SIGC | Camp Wandawega

“It's not really the place that you're going, it's the stories that reveal themselves in the place that you're going. You're fascinated by the lives and the experiences that people had before you, because you're finding this connective tissue emotionally to another generation, another decade, another era.”

We’re in great company with Tereasa Surratt, the Founder and Owner of Camp Wandawega, who was persuaded by her husband, David, twenty years ago to save this pocket of American history tucked away in the woods of Wisconsin, and they have been restoring it ever since as a getaway for the creative community.

What was once an infamous lakeside property - living many lives over time as a brothel and speakeasy, a family resort, a Catholic retreat center and summer camp - was left to be condemned until David’s childhood nostalgia got the best of him. Today, Camp Wandawega has become a retreat for creatives to gather, a maker of goods that help us explore the great outdoors, and a place to step off the grid and back in time.

In this episode, Tereasa shares how a passion for preservation and a humility for the never-ending work to be done, turned into a Reveille attracting other like-minded creatives to seek inspiration from and memories made in nature.

‍

Top Takeaways

[1:40] Tereasa and her husband, David, spent the last few decades living two lives - one as executives in Chicago’s advertising industry and the other restoring an abandoned camp in Wisconsin. After “burning the candle at both ends” they went all in on what would become Camp Wandawega.

[5:55] Read or Listen to 100 years of a celebrated American Getaway, which has lived so many lives and worn so many layers - from a modest lakeside resort to a rambunctious brothel and speakeasy, from a family-friendly Catholic retreat center to the timeless camp it has become today.

[7:35] How Camp Wandawega fell into David and Tereasa’s hands…not by design, but by accident and by inheritance.

[15:20] Close your eyes and imagine getting lost amidst the woods, strolling along the hiking paths from numerous cabins to a sprawling lakefront - as Tereasa visualizes a tour of Camp Wandawega - where the focus has been to preserve and restore, rather than trying to recreate and renovate.

[20:15] Tereasa and David realized early on that everyone is looking for different experiences, coming with different expectations. Thus, taking pride in their no-frills accommodations, they set out to create the Manifesto of Low Expectations, setting the humorous tone for making fun memories.

[30:45] There are so many surprises in store during your Camp Wandawega stay, so be sure to pull out the drawers, open the cabinets, peek in closets, and immerse yourself as you discover an era gone by.

[33:00] Snack and sip in good company - from the Canteen stocked with old-fashioned packaged goods reminiscent of your childhood, to the Farm Stand showcasing the bounty of Wisconsin’s seasonal produce, to the curated picnic baskets and meals prepared by local chefs and bakers, growers and makers.