OCONOMOWOC — With the potential to draw clientele from Madison to Milwaukee, the creation of the entertainment venture The Social in what was the Olympia Ski Hill and Chalet is well underway but has a long way to go before it can welcome guests to play pickleball and arcade games or eat and drink in its restaurant.
A team of five, Nathan and Nicole Stoppenbach, Kevin and Heather Havens, and Matt Neumann, is planning to transform the 70,000-square-foot concrete, bunker-like building at 1340 Snyder Way that has sat empty for years into a regional destination that can appeal to kids and adults alike.
Plans call for indoor pickleball courts on the first floor, as well as a café with lighter fare. The second floor will be a restaurant and offices while the third floor and mezzanine will offer high-end arcade games, sports simulators and possible mini bowling. The expanded roof will be open as a beer garden and will provide yard games, seating and a performance stage. The roof space will lead out to the former ski hill, which is where mini golf, rope courses and playgrounds will be.
The Stoppenbachs and Kevin Havens provided insight into the plans for the approximately $23 million project. The gutting work is largely done and this month, work on constructing the new facilities will begin.
Havens said the building provided a “good starting point” but one that clearly “needs a little cosmetic upgrade.” That will include many new windows to both open the building up to the outdoors, as well as between floors. Each floor also has its own outside balcony and with the building being constructed into the former ski hill, access can be made at ground level every level, including from the roof.
A large open space inside the former Olympia Ski Hill and Chalet in Oconomowoc will be transformed into 10 indoor pickleball courts when it opens as The Social.
An idea is formed
Nathan Stoppenbach said they had floated the idea of opening a family-friendly entertainment venture in the area and when the former Olympia building was suggested to them, they found it to be a great option.
As Oconomowoc residents, the business partners knew there was a need for a place for people to have fun, whether that be for a kid’s birthday party or a corporate outing.
Havens said he remembered when Olympia “used to be the place to be.” He said he wants to once again make it a “mecca of entertainment.”
Oconomowoc residents, from left, Kevin Havens, Nathan Stoppenbach and Nicole Stoppenbach stand on the roof of the former Olympia Ski Hill and Chalet, which they are transforming into The Social, an entertainment destination. Not pictured are business partners Heather Havens and Matt Neumann.
Nathan Stoppenbach also recognized that there is “a lot of nostalgia with the building.”
The goal for The Social is for it to be a place to make memories.
Most of The Social will be operated by a hospitality group that it is forming, but the pickleball courts will be run by a tenant, Fortify Pickleball Club. There will be 10 pickleball courts that could be used for league and competitive play.
Both the first-floor café and coffee shop and the second-floor will be operated by the hospitality group. The goal for all of The Social is for it to be “non-chain,” Havens said. A portion of the restaurant and bar area will be able to be closed off for private events.
In addition to arcade games and a sports simulator, the entertainment floor will have immersive darts, which makes the game available for people of all ages and will utilize items more than the traditional metal-tipped darts.
Oconomowoc residents, from left, Kevin Havens, Nathan Stoppenbach and Nicole Stoppenbach stand on the roof of the former Olympia Ski Hill and Chalet, which they are transforming into The Social, an entertainment destination. Not pictured are business partners Heather Havens and Matt Neumann.
Work to be done
An aggressive goal of January 2027 has been set for the opening of indoor operations of The Social. The hill activities likely won’t be ready until spring 2027. Those activities will include mini golf, rope courses for different ages and abilities, as well as play areas with slides. There is a possibility that the hill might be used for winter activities, but for right now nothing has been decided.
The Social will be open seven days per week with the pickleball courts opening as early as 5:30 a.m. for play. The business will stay open later on weekends. The plan is to have RFID wristbands to keep track of people’s expenses. A parent could preload money onto a wristband that would then be used for deductions or could simply be used as a way to keep a tab going for an adult. Havens said creating The Social has already taken about two years.
The former Olympia Ski Hill and Chalet in Oconomowoc will be transformed into an entertainment business known as The Social.
“I think we have a pretty clear path forward,” Nathan Stoppenbach said. “I’m excited to get it done and get it open.”
He is also eager to transform an “eye sore” into a place people are excited to spend time.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.gmtoday.com ’
