Camp Aramoni
Resort hotel · Vermillion ·
Luxury glamping with safari tents, gourmet dining, and nature activities
Information
818 N 2219th Rd, Tonica, IL 61370 Get directions
Luxury glamping with safari tents, gourmet dining, and nature activities
818 N 2219th Rd, Tonica, IL 61370 Get directions
"A new luxury campground is beckoning travelers deeper into the great outdoors. Built on the site of a 19th-century brickyard, surrounded by 96 acres of forest, Camp Aramoni features 11 safari tents with hardwood floors, en suite baths, king-size beds, and decks with river views. Offers hiking, biking, fishing, cocktails at the Burlington bar, and gourmet dining from Chicago chef Cleetus Friedman." - Rebecca Holland
"An upscale, 96-acre campsite and event venue billed as Illinois’s first “luxury campground,” located just outside Starved Rock in Tonica (about 90 minutes south of the city), reopens for a full season after five years of planning and pandemic delays, with a reopening on April 29 and a public grand-opening tour on May 15. The historic former 19th-century brickyard—wildflower-laden and thoroughly transformed into a hotel-style retreat—offers 11 safari-style tents with hardwood floors, en-suite bathrooms, king-size beds, mini-fridges, air conditioning, and individual campfires, plus lodge-style dining in the Barn, a coffee-and-cocktail bar inside a vintage 1971 Airstream called the Burlington, and Bricks & Stones, a private event space housed in an 1800s blacksmith shop. Chicago chef Cleetus Friedman oversees dining and catering, programming a monthly dinner series that features decorated guest chefs (including Paul Virant, Gale Gand, and John Manion) with cooking demonstrations, three-course family-style dinners, and meet-and-greets, and plans additional collaborations highlighting nearby distilleries, breweries, and purveyors. Activities are delivered with a hotel-like approach—yoga classes, lawn games, canoeing, and massages—and the expansive rural grounds are positioned as a pandemic-era advantage for guests seeking comfortable, socially distanced dining and events, appealing particularly to comfort-seeking campers, wedding parties, and honeymooners." - Naomi Waxman
"Illinois’ first "glamping" site began taking reservations for its opening season, which starts in May 2022; the luxury campground in Tonica, near Starved Rock State Park about 90 minutes southwest of Chicago, will feature food from Chicago chef Cleetus Friedman (Theatre on the Lake, City Provisions), and its opening — originally scheduled for August 2021 — was delayed by COVID-19-related supply chain issues." - Naomi Waxman
"Housed in a 1961 Airstream Overlander RV on the Camp Aramoni grounds, the Burlington has been transformed into a coffee bar and cocktail spot that will be part of the venue’s beverage and casual-service offerings overseen by Cleetus Friedman." - Naomi Waxman
"Chef Cleetus Friedman is leading the culinary efforts at this 96-acre glamping site in Central Illinois, offering farm-fresh ingredients with a city chef’s touch. The site is open for reservations from August through October." - Ashok Selvam
