The Publick House Historic Inn in Sturbridge, Massachusetts will provide an array of unique and exciting features for this summer’s overnight camp sessions! Let’s take a closer look at the new home of Sidleterra …
The inn’s campus is quite vast, covering 66 acres, and The Story School has reserved two buildings exclusively for our use. One is the original historic inn, which dates back to 1771. It is a classic, historic colonial with a rich, wood-paneled interior, wide-planked wooden floors, period antiques and reproductions. It houses three dining rooms for us, a working fireplace, and even a ballroom!
The second building we’ll use is a motel-style dormitory building featuring double rooms, each with two queen beds and private bathroom. Two heroes from the same cohort will share a room, and campers may request a specific roommate. Camp counselors and administrators will occupy the rooms on the ends and in the middle of the building.
No hotel guests will be allowed in our buildings, and campers will only enter these two specific buildings. While campers will learn to keep their rooms neat and clean, the inn will provide housekeeping services twice during the campers’ stay, to change towels and such. After heroes return home, the inn’s COVID-trained housekeepers will deep-clean the rooms before the next camp session. The inn does require that staff and guests wear masks.
In charming, historic dining rooms, heroes will enjoy delectable, kid-friendly, hotel-quality dishes prepared by the inn’s chef! We will provide the chef with a list of our group’s allergies and other dietary restrictions. We will also have an on-site health care supervisor who will monitor campers, take temperatures, and supervise heroes’ medications.
The woods, fields and other wonderful outdoor spaces are just adjacent to our buildings. Setting foot in the meadow is akin to entering a fantasy space! We’ll be able to battle on the grass, explore the forest, hide out in the barns and hold gatherings at the gazebo. With the cemetery as a backdrop, our teenage Ranger campers will encounter historic figures from the past.
For the two weeks before the first session, The Story School’s staff will live at The Publick House to complete training and to quarantine. Campers must receive a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the start of camp, and then quarantine until arrival (or provide proof of vaccination, depending on rollout schedule). Heroes will belong to an Adventuring Party (cohort) of ten campers and two counselors who will remain together, separated from the other cohorts.
Though weddings are sometimes held at this beautiful venue on weekends, they take place at the opposite end of the property from the buildings we will occupy. We are thrilled to have found this enchanted location that provides us with not only space to explore and use our imaginations, but the privacy necessary to do so safely.
Stay tuned for more details. We’ll leave it to you to ponder how we might use the ballroom, the barns, the friends you’ll see, creatures you’ll meet, adventures you’ll have in these spaces, and what savory delights the chef will create for you! We are very excited about the version of Sidleterra you’ll experience at this venue this summer!
We can’t wait to experience Wizards & Warriors summer camp with our heroes! Pre-Registration pricing is only available for the month of March and registration is limited. Register now to secure your place in the 2021 season and lock in the lowest pricing. You can register online at https://thestoryschool.org/2021-summer-camps/ and you can always reach us by phone (781-214-1174) or email with any questions.
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