Snow Moon Winter Campout

What is it?

Think of it as a big sleepover party. For at least the last 20 years, Naperville's Indian Guide and Princess program has been gathering at George Williams College in Williams Bay, Wisconsin right on the shores of beautiful Lake Geneva. Williams Bay is the first town west of Lake Geneva, about 1 1/2 hours north of Naperville. We have a permanent booking for the first two weekends of January.

George Williams College has two large dormitories with many rooms that hold from 4-8 kids and dads in bunk beds. It's not exactly the Ritz (concrete floors, cinder block walls, plastic covered mattresses),... but there are central recreation rooms and fairly nice bathrooms (indoor). There are also other, smaller buildings with various sleeping arrangements. Rooms are assigned in late December. Tribes are assigned rooms based upon their numbers and availability. Some of the rooms are on the campus next door. Check-in is at 10 am but you can arrive anytime throughout the day. Lunch is at 12 pm. Dinner is around 5:30 pm. Evening entertainment 7-9 pm.

We head back to Naperville around 10 am the next morning. Space will be tight, so sign up as soon as you can.

What do we do?

There are lots of outdoor activities available at George Williams, including sledding, hiking, and ice skating (if the lake is frozen). There is a gymnasium with basketball and floor hockey. There is also an outdoor basketball court. The University of Chicago has an observatory nearby, called Yerkes, which offers tours. There is also a working farm nearby that offers tours. Lake Geneva has bowling, movies, roller skating, and shopping. The weather can be warm or cold, snowy or rainy. Rain, snow or shine, there is always something to do.

Don't forget about the snow snake contest, Tribal Property & Tribal Heritage displays.

What about food?

There is a central dining hall that provides three meals: lunch and dinner on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday morning. The food is institutional, but very kid friendly.

What about the gym?

The gymnasium is a little bigger than the Kroehler Family Center gym. We play basketball and floor hockey by day, and then meet for entertainment at night.

Directions:

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Aurora University - Lake Geneva Campus
George Williams College

From Chicago:

Take I-294 (Tri-State Tollway) North to I-94 west to HWY 50. Follow 50 west for about 30 miles through Lake Geneva and seven miles further to the intersection of HWY 50 and 67.  Take HWY 67 south to Williams Bay.

Alternate Route:

Take I-90 (Northwest Tollway) west to HWY 20, then north to HWY 23, north to HWY 14, west to HWY 67, north toward Williams Bay, turning south at our lighted entrance sign.

From Aurora/Naperville:

Take I-88 west to Route 47. Follow Route 47 north to Route 14. Follow Route 14 west to HWY 67. Follow HWY 67 north to campus.

From Williams Bay to Campus:

Continue through Williams Bay on HWY 67 to our lighted entrance sign. Follow the arrow onto North Lakeshore Drive. Proceed down the road to a second lighted sign (Ravinia Drive). Turn left into the campus and proceed down the hill to the registration area of the Robert Weidensall Administration Building.