Q: Where is Camp Nicolet?
A:
Camp Nicolet is located outside of Eagle River, Wisconsin within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Eagle River is approximately six hours north of Chicago. Bus transportation is provided from the Chicago and Milwaukee areas. Travel Directions »
Q: How many campers are there?
A:
Camp has a capacity of 105 campers per session. East End campers range in age from 7-11; West End campers are between the ages of 12-17.
Q: Where do campers come from?
A:
Nicolet campers come from all over the world. They represent every area of the United States, as well as countries such as Mexico, Russia, and France.
Q: What is cabin life like?
A:
Our camper cabins house 8-12 campers and 2-3 counselors each. They are fully equipped with bunkbeds, dressers/drawers, a table and chairs, a fireplace, a screen porch, and a bathroom with sink and toilet. Showers are taken in our nearby shower house facility. Check out what cabin life is like »
Each camper is allowed to request two bunk mates on the camp registration form. While we do our best to honor these requests, we make no guarantees. In an effort to encourage age-appropriate interactions and placement with others who are at similar developmental stages, campers are placed by age, with a cut-off of August 31st.
Q: Where do staff come from? How are they hired? Do you do background checks? What kinds of certifications do they hold?
A:
Staff also come from all over the world. While most of our staff live stateside, approximately 25% come to us internationally from places like Ireland, Hungary, New Zealand, Australia, and more. Our counselors and activity instructors are typically between the ages of 18 and 24, are attending or have graduated from college, and have experience and a passion for working with children. Throughout the recruitment process, applicants are thoroughly interviewed and references are checked. Each member of our staff team is also fully background checked on the local, state, and national levels. International staff members are fully vetted through their Visa sponsor with international background checks as well.
All staff members responsible for the daily care of campers are certified in First Aid/CPR/AED. Waterfront staff have their American Red Cross Waterfront Lifeguard certification. Waterski staff are USA Water Ski Level 1 Instructor certified. A registered nurse is on-site, and our Northpoint Adventures director is a certified Wilderness First Responder.
Q: What activities are offered at Nicolet?
A:
Camp Nicolet offers a vast array of activities to appeal to all campers. Some of the most popular include waterskiing, horseback riding, sailing, archery, mad scientist, outpost overnight, and podcasting.
Each week your camper will complete an “Activity Preference Form,” which is used to create her weekly schedule. This form lists each of the activities that are offered that week and your camper is asked to rank them in order of preference. Our program director will then enter schedules accordingly and distribute on Monday morning after breakfast. All campers are pre-scheduled into showers, water ski, and paid activities. If your camper has any concerns about her schedule, she can visit the program director after breakfast or lunch to make any necessary changes.
Please note, while we do our best to give all campers their top choices, in order to ensure that camper-to-staff ratios are met and we can safely supervise each area, there are limits to the number of campers that can be in each activity. When that limit has been reached, your camper’s second or third choice will be scheduled. View Our Activies Page»
Q: Do we have to pay extra for some activities?
A:
All of our activities, including three waterski lessons per week, three horseback riding lessons per week, and all Northpoint Adventures trips are included in the base tuition. Your camper may opt to double the amount of waterski and horseback riding lessons to six per week for an additional fee. She may also choose to take competitive waterski and/or wakeboard lessons for an additional fee.
Q: Is Camp Nicolet a competitive camp?
A:
Our activities are designed for campers to progress at their own pace and support one another while doing so. The opportunity for competition exists through elective team sports and inter-camp soccer matches. Campers may also elect to participate in our year-end tennis tournament during Session III.
Q: What are mealtimes like? Will my daughter get enough to eat? Are you able to accommodate special diets?
A:
All campers and staff eat together three times daily, with table assignments drawn at random each Monday and Thursday allowing the campers the opportunity to sit with and meet new people. We serve buffet style and have a salad & fruit bar available at each meal. Our head chef takes pride in providing well-balanced meals to ensure everyone has plenty of energy for the day. During mealtimes, campers have full autonomy in deciding what they will eat and seconds are usually quite popular. Twice a session we have special “Dining Hall Nights” hosted by a staff committee. These nights provide an opportunity for dressing up, trying special theme-related foods, and having some fun. Past dining hall nights have included the Camp Nicolet Haunted Mansion, Twin Night, and Fiesta.
At Camp Nicolet, we are able to accommodate special dietary needs, including nut-free, lactose-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian. Please help us to provide a well-rounded menu for your camper by disclosing these needs on the medical forms. Many times, we find that, although there are options provided, the camper will not eat what is there because she does not like it. If your camper has specific things that she dislikes, please contact the camp office with this information so that we may take that into consideration when creating these menus. Learn More on our Food & Dining page»
Q: My daughter’s birthday is during her time at camp. Do you do anything special to celebrate?
A:
Having a birthday at camp is a special occasion. Your camper will have a special birthday sign crafted by her cabin counselors, a birthday cake (flavor combination of her choice.), and our traditional birthday song sung to her. The party continues in the evening when she’ll take some of her cake back to the cabin to share with her cabin mates. You can even contact the camp office for approval to send a special care package and set up a birthday phone call.
Q: Is there a required camp uniform?
A:
Our camp uniform consists of a Camp Nicolet polo (in maize) from Lands’ End, khaki/tan shorts or pants, and white shoes. Campers joining us for more than one week are required to purchase these items as they are worn for photo day, a weekly Vespers ceremony, and trips into town. One-week campers are not required to purchase the polo shirt from Land’s End as we will provide a Camp Nicolet t-shirt for photo day.
Q: What is your technology policy?
A:
Camp Nicolet is a “tech-free” campus. We believe that our campers (and staff) benefit from time to disconnect from our electronic devices in order to reconnect with ourselves and others face-to-face. Campers may not bring electronic devices, including (but not limited to) phones, laptops, tablets, MP3 players, video games, e-readers (Kindles), video cameras, or smart watches. If your camper is found to have any of these items, they will be confiscated and stored in the camp safe until her last day of camp. In an effort to lead by example, our staff are also not allowed use of the above items outside of their time off. We do allow the use of digital cameras, as long as they are not able to connect to the internet.
Q: Does my daughter need money at camp?
A:
Though we do not recommend sending money, we understand that some campers are flying to camp and will need to have cash for travel days. Those participating in the Counselor-in-Training program will also have “days off” in which they travel to town and may want to bring money for food and entertainment on those days. To help ensure safekeeping, all cash brought to camp will be collected and stored in the camp safe.
The canteen is our on-site store. Canteen must be pre-funded through your CampInTouch account and funds can be monitored and added throughout the season. Campers visit canteen three times per week as a cabin and have the opportunity to purchase snacks (one food item and one drink per visit) and other Camp Nicolet souvenirs. Prices range from $1 for snacks to $30 for clothing, though most items are in the $10 range. We recommend that you provide your camper with a minimum of $10 per week of attendance in her canteen account.
Q: How often do you post photos and news/updates from camp?
A:
In a time of unprecedented connection, we are aware of your desire for photos and videos from camp. We do our best to upload photos to our SmugMug photo sharing site three times per week, showcasing a variety of activities and campers. Additional social media posts on our Facebook and Twitter accounts are posted on occasion with updates from camp, announcements of new photos being posted, and newsletters created by the campers. That said, please know that our first priority is the experience your camper is having at camp, in the moment. Photos, videos, and social media updates will always be secondary to that. We encourage our campers to bring their own cameras to capture the moments they hold dear and share those with you upon their return home.
Here is a list of where to find us:
- SmugMug is a password protected site that we use for sharing photos and videos. Information for accessing our SmugMug account will be provided to current camp families in June.
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/campnicolet44
- Twitter: @campnicolet
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campnicolet/
In addition to our posting guidelines, we do have a very simple, yet firm social media policy in place with our staff: no contact with campers under the age of 18 on social media as long as they intend to remain on staff in subsequent seasons. While we believe in fostering relationships among our staff and campers, we are not able to monitor the content of personal social media posts outside of the camp season and instituted this policy as a means of protecting your camper from anything that may not be age-appropriate. Please help to make this easier on our staff by supporting this policy and explaining it to your camper. If your camper would like to maintain contact with a favorite counselor or staff member, we encourage good old-fashioned letter writing.