Camp Wandawega, W5453, Lakeview Avenue, Elkhorn, Town of Sugar Creek, Walworth County, Wisconsin, 53121, United States
Accommodations
Starting at $400 per cabin per night
Camp Wandawega, is a super hip, retro styled, classic wilderness camp located in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. It sits on 25 acres and includes a 3-story hotel, lodge, cottages, and historic memorabilia. The historic Camp Wandawega (formerly Wandawega Inn, Wandawega Hotel, and Wandawega Lake Resort) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Wisconsin Register of Historic Places. The camp buildings dates to the 1920s when the modest resort was built and operated as a brothel and speakeasy.
Unique Features: After many run-ins with the law, the previous owner and madam, Annie Peck, was finally convicted of running “a bawdy house of ill fame,” and sent to the women’s prison in Taycheedah, WI in 1942. Her husband Gordon Peck was also convicted and served time. The resort was reopened circa 1950 as the Wandawega Lake Resort. Exciting history!
Accommodations: There are a variety of fun and rustic accommodations such as the Hickory Canvas Cabin Camping Cluster (the most secluded option), the Side-by-Side Vintage Cabins (2 vintage cabins), the Lakeview Cabin (3-bedroom cabin), the Bunkhouse: Top Level (Top level old bunkhouse), the Bunkhouse: Mid & Lower Level (Top & mid old bunkhouse), the Hillhouse (Modern home, 2 bedrooms, loft), and Rustic Camping Cluster (3 platform Scout Tents, A-Frame, Tipi, and Sterlingworth Cabin).
As Suite As It Gets: When money is no object, go for the Hickory Canvas Cabin Camping Cluster. This private, secluded canvas cabin and camping cluster sleeps up to 5 guests. It’s ideal for a family with kids or a small group of friends. It has a full bed and 2 singles, as well as an indoor seating area, and three G.I. grade pup tents. It also has its own picnic/campfire grove. Please don’t call it “glamping” as there’s nothing glamorous about Camp Wandawega. And, don’t forget to read our “Manifesto of Low Expectations” before requesting a booking.
Dining: Enjoy the new Camp Culinary partnership, curated, crated and delivered to your cabin featuring 30 of the best, regional award winning meats, cheeses, bakery goods and snacks for campers. Or, visit the many local establishments such as Holi Canolli, an old school Route 12 roadhouse recently reborn as Holi Canolli, a family Italian restaurant. Lakehouse Bar & Grill, adjacent to Holi Cannoli on nearby Route 12 is the old “Nelson’s Wandawega Combination Store”, recently renovated and reborn as Lakehouse Breakfast Bar & Grill.
Activities: While most events are typically “self-guided” (since you have access to the lake, sports equipment, woods, etc.) they can also help those seeking a more curated experience. See Counselor Led Programs to learn more about some of your on-site options, from Nature Hikes to Knot Tying Skills, Fishing, Macramé and even a local favorite, Raccoon Ropin.’ Take a tour the East Troy Electric Railroad Museum and take a step back in time by riding a historic railcar from East Troy to The Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago.
Spa & Fitness: There is no on-site spa or fitness center.
Location: Elkhorn is located 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Milwaukee. As of 2019, it is home to 10,019 people. In 1836, Colonel Samuel Phoenix spotted a rack of elk antlers in a tree and proclaimed the area as “Elk Horn.” In 1851, Elkhorn became the location of the Walworth County Fair, which is now hosted annually at the Walworth County Fairgrounds. The Walworth County Fair is the largest in Wisconsin after the Wisconsin State Fair.
Closest Airport: Milwaukee is 40 miles away.
Children’s Programs: No, although they welcome your children, they do not have any supervised children’s programs.
Pet Friendly: No, unfortunately pets are not allowed.
Weddings: Yes, they occasionally rent all of Camp Wandawega for weddings, reunions, etc. They do this on a two night only basis, not one day/one night.
Meetings: Yes, the grounds and facilities can easily accommodate functions with up to 125 attendees and 25-45 overnight guests. They lease the property as a landlord, and do not provide any event or catering services. This allows you to use any number of local vendors for event services, fish fries, pig roasts, etc.
Extra Info: The current owners, David Hernandez and Tereasa Surratt, advertising executives from Chicago, have been restoring the property since 2004. Hernandez attended the camp as a child, as he is half-Latvian and his family were regulars there from the 1960s to the 1980s.
No matter if you’re a family of city slickers or…
Starting at $600 per person per night