elkhorn.
Barrett Memorial Library
The Barrett Memorial Library is at 65 W Geneva Street, (262) 245-2709.
Hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is closed Sunday.
The library runs children's programs and lends craft kits along with books. It has a used book room in the lower level. A card works across the shared regional library system.
Food and coffee
Cafe Calamari at 10 E Geneva Street is the anchor restaurant in the village. It is an Italian and steakhouse kitchen with Geneva Lake views from both the dining room and the patio. It serves dinner only, opening at 5 p.m. seven days a week, and takes reservations. It has operated in the village for decades and is the place most residents name first.
Pier 290 is at 1 Liechty Drive on the Gage Marine campus. It sits on the water and serves lunch and dinner daily, with live music in season.
Harpoon Willie's is at 8 E Geneva Street near the beach. It is open daily.
Bay Cooks at 99 N Walworth Avenue serves Mexican food and breakfast, open daily.
The Cantina at 220 Elkhorn Road serves Tex-Mex and brunch, open daily.
Green Grocer and Deli at 77 N Walworth Avenue is a grocery, deli, cafe and bar in one building, with a rooftop deck. It is open daily.
Bell's Liquor and Deli at 659 E Geneva Street is open 6 a.m. to midnight every day.
The Friday morning farmers market runs in the warm months.
More restaurant and event coverage is on our companion site's .
Shopping and services
Williams Bay has a small commercial district. Green Grocer and Deli is the grocery inside the village.
Larger stores are a short drive away. Lake Geneva is about 10 minutes east, and our guide to covers that market to the west. Delavan and Elkhorn each have big-box shopping about 15 to 20 minutes away, including Fleet Farm, Walmart, Lowe's and Tractor Supply.
Health care
There is no hospital in Williams Bay.
Aurora Lakeland Medical Center in Elkhorn is the nearest hospital, about 15 minutes north. It is open 24 hours. Clinics operate in Lake Geneva, Delavan and Elkhorn.
Events and community groups
The Lions Corn and Brat Festival is the best known annual event in the village.
The Geneva Lake Water Safety Patrol is based in Williams Bay. It provides lifeguards and boat patrol on Geneva Lake and teaches swim lessons.
Other groups include the Williams Bay Historical Society, the village Lions Club and the Yerkes Future Foundation.
The Belfry Music Theatre is a short drive north on Highway 67 with a Delavan mailing address. It was Wisconsin's first summer stock theater and ran from the 1930s into the 1970s. It presents concerts and tribute shows today.
Weather and seasons
Summer brings heavy lake traffic and a busy waterfront. The Shore Path, the beach and the boat launch all fill up on weekends.
Fall is quieter. The water stays warm into September.
Winter is slow. Geneva Lake is deep, so it freezes later than the shallower lakes nearby. Snowfall runs about 35 to 45 inches a year. Winter highs are usually in the upper 20s to low 30s.
Spring is short. Boats go back in and piers go back out in April and May.
Getting around and drive times
Highway 67 runs north and south through the village. Highway 50 is north of town. Interstate 43 is about 15 minutes north.
| Destination | Approximate drive |
|---|---|
| Lake Geneva | 10 minutes |
| Fontana | 10 minutes |
| Elkhorn | 15 minutes |
| Delavan | 15 minutes |
| Janesville | 45 minutes |
| Milwaukee | 60 minutes |
| Madison | 75 minutes |
| Chicago | 90 to 100 minutes |
There is no train service. The nearest Metra station is Harvard, Illinois, about 40 minutes south. Owners managing a Wisconsin property from Illinois can read .
What homes cost
All figures below are for the 12 months through August 21, 2026.
| Segment | Sales | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Non-lake single family | 46 | $549,904 |
| Geneva Lake access, single family | 9 | $900,000 |
| Geneva Lake condominium | 3 | $1,250,000 |
Non-lake homes rose 5.8 percent over the prior 12 months. Lake access homes rose from $822,700 on 7 sales. Condominiums rose from $875,000 on 3 sales.
Geneva Lake lakefront in Williams Bay had only 2 sales in this window. That is too few to publish a median. Over the full 2020 to 2026 record, Williams Bay lakefront ran a $3,400,000 median across 19 sales, at about $69,682 per foot of frontage.
Read the active listing count carefully
The village showed 42 active non-lake listings at the August 2026 data pull. That number needs explaining, because it does not mean what it appears to mean.
28 of those 42 listings, about two thirds, are new construction in Bailey Estates. Gerstad Builders lists its full inventory of planned and available homes there at once. Twenty-six of the 28 carry unit designations rather than finished addresses.
That is normal practice for a production builder. It is not 28 separate sellers competing with each other.
Strip out the builder inventory and the resale market shows 14 active listings against 46 sales in a year. That is closer to 4 months of supply, which is a normal market rather than a loose one.
The two groups also sit at different prices. Bailey Estates listings run a $529,140 median. The other 14 run $644,250.
If you are comparing Williams Bay inventory to another community, use the resale number.
Longer-run figures are in the , the and the .
Property types are covered in .
Frequently asked questions
What is Williams Bay, WI known for?
Yerkes Observatory, which the University of Chicago built in 1897 and which holds the largest refracting telescope in the world. The village is also known for the 231-acre Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy, about 4 miles of the Geneva Lake Shore Path, a public beach and boat launch, and Gage Marine.
Is Yerkes Observatory open to the public?
Yes. The Yerkes Future Foundation reopened the site for tours in May 2022 after restoration work. The 50-acre campus has about 4 miles of walking trails, restored prairie and a pollinator meadow. Tours and programs run through the year, so check the observatory website for current hours and tickets.
What school district is Williams Bay, WI in?
The Williams Bay School District at 250 Theatre Road, (262) 245-1575. It is one of the smallest districts in Walworth County and runs elementary, middle and high school on a single campus. District lines do not always match the mailing address, so check the assignment for a specific property with the district office.
Does Williams Bay have a public beach?
Yes. The village beach and public boat launch sit next to the municipal pier at East Park, on Geneva Lake. Edgewater Park is also on the water with picnic space. This is the main public access to the lake inside the village.
How far is Williams Bay from Chicago?
About 90 to 100 minutes by car. Lake Geneva is about 10 minutes east, Fontana about 10 minutes west, Elkhorn about 15 minutes north, and Milwaukee about an hour. There is no train service in the village, and the nearest Metra station is Harvard, Illinois, about 40 minutes south.
Does Williams Bay have a grocery store and a hospital?
Green Grocer and Deli at 77 N Walworth Avenue is the grocery inside the village, and Bell's Liquor and Deli on East Geneva Street is open 6 a.m. to midnight. There is no hospital. Aurora Lakeland Medical Center in Elkhorn is the nearest one, about 15 minutes north.
What does a home cost in Williams Bay, WI?
Over the 12 months through August 21, 2026, non-lake single family homes sold for a median of $549,904 across 46 sales. Geneva Lake access single family homes ran $900,000 across 9 sales. Geneva Lake condominiums ran $1,250,000 across 3 sales.
How many homes are for sale in Williams Bay?
The village showed 42 active non-lake listings at the August 2026 data pull, but 28 of those are new construction inventory listed by Gerstad Builders in Bailey Estates. The resale market shows 14 active listings against 46 sales in a year, which is roughly 4 months of supply.
Talk to someone who works this market
Kim and Joel Reyenga have worked Williams Bay and the Geneva Lake north shore for a combined 50 years, across village homes, lake access, condominiums and lakefront.
If you are selling, start with . Call (262) 325-9867, or request a
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