Camp Hochelaga has so many activities to offer! Everything from Arts and Crafts, to Musicals, to Archery, and more! We also offer our own unique Traditional Programs you won’t find anywhere else. Explore below!

Fresh Classes Each Week!

Waterfront

Waterfront classes will always be available each week for your camper. Campers will have the opportunity to do waterfront activities with their line groups for a block, have an opportunity to free swim during an assigned “line time,” or perhaps be signed up for Leisure hour swim lessons!

Counselor Designed

We are so lucky and grateful to have counselors come from all over the globe to our dear Hochelaga. Each counselor comes with their unique skills and interests to share with our community!

For frequently asked questions, scroll to the bottom of this page!

Ratios

At Camp Hochelaga we maintain a 1:8 Counselor to camper ratio. Smaller classes allow room for creativity and attention. Multiple counselors can teach bigger classes.

Arts and Crafts

Collaging, tote bag making, jewelry making, water color painting, piñata making, board game making and more! Our Arts and Crafts building and team of counselors create endless opportunities for your camper to explore their creative side.

Waterfront

Swimming, Sailing, Kayaking, Paddle boarding, Point Swim, Water Ballet and more! Our team of Red Cross Certified Lifeguards support all of our Waterfront activities ensuring fun and safety! All campers must complete a swim test upon arrival and our staff will support them at their level. Personal floatation devices are available (and for some swimming levels, required)! We are so excited for our brand new Waterfront coming Summer 2025!

Archery

Each summer we train a dedicated group of counselors through USA Archery to teach campers brave enough to learn bow and arrow. We offer classes to all line groups and Day Campers.

Axe Throwing

Camp Hochelaga brought Axe Throwing to their shores in 2022. Campers share that they felt the biggest sense of empowerment while at this activity. All staff members get trainer certified during staff training to ensure everyone can enjoy the fun! This class is only available to our Senior Line Campers (aged 13+).

Nature

Camp Hochelaga is located on a beautiful 35 acres of lakeside land. Whether your camper is going for a hike, cooking over a campfire, learning about our local flora and fauna, or saying hello to our animal friends, there is so much to explore!

Performing Arts

Come explore your theatrical and creative side in Camp Hochelaga’s historical oldest building, Little Brown! Your camper can explore improvisation games, participate in Musicals, set and costume design, styles of dance, and more!

Landsports

Skies the limit at Camp Hochelaga’s Landsports sports court! Basketball, tennis, soccer, croquet, and volleyball to name a few. We also offer endless games of Gaga Ball, a classic game of Hochelaga Hurry Up, Tetherball, Kickball, capture the flag and more! We love hearing from campers and counselors to be as dynamic with our offerings as possible.

Wellness

At Camp Hochelaga we strive to find moments of stillness and wellness to empower our campers to see their inner light. Classes on Social Media Wellness, Girls+ Empowerment, Guided Imagery, Mindful Movement, Journaling, Baking, Spa Day, and more!

Exploratories

Each day at Camp Hochelaga campers will have the opportunity to sign up for a one time fun class! Anything from bracelet making, to a Spanish lesson, to origami, making dirt and worms, playing with ooblek and slime, volleyball, a nature walk and more! Campers sign up at meal times and get to have the opportunity to change up their day to day activities.

Traditional Programming

There are so many things that make Hochelaga - well - Hochelaga! Our unique traditional programming sets Hochelaga apart. We are proud of our 100 year history and the traditions that have been carried along through time. Traditional Programs include:

  • Lower Mid Banquet, Middler Banquet, and Senior Banquet. These banquets are camper led and camper designed dinner parties they throw for all of camp. Please see Residential and Day Camp pages to find out when they will occur! All campers will have a traditional Beach day at Sand Bar Beach while Senior Banquet campers set up the lodge for our final farewell dinner party and awards. And camper that works on Banquet who does not attend banquet camp session will be invited back to appreciate their hard work!

  • Musicals! There will be two musicals that take place during the summer. Please see Residential and Day Camp pages for more information.

  • Scamp! Scamp is our camper led and camper designed weekly newsletter. Is your camper a budding cartoonist or Op Ed writer? Scamp might be a great fit for them!

  • Log! Log is our Senior Line camper run and led camp “yearbook.” Log runs for the last five weeks of the summer and stores all of our summer memories in the lodge for future campers.

Changeover

Is your camper staying for two or more consecutive weeks? Amazing! If they would like to stay for our weekend changeover programming, please make sure to click the button on our registration page. Each weekend we bring our group of changeover campers on field trips. We might go birdwatching, do some tye-dye, go rock climbing, hiking, go for a stroll in Burlington, go to the drive-in movie theatre - but mostly we spend wonderful quality time together after hours at camp!

FAQs

  • Your camper will have at least one of their first choices of classes. Please see question below for our sign up process. We do our best to provide 4-5 class options per block per line so campers can pick from many desired activities. We follow American Camp Association standards. Alas ratios can not exceed 1:10.

  • Residential: On arrival day, your camper will sign up for classes with their entire cabin and line group following opening campfire. All of our counselors will share what classes they are teaching with all of camp. Cabin counselors will then sit down with their cabin groups. The program director will pass around class sign ups that are listed by block on a clipboard. One cabin will start with Block 1, another with Block 2, and finally another with Block 3. Each camper will sign their name by their preferred class and proceed to pass around the clipboards until they have signed up for all three blocks. Your camper should have at least one first choice, perhaps a second first choice, and then might try something new! Counselors work with campers to support their decision making process.

    Day Camp: We are trying something new this year! Day campers will be in classes with their peers and with their Day Camp Counselors. They will get to choose each day between 2-3 options each block to ensure they can have variety and choice! We hope that by keeping the group together, they will have more age appropriate activities and feel empowered to choose their own adventure each day. *If your day camper is above the age of 7 they will have the opportunity to sign up for regular block programming with residential campers if they so choose.

  • No problem! This happens frequently and we value you and your camper and want them to have a great week at camp! Upon arrival, your camper will connect with our Program Director so they can create their schedule for the week. We will do our best to get them into classes with their friends. If you know your camper will miss sign-ups, please let us know so we can make a plan!

  • Residential: Every Sunday evening after opening campfire.

    Day Camp: Your camper will work with their day camp counselors each day!

  • We allow class changes through Tuesday and Wednesday of a camp week. We ask that campers only change classes once. If your camper is not happy with their class they will find the program director to find a better schedule. We encourage campers to practice self-advocacy!