Whether you’re looking for a getaway with friends or loved one, a solo adventure, or even a secluded spot for team-building — Camp Lost Garden is your answer.

Illinois’ premier adult summer camp on June 19-22, 2025 features all your favorite classic summer camp activities – arts, crafts, games, campfires, hikes and more. It’s all included in your registration fee, as well as all meals during Camp and unlimited beer, wine and soda.

Escape the daily grind and slow down to make memories, dedicating time to connection and carefree fun. Campers will have the opportunity to paddleboard on the Reflecting Pond, bond over trust falls, create a communal paint by numbers, dance the night away. Find the daily schedule here (details subject to change).

Campers can commute, stay in the Mansion or guesthouses for a discounted rate ($80/night +tax), or tent camp ($50).*

$350/camper. Register by June 5. All sales are final. Registration includes all activities, meals, snacks and drinks. Overnight accommodations are an additional cost.*

PAYMENT PLAN OPTION: Register by March 28, 2025 and make a downpayment of $175, with the remainder due one month prior to the start of Camp Lost Garden!

*Overnight accommodation options:

— Hotel rooms are available at a discounted rate of $80/night + tax. Please call us at 217-333-3287 to make your reservation.

— Tent camping is available on the Bowling Lawn adjacent to the Mansion. Communal showers will be available on the third floor of the Mansion. You can sign up for a primitive tent camping spot ($50 for all three nights) as an add-on when registering for camp.

If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email jmgiffor@illinois.edu.

Experience Level: Any

Learn how to mak several everyday condiments on Tuesday, June 24th in the Mansion Carriage House!

$45/person. Register by June 10th. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Leah Bodine calls herself the ‘accidental chef’ with years of experience in the food industry. She started her catering company, Blue Dragonfly Catering, to express her creative mind in food preparation and cultivating recipes. She loves sharing her skills with others and seeing the fascination on students’ faces when they realize how creative they can be and how easy it is to do so. Her experiences in the food industry have led her to live in Paris and cater for rock and country legends.

Experience Level: Beginner

Gather with your fellow dulcimer musicians and create some music at Mountain Dulcimer Jam Sessions on Saturday, June 28 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Studio. This gathering is perfect for those who have taken Beginner Mountain Dulcimer at The Farms and want a space to practice with fellow players.

$5/person. Register a day prior to each jam session. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Lou Ann Koebel currently leads a weekly dulcimer jam for the East Central Dulcimer Illinois Dulcimer Club at Lincoln Square. She also plays in a local band that visits and performs at local assisted living facilities.

Last fall, she taught a beginning dulcimer class for The Farms, where she had a wonderful time teaching the group and realized her love of teaching and passing on the tradition of playing a mountain dulcimer. Lou Ann also plays at area music festivals.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn all about the magical world of mushrooms at Mushroom Identification for Beginners from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sundays, July 6, 13, and 20 in The Studio and outdoors. Participants will learn about mushroom anatomy, toxicity, edibility, and common uses. Instructor Lee Schuler will also share information on safety and sustainability.

Classes will begin with a short lecture and slide presentation, then move into the woods for identification practice outside. Question and answer periods will also be included.

$100 for the entire series or $45/class. Register by July 4 or one day prior to subsequent classes*. All sales are final.

*Individual class links:

— July 6
— July 13
— July 20

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Lee Schuler recently moved from Illinois from Pennsylvania, where she taught fungal identification and edibility at environmental education centers for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and for private land owners. She is certified as a wild edible mushroom expert and licensed to harvest and sell to restaurants and markets in the State of Pennsylvania. Schuler is also a contributing culinary author for a wild mushroom trade journal.

A graduate of East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, Lee has worked as a field biologist and environmental educator, and currently works in public health. She is an artist and cook and enjoys acquiring new and useful skills as much as she loves sharing them.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn all about the magical world of mushrooms at Mushroom Identification for Beginners from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sundays, July 6, 13, and 20 in The Studio and outdoors. Participants will learn about mushroom anatomy, toxicity, edibility, and common uses. Instructor Lee Schuler will also share information on safety and sustainability.

Classes will begin with a short lecture and slide presentation, then move into the woods for identification practice outside. Question and answer periods will also be included.

$100 for the entire series or $45/class. Register by July 4 or one day prior to subsequent classes*. All sales are final.

*Individual class links:

— July 6
— July 13
— July 20
— Full Series

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Lee Schuler recently moved from Illinois from Pennsylvania, where she taught fungal identification and edibility at environmental education centers for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and for private land owners. She is certified as a wild edible mushroom expert and licensed to harvest and sell to restaurants and markets in the State of Pennsylvania. Schuler is also a contributing culinary author for a wild mushroom trade journal.

A graduate of East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, Lee has worked as a field biologist and environmental educator, and currently works in public health. She is an artist and cook and enjoys acquiring new and useful skills as much as she loves sharing them.

Experience Level: Any

Learn how to use edible flowers in your cooking in this hands-on class on Tuesday, July 8th from 5:30-7:30pm in the Mansion Carriage House.

$45/person*, Register here by June 24th. All sales are final.

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. 

If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the instructor

Leah Bodine calls herself the ‘accidental chef’ with years of experience in the food industry. She started her catering company, Blue Dragonfly Catering, to express her creative mind in food preparation and cultivating recipes. She loves sharing her skills with others and seeing the fascination on students’ faces when they realize how creative they can be and how easy it is to do so.Her experiences in the food industry have led her to live in Paris and cater for rock and country legends.

About The Farms

The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, offers classes, workshops, and gatherings focusing on art, health & wellness, history, nature & outdoor education, or science. All experiences value hands-on, experiential teaching and learning, and are facilitated by and for the members of the community.

See the complete Summer Session schedule here.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn all about the magical world of mushrooms at Mushroom Identification for Beginners from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sundays, July 6, 13, and 20 in The Studio and outdoors. Participants will learn about mushroom anatomy, toxicity, edibility, and common uses. Instructor Lee Schuler will also share information on safety and sustainability.

Classes will begin with a short lecture and slide presentation, then move into the woods for identification practice outside. Question and answer periods will also be included.

$100 for the entire series or $45/class. Register by July 4 or one day prior to subsequent classes*. All sales are final.

*Individual class links:

— July 6
— July 13
— July 20
— Full Series

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Lee Schuler recently moved from Illinois from Pennsylvania, where she taught fungal identification and edibility at environmental education centers for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and for private land owners. She is certified as a wild edible mushroom expert and licensed to harvest and sell to restaurants and markets in the State of Pennsylvania. Schuler is also a contributing culinary author for a wild mushroom trade journal.

A graduate of East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, Lee has worked as a field biologist and environmental educator, and currently works in public health. She is an artist and cook and enjoys acquiring new and useful skills as much as she loves sharing them.

Experience Level: Beginner

Gather with your fellow dulcimer musicians and create some music at Mountain Dulcimer Jam Sessions on Saturday, July 19 from 10:30 to 12:00 p.m. in the Studio. This gathering is perfect for those who have taken Beginner Mountain Dulcimer at The Farms and want a space to practice with fellow players.

$5/person. Register a day prior to each jam session. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Lou Ann Koebel currently leads a weekly dulcimer jam for the East Central Dulcimer Illinois Dulcimer Club at Lincoln Square. She also plays in a local band that visits and performs at local assisted living facilities.

Last fall, she taught a beginning dulcimer class for The Farms, where she had a wonderful time teaching the group and realized her love of teaching and passing on the tradition of playing a mountain dulcimer. Lou Ann also plays at area music festivals.