what to bring

Location and Temperatures:

Olmsted Camp is located in the rural countryside about 40 miles southeast from Buffalo, NY in a small town called Sardinia. The temperatures can range from high 80s during the month of July, to the low 60s toward the end of August. July and August is Olmsted Camp’s season, anything before and after those two months are treated as special requests.

Clothes & Other Items:

For the months of July & August the following items are recommended:

  • Shirts: Comfortable t-shirts you can hike in and relax about the compound. We recommend 100% cotton for best comfort. Long sleeve shirt (at least one) is suggested as the nights (and early mornings) can get cool, especially later in the month of August.
  • Pants & Shorts: Shorts are great at least (2) two pairs, as you will find yourself wearing all day and probably through dinner. Pants a great to have as during sunset it can cool off, and if you are sitting out on the porch be tempting to mosquitoes.
  • Pullovers: Good to have one light “go to” pullover. Light one for the month of July, and add a heavier one for the latter part of August, as it tends to cool off at night. Also great to have for those early morning breakfast gatherings on the patio.
  • Pajamas: Pajamas or light sweats to sleep in are great to have more so toward mid to late August as it can cool of at night and the rooms and cabins are not insulated. We do NOT allow individual heaters in the rooms due to fire risk.
  • Bathing Suit: Bring one or two inexpensive bathing suits. The creek is a lot of fun to hang out and enjoy the relatives and friends. Recommended shorts, or boardshorts for both guys and gals. Bikinis are not recommended, and they tend to slide up and off depending on the outdoor water activity.
  • Water Vest (for Kids): If you are bring up your kids, we recommend that you include a water safety vest for when playing at the creek.
  • Rain Jacket: July is pretty dry, but good to bring one just in case. Light material that can also double as a wind breaker for those colder evening events or sitting on the porch.
  • Shoes: Hiking shoes and or sneakers. Either are great for any outdoor activity (hiking, playing tennis, going into Springville, East Aurora, Ellicottville, Buffalo etc.). We have a 5 mile backroad hike that you can take or there are dirt trails about the property. Just know that the grass around the property is wet in the morning and late evening.
  • Creek Shoes: This is an entirely different activity. The best shoes for hiking to the creek (15 minutes) is something like Tevas where the two straps keep your shoes on, and water can flow through. Flip flops will NOT work. They will break, and you will slide out of them as you hike up and down the small hills to get to the creek. Tevas (or shoes like them) are also great for tubing down the creek.
  • Hats: It is a good idea to bring some type of hat to wear while outside during the day. What many guests bring are baseball cap, or jogging caps, gardening hats, or walking hats. Something that can get wet either unintentionally or intentionally (like when it is hot at the creek).
  • Sunglasses: Bring sunglasses. We also recommend something to hold them around your neck. Something like Croakies that fasten to the back of your sunglasses so they don’t fall off.
  • Small Light Backpack: This is a great item to have, as you can carry needed items walking around town, or on hikes.
  • Sun Screen: Good idea to bring sunscreen. It gets pretty hot at the creek, and walking around.
  • Bug Repellant: Although the bats are working hard at night, they can’t get all of the mosquitoes. We recommend bug repellant if not wearing long sleeve shirts or pants. NOTE: all the bedrooms have screens, and in some cases mosquito nets for the beds.
Toiletries:

There are (3) three bathrooms on the compound. One in the main building “The Camp”, one located in the garage building bottom floor “The Grey Barn” or “The Dorm” and one located in the middle small cabin “Middle Cabin”. All three locations have a toilet and a sink with hot and cold running water. Each bathroom has an electrical output and a mirror.

There are (4) four showers on the compound, each with hot and cold running water. One in the main building “The Camp” bathroom. One in the garage building bottom floor “The Grey Barn” or “The Dorm”. One located in the middle small cabin “Middle Cabin” (although we ask that guests do not use that one) and one located outside located between the “Middle Cabin” and the end cabin “The Animal House”. This shower is surrounded by midlevel high walls so is private, unless you are shy about your feet.

We will provide towels, but everything else, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, shaving cream, blow dryer etc. are up to you. We suggest that you have a bathroom pouch that you bring with you to bring your toiletries to and from the bathroom/showers.

You bring: (btw: there are drug stores close if you forget anything)

  • Toothpaste
  • Soap
  • Shampoo
  • Shaving cream
  • Blow dryer
  • Insect repellant
  • Sunscreen
  • Medications

We provide:

  • Bath towel
  • Shower / Bathroom
  • Hot / cold running water
  • Toilet paper.
Electronics:

Every room / cabin has electrical outlets. You are welcome to use to charge your phones, cameras, laptops etc. with the understanding that you bring your own power surge strips and or accessories needed but please NEVER leave any electric device plugged in and unattended.

Also, we HIGHLY recommend that you unplug all electronics during thunderstorms as we have had power surges due to lightning strikes.

No Wi-Fi Internet:

Olmsted Camp does NOT have any Wi-Fi internet access. We ask that you use your own phone’s Personal Hotspot or drive to locations that do offer Wi-Fi (coffee shops, libraries, work zones). The Olmsted Camp manager can recommend the closest access to Wi-Fi.

Apple: How to set up a Personal Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad

Note: If you do use your phone’s Personal Hotspot, we highly recommend that you connect your phone to your laptop via a USB connector, so that there is a direct connection from phone to your laptop.

Absolutely No Smoking in Property Buildings:

For everyone’s enjoyment and the safety of the property, there is a strict No Smoking policy in any of the buildings or rooms at Olmsted Camp. This covers the main building “The Camp”, the barn “The Dorm”, and all three cabins. Smoking on the porch and patio is allowed so long as it does not interrupt others from also enjoying the atmosphere, scenery and the conversation.

Your Own Transportation:

We do NOT provide transportation to or from the compound. It is up to you to rent a car if coming from the airport, or have your own car, if you drive.

About the Rooms:

There are (5) five buildings at Olmsted Camp (actually 6 if you count the outdoor shower).

  1. The main building (Building 1) is called the “Camp”. The Camp is where you will find the dinning commons, kitchen, bathroom (1), and 6 attached bedrooms. Only one bedroom has a direct door to the bathroom, but main bathroom door is accessible from the porch.
  2. The garage (Building 2) is called the “Dorm”. Downstairs is a full bathroom, shower and urinal. Upstairs it the dorm where there are 10 beds with mattresses. Kids are encouraged to sleep up in the dorm in either sleeping bags or sheets and blankets if requested. The dorm has two hot and cold running sinks, with a back stairs to the bathrooms located below.
  3. The cabin (Building 3), furthest away from the Camp, is called the “End Cabin” and is a studio that has a separate room for little ones with a crib if needed.
  4. The cabin next in (Building 4) is called the “Middle Cabin”. This cabin is the only one of the three to have its own bathroom with bathtub and shower. There are two doors to the bathroom, one directly into the bedroom and the other for the other cabin dwellers to use.
  5. The closest cabin to the Camp (Building 5) has been charmingly name the “Animal House”. You will have to ask the manager how it got this title.
  6. The final “structure” on the Olmsted Camp grounds is the outdoor shower. The outdoor shower has both hot and cold running water and privacy from the ankles to the head.
If You Bring It . . . :

Please don’t forget to take with you what you bring. Electronics are expensive to ship and due to the battery, require ground shipping so will take a couple of days. Clothes we can ship as well, but do not need any contributions to the Camp. Toiletries please take it all with you.