LAKE GENEVA -- In the wake of Hugh Hefner's passing, how many of you were aware there is a Wisconsin connection to Hugh Hefner?
The Grand Geneva Resort & Spa originally opened in 1968 as the Lake Geneva Playboy Club Hotel. Hefner purchased two farms -- roughly 1,300 acres of land -- and turned it into the Playboy Club Hotel.
It was the first Playboy Club Hotel to open in the U.S. -- and according to the resort's website, "brought a touch of glamour to the small lakeside community." The site also indicates at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Lake Geneva government officials and local dignitaries joined Hefner in celebrating the resort’s grand opening.
Also noted on the website:
The hotel and its cabaret stage attracted some of the era’s most famous acts including Bob Hope and Sonny and Cher.