A girls day out in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin practically plans itself — but the details that make the difference between a good day and a great one are worth thinking through before you go. Here's the checklist that makes sure nothing gets left out.
Before You Go
Lock in your group. Girls day outs have a way of expanding and contracting until someone actually sends a date and says we're going. Send the date. Pick a number. Commit.
Decide on a loose itinerary. You don't need a color-coded spreadsheet. You need one anchor activity — Bonded by Gigi — and a general sense of what else the day holds. Everything else falls into place around that.
Book permanent jewelry in advance if you want a guaranteed time slot. Walk-ins are always welcome at Bonded by Gigi, but if your group is large or you're working around a full day itinerary, booking ahead locks in your time and takes one thing off the day-of logistics list. Book at bondedbygigi.com/pages/permanent-jewelry.
Make a dinner reservation if you're staying into the evening. Weekend dinner in Lake Geneva without a reservation is a long wait. Mars Resort, Oakfire, Pier 290 — pick one and book it before you leave home.
Check the weather. Not to reschedule — Lake Geneva is worth visiting in any weather — but to know whether the lake and shore path are part of the plan or whether the day is more boutique and restaurant focused. Both versions of the day are great. Just dress accordingly.
Arrange transportation. Downtown Lake Geneva is walkable once you're there. Getting there is the part that needs a plan. One car or van for the whole group is infinitely easier than a convoy trying to find each other in a summer weekend parking situation.
What to Wear
Comfortable shoes are non-negotiable. You will walk more than you expect — downtown, the shore path, in and out of shops. Cute shoes are fine. Shoes you can't be in for six hours are not.
Wear something you feel good in. Bonded by Gigi has a photo booth, selfie spots, and moments worth documenting. Dress for the camera roll you want to have.
Bring a light layer. Lake Geneva mornings can be cool even in summer, especially near the water. An afternoon on the lake or the shore path catches a breeze. Something you can tie around your waist and forget about until you need it.
At Bonded by Gigi
Start here. It's the best girls day out destination in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and the energy it creates carries through everything that follows.
✅ Ride the 9D VR — $10 a person, two at a time, someone will scream ✅ Build your trucker hat — pick your base, add patches, let it say something true about you ✅ Browse the boutique — the accessories, the sunglasses display, the girly pop finds, the mystery bags ✅ Get permanent jewelry — pick your chain, get fitted, get welded, leave wearing something beautiful ✅ Hit the photo booth — get the strip, keep the strip, preserve the memory
Walk-ins always welcome. 📍 830 W Main St, Lake Geneva, WI — inside The Market of Lake Geneva
On the Lake
✅ Book a pontoon rental in advance for summer weekends — this fills up ✅ Pack a cooler ✅ Bring sunscreen — the lake reflects sun in a way that sneaks up on you ✅ Bring a bluetooth speaker ✅ Wear something you don't mind getting wet
If a full boat rental isn't in the plan, the Lake Geneva Cruise Line narrated tours depart from the Riviera Docks and require zero advance planning beyond showing up.
Downtown
✅ Find the Riviera Building fountain and take the photo — everyone does, it's always good ✅ Wander with no agenda for at least an hour ✅ Get ice cream — this is non-negotiable and not up for discussion ✅ Check out the shore path — even a stretch of it is worth doing
For the best photo spots in and around Lake Geneva including inside Bonded by Gigi, read The Best Photo Spots in Lake Geneva, WI.
Food and Drink
✅ Coffee first — Inspired or Starbucks ✅ Brunch or lunch — Egg Harbor Cafe, Simple Cafe, or Next Door Pub ✅ Afternoon snack — ice cream, obviously ✅ Dinner reservation made in advance if you're staying — Mars Resort, Oakfire, or Pier 290 ✅ Maxwell Mansion speakeasy password found on their Instagram if the evening is extending that direction
The Things People Forget
Cash or card for the VR ride. It's $10 a person and worth every dollar — just don't be the person who holds up the group because nobody has the right payment method.
A tote bag or extra bag. You will buy things. The boutique at Bonded by Gigi has a way of producing purchases you didn't plan for. Come prepared to carry them home happily.
To actually put your phone down occasionally. Take the photos, post the stories, document the day — and then put it away for stretches and just be in it. The best moments from a girls day out in Lake Geneva are the ones that happened while nobody was looking at a screen.
To book the next one before you leave. Every great girls day out ends with everyone agreeing they need to do this more often. Be the person who pulls up the calendar on the drive home and actually picks a date.
The One Thing That Makes It
Everything on this checklist makes the day better. But the one thing that makes a girls day out in Lake Geneva genuinely unforgettable is starting at Bonded by Gigi and letting everything that follows carry the energy from that first stop.
For the complete guide to planning a girls day out in Lake Geneva from start to finish, head to The Best Girls Day Out in Lake Geneva, WI: Everything You Need to Know.
📍 Bonded by Gigi — 830 W Main St, Lake Geneva, WI, inside The Market of Lake Geneva. Permanent jewelry, custom trucker hats, 9D VR ride, photo booth, and women's boutique. Walk-ins always welcome. bondedbygigi.com