Welcome to Wandawega Week!
What’s Wandawega Week, you ask? Well, it’s kind of like “Shark Week”, but instead of ginormous ocean waves, exploding with super scary sealife- think: a serene midwestern lake- filled with sweet little (non-ferocious) fishies instead. Oh, and a whole buncha this kind of awesomeness in a special series of blog posts over the next 5 days too…
Let’s dive right in, shall we?
This is Tereasa Surratt…
She’s one of my home improvement heroes and she’s created a magical little place in Wisconsin called Camp Wandawega.
It all started in 2004, when she got engaged to fellow advertising executive David Hernandez and they bought a tumbledown lakefront resort in Elkhorn, Wisconsin- 90 miles from their Chicago home.
Even though it needed tons of work, they thought it would make the perfect location for their wedding ceremony and, later, for weekend getaways.
Developed in the mid-1920s, the 25-acre piece of lake property they purchased served as home to many different businesses over the years. A speakeasy, a brothel, a modest vacation destination, and finally- a Catholic priest-run retreat for the Latvian community.
But to David, (who’s half-Latvian) the rustic camping resort was sacred ground. His extended family had vacationed there every summer since he was born, and each nook and cranny of the property held special childhood memories. “Going there felt like a fantasy,” David says. “It was a different world.”
When David initially took Tereasa out to see the place (several years before they got engaged) they left with a parting request to the elderly priest who owned it at the time: “If you ever decide to sell this place, call us first.”
The good news call came five years later, and the couple snatched up all 25 acres. On it, sat four buildings (and all the furniture inside of them), an archery range, a basketball court, shuffleboard courts, a garage, two piers, and some horseshoe pits.
But years of deferred maintenance had left almost everything in a fragile state. Leaky, sagging roofs; critter squatters; and mildewed drapes were just a few of things that needed to be dealt with. So from the time they closed on the place in February of 2004, until their wedding date six months later, tons of friends pitched in on weekends to help them whip it back into shape.
Their marriage celebration also revealed the potential of their new purchase. With 25 bedrooms divided among the main lodge…
…an old hotel…
…and three small cabins…
…Camp Wandawega makes one heckuva place to entertain. Tereasa says, “It’s like summer camp for adults!”.
Tereasa’s decorating strategy is what she calls “found, flea, or free”, and she really has fun with the camping theme. She reupholsters chairs with wool blankets…
…and cable-knit varsity sweaters…
She decorates walls with vintage, fish-shaped jello molds…
…and old school art…
…and colorful fishing lures…
She also took this rundown kitchen from drab to fab on a $5000 budget…
And check out this shot of the amaaaazing collection of Fiestaware they discovered inside a boarded-up wall in the pantry…
SCORE!
Here are some shots from around the dark green-painted cabin that came with the property…
Before…
And the light and airy afters…
Here are some photos from the 3-bedroom, red and white cabin that overlooks the lake…
It was also on the property when they bought it, but Tereasa has given it a sweet & sunny facelift over the past few years…
Don’t you just love those vintage rackets and that pretty painted porch floor? *swoon*
The tiny green and white cottage (now nestled next to the green cottage) was a big time labor of love too…
Plucked from a weed-tangled truck yard in Beardstown, Illinois for $500, the crusty little cabin could barely stand when they purchased it…
Tereasa had had her eye on it since she was “knee-high to a grasshopper”, so David and his brother hauled it 300 miles over to their property on Lake Wandawega…
The white circle on the map below shows where it sits now…
(Take a virtual tour of the whole place at Wandawega.com!)
When Tereasa got around to researching her little cottage-that-could, she discovered that it had several prior lives. In the 1920’s, it was an overnight rest stop for motoring tourists. After that, a rod-and-gun club used it for Friday night card games. Then in the 1950s, it served as the office for a trucking company. Eventually it became a storage shed and when Tereasa and David bought it, it was just sitting there, abandoned.
There’s nothing lonely about it today though…
(Photos by Aimee Herring)
…and would you believe Tereasa loved it back to life in just three months and with a budget of $300!?
I dream about moving an old cottage to a lake someday too, so of course this part of David and Tereasa’s Wandawega story was extra intriguing to me!
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Tereasa wrote a beautiful book about her cottage-moving/restoring experience, and we thought we’d give away a signed copy here on our blog this week. (Thank you for joining in on the fun, Tereasa!)
Swing by tomorrow if you’d like to throw your name in the (virtual) hat, and stay tuned for more “Wandawega Week” posts to come too!
(Note: Photos in this post are linked to their sources if they were available.)
Click HERE to go to day two of Camp Wandawega Week!
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What an amazing transformation. GIves me a comfy, cozy feeling. Makes you want to go “Aaaahhhh”!!
Wow, what a great place and with such personal history.
Oh – I love this and can hardly wait to hear more (and more). I am in the process of reviving my family’s original homestead – and that includes the original house which has not been lived in since 1942. It is crumbling and if I don’t get it stabilized this summer there may be nothing to restore. So that’s the plan right now. This post gives me so much inspiration!!
what an amazing place! I have to comment on the Fiesta ware. I’ve been collecting it since I got married. My grandmother had it and I’ve been in love with it my whole life. But I have to mention that old Fiesta had lead in the glaze. Your friend should do some research and try to figure out how old her plates are if she plans on eating off them. Otherwise, they still look pretty on the shelf.
This is simply amazing! I commend this couple for bringing this little lake resort back to life. I have to run over and check out the web page right now!
This just goes to show the power of creativity… and white paint!! I love this so much!!!! In the words of the Terminator: I’ll be back! 😉
Wow!!! My husband and I have a very similar dream. We call it our “Grandpa land”, so that our children (whom are yet to be adopted) can bring their children and have great memories with us. We are still looking for a piece of land to fall in love with. Thank you for sharing and can’t wait to read and see more!
A friend of mine also just blogged about Wandawega! You can find his blog here: http://thewillsadopt.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/shermangoldenjippcardenhilleslandlindenberg-family-reunion-2011/ They go all the time and have awesome photos to share too!
I think this is the best decorating story I’ve ever read on the internet! What a great place!
I forgot to say…must see pics of their wedding!
This is just amazing place. They did a wonderful job. This place is so ~ so amazing. Wish there was more places like this.
WOW! What an inspirational place! I have added Camp Wandawega to one of the family vacation musts spots! So lovely and not commercial at all! These types of places are so rare these days! Hats off to a lovely couple!
what an incredible transformation! and what a story! thanks for sharing with us!
ashley
What a fun Monday morning read. It makes me wish I was at a cabin in Wisconsin instead of sitting at my desk in Minnesota!
Oh, this place looks incredible!! Love all of the updates and how they fit the spaces SO well. I could see myself spending several wonderful and productive hours writing in a place like this…
I swear, this post caused me physical pain….really it did. It’s so beautiful and inspiring and just so…so….incredible that they brought this magical place back to life. Thanks SO much for sharing the information with all of us who can only dream. If I don’t win this book, I’m buying it anyway. Now, I’ll just go wipe the drool off my chin.
Blessings to all who stay at Lake Wanda- what-the heck-was it called?
THIS IS FREAKIN’ AMAZING. Thank you so much for sharing. This Southern gal has been intrigued with the lakes in that area since Kid Rock’s song “All Summer Long” This looks just like I imagine the lake in the song. I especially want to go there during this time of the year when we are sweltering away down here in hot, sticky, muggy Florida!
Wow, this place is amazing! Thanks so much for sharing–I can’t wait to hear more about it this week!
What a special place! The transformations are incredible. I bet you’re going to have a great week, and we all can’t wait to hear more!
Swoon!
This is an amazing post! They are so lucky that they were able to buy that land! Their family will have so many memories there for years to come.
Loved reading about this special place! I live in Wisconsin and have always dreamed of owning a cute place like this. Tereasa and David have done amazing things to bring this place back to life.
Wow…what an amazing post! What an amazing place to live and entertain, too!
What a fabulous lake-side resort with so much charm! After having visited their website I also discovered that the owners’ sense of humor is equal to if not even greater than the charm of their cottages! This is definitely a place I want to add to my “must-see” list of US destinations! Thanks you so much for the chance to win her book about that sweet little cottage!
They did such a wonderful job. I can’t believe how cute and cozy it is. It makes me want to fly up there to spend a weekend. Great post, I can’t wait to try and win their book!
Oh my…this is my dream…every time we go on vacation to the countryside we think about buying up an old place and giving it new life. Even if I don’t *win* the book, I’m going to buy it and read it cover to cover! Thank you SO much Layla, for an amazing post!
I entertain all the lime. Always have someone spending the night, Weekend or week. Love the space and recreation of the Lake cottages.
Intriguing and inspiring! Hats off to this amazing couple.
This would be my dream come true. We just got back from a week at a resort in Minnesota and while it’s not quite rustic enough for me, it got us talking. Then I came home and looked at a BHG mag from last summer where four couples bought a rundown camp and redid everything. The movie Indian Summer has always struck me as the perfect scenario for a camp…now i’m even more inspired to make something like this for us. Maybe in our own home. 🙂 So do all three of these (Minnesota, the BHG mag and now this post) “mean” something? Coincidence? Maybe not!
What an amazing post Layla! It just made my heart go pitter patter! So calm, so serene, so inviting, and such an incredibly warm, welcoming place! I am in love! I even shared it with my friends and family by email and posted it on my Facebook! Thank you so very much for sharing! You made my Monday!
Wow, what a beautiful property. So inviting, relaxing and down to earth. This is the type of place that makes you want to cherish every moment of every day.
Thanks so much for sharing this amazing transformation. What a dream come true! I love the inspiration this story tells and how one can transform their dreams into reality.
Have a wonderful week!
Wow, that is pretty much in our backyard (we live on the NW side of Chicago)! Very neat post, may have to check that out. A lake house would be lovely…..need to cobble the pennies together.
that is awesome. i want to take my family and all my sisters and brother and all the neices and nephews and move into that place. How blessed they are to have that. That was great Layla.
I live just a mile from Lake Wandawega and I had no idea this was there! Great post. I hope to live on the water someday!
Wow… what an amazing place Tereasa has turned this into! I would love to get her book, so much to see!
Wow how cool. I hve never been to Wisconsin but it looks beautiful.
Wow! This is one of the most amazing and beautiful places ever! What a lovely post! Thanks so much for sharing this magical place!
What an amazing and wonderful place. Almost makes me feel more rested having read the post! I would love a chance to receive the book and escape further into the camp experience. Thanks Layla!
Is this question “legal?” Where did tereasa find/buy the lights hanging above their kitchen island? I am looking for something like this (something untraditional and with character) to use in our bathroom remodel but am having difficulty finding similar pieces.
BTY: I LOVE your site and check it daily!
Thanks.
Hey Linda! We used the same one in our Reading Room: https://theletteredcottage.net/reading-room-redo
We got it at Ikea for around $30! 😀
wow – what a dream come true!!! I would love to own the camp i went to in the Texas Hill Country!!! how lucky are they????!!!
love you!
Joni
I am swooning after reading your post. I grew up in MN & spent my summers at my grandparents lake cabin which they began building in the late 1940’s so Camp Wandewega brought back sweet “vintage” memories for me. This couple is living a dream of mine.
That is so amazing…….. If more family could retreat to a place like that more families would stay together !!!! Love it
Wow! Yet another wonderful post, Layla! What a fantastic story and such inspiring photos! Thanks for sharing all of it with us! Thank Tereasa too! Great work by both of you! I’ll be back tomorrow to throw my hat in the pot for that scrumptious book!
Layla,
Thank you for this wonderful post about rehabbing historical buildings and honoring history. Tereasa and David did an incredible job updating with much needed features while remaining true to the camps origin. Will be back tomorrow! (Save me a spot around that campfire. I plan on roasting some marshmallows with you and Jude!)
Your Friend,
Deborah
What perfect timing on this post. I just spent the weekend at my childhood cabin in Wisconsin and it brought back so many memories. What an awesome story.
Why doesn’t she have a blog?
She does! AVeryModestCottage.blogspot.com! 🙂
Love this post! Makes me so happy to see such a wonderful place “brought back to life!” It reminds me of a special place in the Adirondacks of New York that we’ve been to with friends and family 🙂
Wow, Layla! Your post made me want to jump in my car and head straight for Wandawega! What a refreshing escape for one’s soul. A beautiful place. A beautiful story. Thanks for the post.
So evocative! I bought Teresa’s book about the tiny cottage when it first came out. Wisconsin lake sounds mighty fine right in the middle of this hot n’ sticky Georgia summer. Save me a log at the campfire, Layla. Hey–writer’s retreat????
YES!!! Mom and I are hitting the road for Minnesota (and Wandawega!) in October….wanna meet us there? 😉