The Goldstein Farm sits on Kniep Road in the Town of Spring Prairie, in the rolling northeast corner of Walworth County, Wisconsin. It is 35 acres of pasture, orchard and hardwood edge, close enough to Lake Geneva for a dinner out and far enough from it that the loudest thing at night is the wind in the trees.
The mailing address is Elkhorn, but the land itself is in Spring Prairie township, a quiet stretch of farms, wooded ridges and gravel drives between the villages of East Troy and Lake Geneva and the cities of Elkhorn and Burlington. For anyone looking for a hobby farm near Lake Geneva, this is the part of the county that still feels like farm country.
How far is it to Lake Geneva, Milwaukee and Chicago?
From the farm it is about 10 minutes to the Village of East Troy, about 20 minutes to downtown Lake Geneva, under an hour to downtown Milwaukee and Milwaukee Mitchell Airport, and roughly 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours to the Chicago Loop depending on traffic. The full table for Lake Geneva, Elkhorn, Burlington, Waukesha, Madison, Rockford, the Chicago suburbs and all three airports, plus turn-by-turn directions, is on the directions and drive times page.
That mix is what draws people to this corner of Wisconsin. Groceries, a hardware store and a village square are a short drive away in East Troy. Lake Geneva's beaches, restaurants and boat tours are close enough for a summer evening. Milwaukee is an easy day trip, and Chicago is close enough for a weekend place.
Schools
According to Walworth County property records, the parcel is in the East Troy Community School District. The district's schools are based in the Village of East Troy, about ten minutes north. School boundaries and bus routes can change, so families should confirm the assignment for W2331 Kniep Road directly with the district before relying on it.
The character of the place
Spring Prairie township is mostly working farmland, woodlots and scattered homesteads on large parcels. The land here rolls more than people expect from southern Wisconsin. From the farm's higher ground the view runs across fields and tree lines for miles, and the drone films show how the farmstead sits in a pocket of mature shade trees with pasture falling away on every side.
The neighbors are mostly farms and country homes. There are no close neighbors visible from the house, and the property is bordered by hardwoods and edge habitat. Kniep Road is a paved country road, and the farmstead sits back from it at the end of a long gravel drive that loops through the orchard.
Walworth County as a whole is one of the Midwest's best-known getaway regions. Lake Geneva, Delavan Lake, Geneva Lake's walking path, Alpine Valley and the small towns around them draw visitors from Chicago and Milwaukee year round. The farm sits inside that orbit without the lakefront crowds or lakefront prices.
What a hobby farm buyer finds here
- Room to work. 35.03 acres, split between 29.33 acres of A-2 agricultural zoning and 5.7 acres of C-2 upland conservation. See what the C-2 and A-2 districts allow.
- Land with a history. More than twenty years of organic management, two established orchards and garden beds. Read about the organic acreage and orchards.
- Buildings that are still used. A 1900 farmhouse (about 3,161 square feet including the partial basement), a timber-frame red barn and silo, a newly built heated yurt, a smaller animal barn, an equipment shed and a dome grain bin.
- Permits already on file. Two active conditional use permits with Walworth County, one for short-term overnight rental and one for a farm school. See what the permits cover.
- Low carrying cost. The 2025 property tax bill was $3,782.57, per Walworth County records, reflecting Wisconsin's agricultural use-value assessment on the farmland.
Thirty-four years on this road
Walter and Bente Goldstein bought the farm in 1992 and raised three children on it. The kids planted the orchards by hand, and over the years the place carried sheep, chickens, a milk cow, hogs and the family dogs and cats. Bente's Farmwise program has taught children and families on this land for more than two decades. The family plans to move back to Norway in 2027 and wanted to offer the farm quietly before any public listing.
To see more, browse every aerial photo and the buyer FAQ, or return to the main page for all three drone films, comparable sales and the inquiry form.
