The Riviera Beach

Was at Woodstock, IL last week and decided to do some sight-​seeing. I’ve visited Lake Geneva a few times when I used to live in IL but only during the summer.
What a beautiful scene! We had some locals tell us that the frozen lake ice is thick enough that we could drive our cars on it. There were a few cars driving on it and pickup trucks unloading their snowmobiles. Looks like fun.
We didn’t drive on the frozen lake but we walked on it just a few feet from the shore. Felt safer that way.
Thinking of going back here again during Winterfest…

Ok lets start off by saying if you have children or pets this is not the beach to go to !!! One parking sucks, two you have to pay for parking by a machine which most older people (or people who are not techs) have a hard time doing. Then you have to pay for your beach passes $ 7.00 adults, $ 4.00 children. (also by a machine) Since when do you have to pay to access a beach !!! And not only that this beach is small. Well when paying for our beach passes their are no signs up that dogs are not allowed. Every beach I’ve been to, dogs are ok. So I go to get my $ back and they say, «sorry no refunds» so I had to wait about 20 min to get down the stairs to the beach area where they only have one employee handing out the wristbands and some old guy slow as molasses handing out the change that the machines upstairs don’t give to you. I had to then take my wristbands and go back up the stairs and sell them. So the $ 4.00 parking and all the traffic just to get a parking spot, was a complete joke !!! And mind you its the tiniest beach ever and was overcrowded. I give props to the beach at the state park. Take the main road past the beach entrance at Lake Geneva follow that road and make a right at the stop sign. Go till you see the state park on the left. It’s $ 10.00 bucks to park your car and everyone in car, including my pups are allowed on their beach. No other charges except for the $ 10.00. Their beach isn’t huge but their were plenty of spaces to stretch out four beach towels. Kids and husband, had a great time. And its a shame with Lake Geneva because when I use to go as a kid, it was all free. Thank God for the state park 5 min. away or we would have been beachless !!!

Way larger beach than I expected… it was bustling people on an overcast Sunday! We waited at the beach for an hour or so the catch a Boat tour at the Riviera.
The Grand Belle brought us around the lake and had a full bar onboard. It was a nice time

I’m not really a beach person but this one is nice to sit on or be nearby in library park. It’s conveniently located near some quick food selections like the local hot dog stand by the library. It’s big enough to spread out without being too crowded even in the summer. The amenities are basic but good enough and close by.
Check it out from the top deck or on the ground. The lake itself is crystal clear and just beautiful to gaze at on a summer night while the sun goes down.

Great beach for people that are in a part of the country that is completely land locked. The water is typical lake water with lots of stuff floating around, some dead fish on the sand, and lots of gross sea weed. There is a charge to use the beach before 7pm, but usually go after 7pm when it is free, and the parking is free too. Its a great place to walk on the beach and watch the sunset. The biggest downside is the showers suck, and are placed so high up, it makes it impossible to wash your feet when you are trying to leave the beach.
Overall, nice place to hang out after dinner or watch the boats and sunset.

I went for a walk here while in Lake Geneva. It was getting chilly out so we didn’t stay long but it was nice to walk out on the dock and look at the water. You have to pay for parking but it wasn’t that expensive.

This is a great peach but a little overpriced when you can go on the other side of the lake and beat pay for nothing. It’s just as much fun to go when you can pay for a whole car ride versus six dollars a person. However I love swimming out to the docs in standing and jumping back into the lake that’s a lot of fun. I also love seeing all of the fish enjoying how smooth the waves are in this area.

I am a long time fan as I grew up on/​in this lake. It;s now time in my life to bring the grand-​kids here to enjoy what I took for granted for so many years as a kid. Yes times have changed and municipalities need to find sources of income so I was surprised when we had to pay to use the beach. Wasn’t like that when i was a kid! Guess I’m getting old. The water is still clear and you can still see the bottom in many places. The sun was good, the sand was clean, not to overly crowded. First time users of the automatic dispensing system is a little intimidating at 1^st but we made it through the process. Just a loss of more jobs in my opinion. But enough on that subject. We had a great time that day and need to thank the staff that works so hard to make the beach the way it is. THANK YOU!

This past weekend, we initially had plans to go out of state either to MO or MI to go camping… but plans changed & we still wanted to get away so we decided to go here since its relatively close to home. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the beach here and all the conveniently located restaurants and shops… it was a perfect way for us to end our Labor Day weekend. The only issue I have is that with the charge of $ 7 (which still isn’t much) at least they can pick up the horrible seaweed from the lake… other than that, great times!

Nice and clean beach! It’s the perfect way to spend a hot summer day! It’s location is perfect right by the library and near all the downtown shops. It’s not a perfect day in Lake Geneva without a beach stop during the summer!

I’ve been there last summer. The beach was so beautiful and nice, you also can do some activities there such as Cruise trip. Love it !!

Came here on the fourth of July with the family for a little R&R since we were all on vacation. They charge a few bucks to get in and give you a wristband which you have to wear the rest of the day. They were kind of rude about explaining the policy since most of us were from out of town and didn’t know the rules. You can easily access the main strip where you can grab some food and walk around in your bathing suit and look at some of the beautiful boats and views. It was super crowded on the 4^th of July and they checked every single cooler and bag that made it’s way in.

«It was great here!!! Water was clean and beach was full but still space. A few bucks to get in but much better than paying for a water park.»

It should come as no surprise that everything fun seems to costs a lot in Lake Geneva. At just $ 7 per adult ($ 3 for 7 – 12 year olds), Riviera Beach might be the best family fun value in town. If you get tired of the chlorinated water at your hotel, just make your way down to Riviera-​Beach. The beach itself is clean and serene. The only minor complaint I have is the yucky seaweed they allow to grow just beyond the orange buoys as you approach the jumping piers — just hold your breath and kick, kick, kick…
Also — I found out later that you can buy a beach pass using a debit or credit card at the parking stations you see around downtown. That would’ve been good to know as I was desperately trying to get the cash together for my entrance fee and almost didn’t have enough.