Join in the fun and camaraderie of Willson’s longest standing tradition! In fact, Men’s Camp is the YMCA’s oldest program currently running. Leave your cares behind and enjoy the relaxed spirit of Men’s Camp.
Tailored to adult men who enjoy swimming, softball, tennis, shuffleboard, fishing, sailing, golf, card games, volleyball, interesting speakers and great food. The program is flexible, so come for a day, the weekend or the entire week*. It’s up to you!This is a great program for fathers, sons, brothers, uncles, nephews, and friends. Whether this is your first or fiftieth time at camp, you are guaranteed a great time!
*Love the idea of spending a week away? Please call camp for pricing.
DATES & TIMES
| Dates | Time |
|---|---|
| August 23-25, 2024 | Arrival Time: 12pm |
FEES
$150 for the weekend and $50 a day for extended stay.
DISCOUNTS & FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
YMCA of Central Ohio members receive an $50 discount on all camps.
For financial assistance, we invite you to fill out an application. Please Email your application to heather.graham@
MORE INFO
MEALS
- Breakfast: Past offerings include bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy, goetta, pancakes, and full fruit and yogurt bar.
- Lunch: Past offerings include hamburgers, tacos, sweet and sour chicken, and a full salad bar.
- Dinner: Past offerings include prime rib, pasta, shepherd's pie, and a full salad bar.
- Desserts: Past offerings include pies, cobbers, and ice cream sundaes!
TESTIMONIALS
"As a former staff member and resident of Camp Willson, I can honestly say that being there is a priceless thing in my life. Camp is my #1 self care tool… physically, emotionally, and mentally. Men’s Camp week is my opportunity to unplug, reset, and to re-evaluate my priorities in life. I care deeply about the well-being of this place and everything it stands for. It’s a sacred place for all of us. All that…and I love to fish non-stop"
"Some Good Stuff For Your Life
Why should you risk going to Men’s Camp this August? You got stuff to do at home, right? Your wife/girlfriend/boss/buddies got plans that could include you, right? You’d be giving up a known quantity for an unknown. You’d be taking a risk.
I spend a lot of my days doing good stuff for all sorts of other people. Wonderful people that I care about. My wife, kids, employees, customers and business and social acquaintances. I’m a responsible guy and I like a lot of what that says about me.
But one week every year, I leave that mature, responsible character behind. I regress just a bit, to a mindset that is wiser than my hard-partying single years, but still knows how to have fun. I don’t do all the stupid stuff I did back then because I did learn a few things the first time around. But I also remember the joy of having an open itinerary: No agenda. No quotas. No deadlines. No parental duties. No spousal expectations.
One week a year I stay out late, walking under the stars on the back roads of Camp Willson. I eat this fabulous chow that is cooked up for us at the Dining Hall. But I don’t feel like an elephant or a tortoise afterwards, because of all the stuff I do all day long with that good meal as a starting point. I take my bicycle out on the camp trails or into town for some small town sights. I stop in at that little restaurant in town and have a cold beer and fried catfish in the middle of a lazy afternoon. I play golf with these guys I only see at Camp. I go down to the lake and swim in cool water under a hot afternoon sun. I play softball again and remember why I liked it so much in the first place for all those years. I wonder why I don’t do all this stuff more often.
Answer is because most of the year I’m someone’s Dad, Husband, Boss, and so on. But not here at Men’s Camp. The world, my wonderful family and all the other things I care so much about will be just fine without me for the week. And I will be a much better ME when I go back to my normal life. I hope you will hop off the busy, hectic goal-oriented machine you are riding and join me. Come up for the weekend the first time. If you like it, maybe next year you can fit in an extra day or two and make it a long weekend. It’s amazing how much life you can wring out days like these. Good stuff."