Camp Wandawega - Glamping Bachelorette
When my sister Shannon told me we would be heading to Camp Wandawega for her Bachelorette I was ELATED! Being from Nashville, I’m surrounded by bachelorette parties daily, I was so excited we would be doing something different from the typical binge-drink Bach party.
I don’t know where to begin other than to say Camp Wandawega was so much more than I imagined it to be. This quant camp ground has seen 90 years of history from bootleg liquor, prostitution and gambling, to refugee priests and Russian gangsters! Our trip to celebrate Shannon was something truly special and I’m so happy I was able to share it with all of my sisters and her friends.
Before diving into our Glamping Bachelorette party it’s best to give you a tidbit of history behind this magical place. Camp Wandawega was created to preserve it’s history so you’ll notice that everything on the grounds isn’t dated past the 60’s. I learned this when I had to use a percolator to make morning coffee for 12 girls, literally everything is dated, it was so fun to step back in time and do things from a simpler era.
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wandawega
“In someone else’s hands, the old buildings and cabins would have been pushed over to make room for cookie-cutter lake houses (the last thing the world needs). Instead, they (the Owners) wanted to bring Wandawega Lake Resort back to its former modest glory.
“We're not a proper resort by a long shot. We're just carrying on the timeless tradition of connecting people to the simple pleasures of simpler times.”
Camp Wandawega has SO much to offer it’s guests, while they only rent out the Bunkhouse, Log Cabin, and Cedar Cabin, they keep the following structures open for all campers to enjoy:
…and my personal favorite (I think I speak for everyone else too), the Treehouse! This structure was built with so much care and attention to detail, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy the quiet sounds of nature.
Now that you’ve gotten a quick tour of the grounds let’s get into the Bachelorette Party fun! While Camp Wandawega has a Manifesto of Low Expectations, the Gallagher Sisters of course had to had raise the bar a little bit to make sure Shannon and her friends felt extra special! Katie (my oldest sister), really did an incredible job making sure that every last detail of this trip was planned out so that everyone else could sit back, relax, and enjoy each others company. Event planning is something that our family LOVES, and who doesn’t enjoy a good party!?
The key to planning a great bachelorette party is preparation and creativity! We really took the camp theme and ran with it, dubbing Shannon’s bachelorette party “Camp Hermsen”, after her soon-to-be last name. It’s also important to make sure that food and beverages are fully stocked, better to have too much than not enough! My suggestion when it comes to a bachelorette party is to come up with a budget for everything, have everyone contribute, and 1or 2 people are charge of getting everything. This makes it SO MUCH easier in the long run! Since my parents live a short 2.5 hour drive from Camp we brought 3 cars loaded down with everything needed for the weekend.
I’m going to break down our activities by day, this will give you a good idea of how to create a bomb bachelorette itinerary!
glamping bachelorette itinerary
Friday
My sisters Katie, Erin, and Mary along with my Mom showed up to Wandawega a few hours early to set up, the rest of the gang wasn’t coming until around 3pm so this gave us time to get everything ready so that we could enjoy the festivities once everyone arrived. The camp itself does not provide food or beverages, and we didn’t want to leave the grounds so we planned a fun cocktail hour and a beautiful boho dinner under the sky. This particular dinner had the most planning involved, but it made for a very special night that created a fun atmosphere where everyone could really connect! When I say every detail of the this trip was planned out, I mean EVERY detail…again, my sister Katie really out did herself!
Cocktail Hour: Upon guests arrival we had a fun cocktail hour which included a flower crown craft station and a signature drink - Moscow Mules from a “Camp Hermsen” mug!
Dinner: Once all of the guests had arrived we moved to dinner, I can’t tell you how much this setting really curated some fun and meaningful conversation! To create this ambiance we rented the table settings and got fresh greenery from a local floral shop on our way out of town. We hired Chef Tyler Ray Salisbery of Black Sheep to plate a 4 course dinner and when I tell you this was one of the best dinners I’ve ever had…IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST DINNERS I’VE EVER HAD!
After Dinner we took to the picnic tables for some games and more drinking :)
SATURDAY
Brunch: We had mimosas and bloodys (and my percolator coffee) ready for when people woke up, cooked a skillet breakfast and leisurely started our day. Everyone changed into their matching “Camp Hermsen” shirts threw on a flannels and had some friendly competition at the archery range!
Day Activity: In true camp fashion we had a fun craft planned for the afternoon. Each girl got to paint their own pot and plant their succulent. Also, how cute are the customer Camp Hermsen Mason jars!? While waiting for the pots to dry we enjoyed wandering the campsite and got a tour of the new Hillhouse cabin, better known as my dream home!
Hillhouse Cabin
Dinner: Dinner was much more laid back this night, we had walking tacos, and for those of you who aren’t from the Midwest, this is a bag of crushed Doritos filled with taco toppings. DELICIOUS! For dessert we had cookies, cupcakes and of course a bomb s’mores bar. The rest of the night was spent hanging around the bonfire, talking about the bride and listening to Ranger Joe’s ghost stories.
SUNDAY: Woke up so sad that the weekend was over, can honestly say this was my favorite bachelorette trip I’ve ever been on. We definitely turned camping into “glamping” and it was one hell of a good time! Whatever is on your bucket list, be sure and add this little slice of heaven!
Watch this incredible video by my talented sister, Katie, of our trip to Camp Wandawega!