Camp Manitowa

Camp Manitowa, located in beautiful Southern Illinois just 90 minutes from St. Louis, is your child’s happy place.It’s the place they dream about every night and talk about every day. Our campers embrace new experiences with new friends and discover a new sense of independence and self-confidence. Every adventure stays with them forever. When campers leave Camp Manitowa, they immediately start counting down the days until they return. Camp is where kids can be creative, brave, bold, and find joy.

Kids can jump in our lake, fly off the zip line, tie-dye a shirt, play Ga-Ga, hang out with their friends, get advice from their counselor, and sing and dance at the campfire—all in one day! As they grow older, their dreams of camp and the friendships they’ve made always stay with them. At Camp Manitowa, kids learn to be leaders and best friends. It’s the place where you become you.

Camp Manitowa serves kids entering 2nd–10th grade. We offer a small community of 75–125 campers so each child feels like they’re part of the Manitowa family. Campers choose their core activities throughout the day, giving them control over their experience and the opportunity to improve their skills.

Starting in 2026, there will be two ways to experience Camp Manitowa:

1. Camp by the Session – In the first half of the summer, traditionally known as “first session”, campers can join us for a traditional 2 or 3-week session, diving fully into the pace of camp. We’ll offer all our awesome programs and activities, as well as unique programming, including Spirit Cup color wars, off camp trips to local state parks, the Benton farmers market, and the Custard Stand!

2. Camp by the Week – In the second half of the summer, families can choose from several 1-week options. Campers are welcome to sign up for multiple weeks if that’s the best fit—each week is affordable, full of all our classic camp activities including tubing off our pontoon boat, ropes course and zip line, swimming pool, and new faces to meet!