IU’s Camp Brosius Offers Perfect Family Getaway

Sailboats at Camp Brosius

INDIANAPOLIS – Named one of 50 All-Star Family Camps by “Budget Travel Online,” Camp Brosius is offering children and their parents another perfect summer-getaway where life’s tempo slows and the hardest choice of the day may be whether to go sailing or bask in the warm sun at the edge of a crystal clear lake.

Located an hour's drive north of Milwaukee on Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin, there is plenty to keep Indiana University alumni, their families and guests occupied at Camp Brosius, which is managed by the Indiana University School of Physical Education and Tourism Management.

Any family, whether they have Indiana University ties or not, may enjoy Camp Brosius simply by paying a nominal fee to join the Indiana University Alumni Association.

Before Camp Brosius opened its doors to families this summer, the facility served as an academic outpost for physical education majors as well as Tourism, Conventions, and Event Management majors.

Since 1921, physical education majors have attended the camp for required coursework including camping leadership and lifetime sports.

Tourism, Conventions, and Event Management majors have traveled annually to the camp for an intense 11-day experience since 1994. The students divide their time between working on destination planning and event catering.

“The students are with us 24 hours a day for 11 days,” said Sotiris Avgoustis, chair of the Department of Tourism, Conventions, and Event Management. ‘We all live at the camp, the students share rooms, and we eat our meals at the camp. Students work with one another as team members, and teamwork is important in tourism. The Camp Brosius experience also forges stronger bonds between students and the department, giving them a stronger feeling of belonging in the department than they had before.”

Other schools on IU’s campuses should consider taking advantage of a university asset that can be used to advance programs in ways that can’t otherwise be accomplished, said Nick Kellum, dean of the School of Physical Education and Tourism Management.

Generations of guests and former camp counselors have transformed Camp Brosius into a long-standing tradition, with many campers returning as parents and grandparents who first came to the camp as kids themselves.

“Camp Brosius offers the best of a family vacation and a children’s camp all in one beautiful setting. There are activities to do together as a family but then there is time for a parent to relax while their children are having a great time in a safe environment,” said Julie Dickson. “I have experienced camp as a kid, as a staff member and now as a parent. It is so much fun to see my kids enjoying some of the same activities on the lake and singing some of the same songs as I did when I was younger. Friendships that are made at Camp Brosius can last a lifetime. We still get together with a family that we met at Camp Brosius over 25 years ago.”

The camp, which is open until August 12, 2006, offers a wide-range of activities for kids and adults alike, says Mark Urtel, director of Camp Brosius.

“We have all-day programming that is purposeful and educational for children – from infants to 18-year-olds - provided by trained and certified college students,” Urtel said.

Their parents, he noted, are free to play golf, go fishing, play tennis, sail, kayak, or join a field trip to nearby sites and tourist attractions.

In the evening, families eat together and enjoy other entertaining activities designed for the whole family.

“Camp Brosius helps families to slow down and spend quality time together,” Urtel said. “They don’t leave here feeling they need a vacation from a hectic vacation.”

Families may make week-long reservations that include lodging in a cabin, cottage or the camp’s inn, meals and free use of the camp’s boats, online at www.campbrosius.com or by calling 317-274-0606.