If your child is old enough to spend a few weeks away from home, a coed sleepaway camp can be a great fit. But the term can mean different things at different camps, so it helps to know what a day actually looks like before you sign up. This guide explains how Camp Pillsbury in Owatonna, Minnesota, works, who runs it, and what sets it apart.
What Is a Coed Sleepaway Camp?
A coed sleepaway camp welcomes boys and girls, and campers stay overnight for the length of a session. Camp Pillsbury is a coed sleepaway camp for kids and teens ages 6 to 17. Campers live in dorm rooms with two to three campers per room. They can request a friend as a roommate, and if they do not, they are placed in an age-appropriate room.
Camp counselors oversee groups of campers who are separated by boys, girls, and age. Staff is chosen to oversee a group based on the campers’ age and interests.
The Campus
Camp Pillsbury sits on 20 acres in the center of Owatonna, about 45 minutes south of Minneapolis. Owatonna is a town of about 25,000 people that the camp describes as safe, friendly, and family-oriented. The campus is less than an hour from the Minneapolis airport and 45 minutes west of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
There are 13 buildings on campus, including three dormitories, common area lounges, rehearsal rooms, and indoor sports and performance spaces. Old Main, a historic building, has an auditorium with a balcony that seats 400. Outside, there is lakeside access, a circus arts area, and a regulation-size football and soccer field. You can read more on the About Our Campus page.
Camp Pillsbury vs. Traditional Camps
Camp Pillsbury says its goal is to combine a traditional and a non-traditional summer camp, with an emphasis on performing arts, sports, circus arts, and more. The biggest difference is how the day is built. There are no assigned programs. Campers design their own schedule.
Each day has six one-hour periods: three majors and three minors. Majors are chosen at the start of a session and are taken at the same time each day with the same staff and campers. They are usually rehearsals or practice, and campers perform in them at the end of the session. Minors are chosen every day, so campers can try something new or keep working on a favorite. Every activity is open to all ages and skill levels.
The list is long: musical theater, theater tech, music, dance, fine arts and crafts, culinary, circus arts, technology and digital arts, horseback riding, magic, role-playing games, extreme sports, sports, water sports, robotics, and podcasting. Campers pick on Sampler Day, the first Monday of each session, when everyone is introduced to every activity.
A Typical Day
Wake-up is at 8:30 a.m., and breakfast is at 9:00. Majors and minors run through the day with lunch at 1:00. Dinner is at 6:00, followed by a rest hour at 6:30, an evening activity at 7:30, and the canteen at 8:30. Curfew is between 9:30 and 11:00 p.m., depending on age. Meals are prepared on site, and picky eaters and most dietary needs can be catered for.
How Campers Are Looked After
Parents of first-time campers usually want to know who is watching. Camp Pillsbury has first aid-certified staff on site, a doctor on call, and the Mayo Clinic nearby. The rules are common sense, introduced at orientation and consistently enforced. Cell phones are allowed in the dorms only, not during activities or meals, and campers can email from the computer lab at set times.
For families who fly in, camp staff meet campers at the airport and wait until the plane leaves the ground when they depart.
The Person Behind the Camp
Vonda White is the founder and executive director. Her goal is for every camper to learn something new, build on their talents, and feel good about themselves. She is also the owner and president of Pillsbury College Prep, the boarding school Camp Pillsbury becomes in the winter.
Adventure Days and Performance Day
Each session includes an Adventure Day, when regular activities stop and campers take a chaperoned trip. Past trips include Mall of America, Valley Fair, movies, rafting, cave tours, and a Minnesota Twins game. Camp Pillsbury covers the cost of admission and transportation. Campers may also take part in local events such as the Owatonna Crazy Day Festival and the Steele County Fair.
Performance Day is when campers take the stage and show what they have learned, from music and theater to art and more.
Sessions and Options
Overnight camp has five sessions, four of them two weeks long and one three weeks long. Camp Pillsbury also offers day camp for kids who prefer to return home each evening.
Ready to Join Camp Pillsbury?
If a coed sleepaway camp where your child builds their own schedule sounds right, Camp Pillsbury would be glad to have them this summer. Enroll now and let your child try something new.
