Our comfortable, modernized site on Turtle River Lake was built in 1993. The cabins and central buildings are inspired by the architecture of the francophone world. We have three distinct groups of cabins at Lac du Bois: Le Centre Ville (downtown), La Campagne (the countryside) and Les Montagnes (the mountains).
Each cabin sleeps 16, including at least two counselors, and all cabins have electricity, bunk beds and a small amount of space for villagers to hang up their clothes and store their personal belongings. Some cabins are carpeted. The bathrooms, shared among up to three cabins, have electricity and multiple showers.
Our central building, Paris, serves as our dining hall and gathering place, particularly if it’s chilly or rainy — as sometimes happens even in the summer in northern Minnesota. In nice weather, we’d rather sing songs in our amphitheater in the woods or at our fire ring at la plage, our beach on Turtle River Lake.
Centre Ville and La Campagne have their own smaller central buildings, Le Marché (the market) and La Grange (the barn) where smaller group activities and classes can gather. Le marché is also where villagers can shop at free time in our two stores, Chez Henri for souvenirs and Le Sucre Coeur for sweets and beverages. La Grange includes Beaux-Arts, a spacious area for arts and crafts.
The site includes other features inspired by France and the francophone world — we have a gravel court to play the traditional sport of pétanque, a boukarou, a traditional round hut from Cameroun, a fountain, a giant chess set and even our very own Eiffel Tower!
Lac du Bois — Bemidji