Camp Life at Wildwood

Wildwood encompasses forests, fields, and wetlands for outdoor play and exploration, including trails, high and low ropes challenge courses, archery range, and playing field. Our waterfront along Hubbard Pond provides for countless summer experiences and magnificent sunsets. 

Find everything you need to know about life at Wildwood, including:

• Activities
• Meals
• Age Groups & Units 
• Lodging

What Makes Wildwood Special

Activities

Wildwood is all about choice and exploration. Campers choose daily from a wide selection of fun and engaging camp activities. Our daily schedule is built around activity periods that feature a variety of programs for campers to choose from.

Activity Periods

Pre-Breakfast Jaunts (PBJs) give early risers the option to start their day with activities like birding, paddling, and the always popular Polar Bear Swim!

Nature Groups (NGs) empower campers to discover field, forest, and wetland habitats and the intriguing behaviors of birds, insects, mammals, invertebrates, and more through hands-on investigation.

Discovery Groups (DGs) provide campers with a variety of choices: they can opt to dive into more nature discovery investigations, arts and crafts, ropes course challenges, paddling, sailing, improv games, wacky science, and much more.

Open Activity Times (OATs) give campers free time to swim or paddle on Hubbard Pond, join a game of soccer or Gaga at the activity field, or simply relax and meet up with friends.

Evening Programs (EPs) take place after dinner and enrich Wildwood’s offerings with an all-camp or unit-based game or activity, such as night hikes or sunset paddles. A few camp favorites include Predator-Prey, Heffalump Hunt, Capture the Flag, beach parties, and campfires. 

Special Events

One-week sessions are usually in for a surprise! Special events could be anything from Halloween in July to a tropical beach party. Before campers arrive at Wildwood, families will receive an email letting them know if they need to pack anything for a special event. 

Overnight Camping Trips

Campers that stay for a two-week session get the added adventure of an overnight campout. Carson and Leopold units (ages 8–10) will hike or paddle to First Point (a campsite on the Wildwood property) for two nights of camping, while the older units go to nearby campgrounds. 

Overnights allow campers to experience and learn new things like setting up tents, tying useful knots, starting campfires, camp cooking, and more.

Meals

Meals are a time to connect with friends over family-style entrées. Campers are served three well-balanced meals and an afternoon snack each day. Meal examples include eggs, pancakes, sandwiches, turkey dinner, and spaghetti with meatballs, with additional choices at the salad bar.

Most meals are served family-style. Campers sit with their units during breakfast and dinner but can sit with friends from any part of camp at lunch. Campers take turns setting the table, carrying serving dishes, and cleaning up the table and dining hall after each meal.

Food Allergies & Special Diets

Our kitchen is able to accommodate specific dietary needs including those of campers who follow vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets (and more!). A vegetarian option is available at each meal, and some meals may not include meat at all. We observe Meatless Mondays as part of our mission to protect the planet and reduce our carbon footprint. Vegan options are available when there are vegan campers or staff.

Wildwood strives to maintain the safest possible dining facility. Our camp is proudly nut-free! We do not use peanut or tree nut products, and non-dairy alternatives are available. To protect all our campers and staff, it is vital that campers and families refrain from bringing outside food, candy, or drinks to camp. Please do not hide food or candy in your camper’s luggage or care packages; if you think your camper is hungry, please call us instead!

Age Groups & Living Units

Each unit is a group of similarly aged campers of the same gender that forms the primary community for campers at Wildwood. Campers and counselors live, learn, and play together in this shared space.

• For ages 8–10, grades 3–5: Leopold (Boys, Cabins) and Carson (Girls, Cabins)
• For ages 11–12, grades 6–7: Thoreau (Boys, Platform Tents) and Fossey (Girls, Wooden Tents)
• For ages 13–14, grades 8–9: Abbey (Boys, Platform Tents) and Dillard (Girls, Platform Tents)

Lodging

Housing at Wildwood is simple and rustic. Each cabin or tent generally houses 4-7 campers and 1 counselor. Each living unit, supervised by a unit leader, contains 2–4 cabins or tents for campers.

Campers sleep in bunk beds. Every bed has a foam mattress, and top bunks have bed rails. Please send a fitted sheet to cover the mattress, an extra sheet or light blanket for warm nights, and a warm sleeping bag for cooler nights.

Each living unit has portable toilets (primarily for night and early morning visits) and a hand-washing station located just a few steps away. The central shower house has composting toilets, sinks, and individual shower stalls with private dressing areas, and it’s located near the playing field, Health Center, and office. Showers are scheduled for each unit several times a week. (There are also flushing toilets near the dining hall.)

Cabins

Carson and Leopold campers live in rustic cabins at Wildwood. These cabins house up to six campers and one staff member on wooden bunk beds.

The cabins offer an easy adjustment to overnight camp life. Each cabin is wired for electricity and features an overhead light and solid screen doors.

Platform Tents

Thoreau, Abbey, and Dillard campers live in canvas tents set up on a solid wood platform. Like the cabins, these tents house up to six campers and one staff member. Tents do not have electricity, which is the perfect setting for campers to connect more closely to the natural world.

The adaptability of the tents allows campers to roll up the sides on a hot day to enjoy a cool breeze or to close the front and rear flaps during a summer shower.

Yurts

The Yurts are used by Wildwood Warblers, Environmental Leadership Program, and Family Camp participants. The Yurts are large circular structures with canvas sides and wooden floors. They feature a beautiful clear dome at the top which can be opened or closed to regulate temperature. Yurts can sleep 6–8 campers along with a staff member.

There are four yurts in the Goodall unit allowing for a wonderful communal space for our campers and families.

Wooden Tents

Simple in design and without electricity or running water, wooden tents enhance every element our campers’ connection to nature. Large, screened openings on all four corners make the tents feel light and airy. Barn doors at the back open wide onto a spacious wooden deck.

The center section of the roof is translucent fiberglass to let in sunlight and view the nighttime sky. All of these details create a sensory connection to the outdoors.