Return to Camp (A Guide to Design, Style, and Community from Camp Wandawega)

In Return to Camp, creative director and co-owner of Camp Wandawega Tereasa Surratt invites you to visit the historic and iconic destination and bring the nostalgic style of camp into your everyday, with stunning design inspiration and introductions to the camp’s unique creative community.

Nestled lakeside into over one hundred years of history, Camp Wandawega is not new, not improved. It is a gathering place inviting visitors to relive summer camp memories and lean into creativity deep in the Wisconsin woods. And, as enlivened by the vision of creative director and author Tereasa Surratt, it has also become a must-visit and iconic getaway named one of Travel + Leisure’s “Greatest Hotels in the World”—despite proudly referring to itself as a “1/8th-of-a-star destination.”

Return to Camp is Surratt’s thoughtful guide to elevated and evergreen design. Evocative photography and a candid narrative reveal the storied past and unique restorations of Camp, from repurposed Girl Scout cabins to a treehouse built by friends. Surratt reveals how places become meaningful when they are shaped with memory and care, and inspiration can be gained from exploring smaller projects like turning an attic into a shoppable and organized “Department of Objects” and converting a closet into a stunning “Music Box” of instruments at the ready.

Featuring interviews with beloved guests who are leading figures in the worlds of food, art, architecture, and more, and guided by intentionality from interior design to personal collaboration, Return to Camp offers wisdom on both creating an escape and finding belonging, wherever you are.