Welcome Home!
Our summer camp programming has always been designed to build social and physical skills, strengthen confidence, and help campers find their voice. Our program prioritizes building strong, in-person connections with others, feeling included as part of a group, and developing new, concrete skills.
We believe camp, now more than ever, is a crucial part of the fabric of Girl Scouts. We believe being outdoors, building social and emotional skills with others, and forging in-person friendships in ways that have been recently challenging will combat Zoom fatigue and give campers a newfound sense of self. We know there is no better place than Girl Scout camp.
Download 2023 Summer Camp Guide
Register for Camp on CouncilAlignMENT
Important Dates
- January 5 – Camp registration opens for GSMIDTN members
- January 12 – Holiday discount deadline
- January 26 – Early Bird Discount deadline
- January 27 – Registration opens for all campers
- February 17 – Intern Applications Due
- March 9 – Military Discount Deadline
- May 4 – Financial Assistance Applications Due
- May 11 – All Payments Due
*If you are not a member of Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee and would like to join, please click here.
All camp information can be found in our Parent/Guardian Information Packets. We’ve also included abbreviated information below for quick reference. Please let a member of the camp team know if you have any questions!
Forms and Resources
- Camper Forms
- Camper & Parent/Guardian Information
- Who Comes to Camp?
Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee provides safe and affirming camping experiences to girls. We proudly offer a wide variety of activities with the goal of providing enriching experiences in areas that girls enjoy. We support campers wherever they are in life and feel privileged to create a safe space for those who join us. However, our facilities and programming limit the ways in which we can accommodate campers with differing needs.
We want everyone to be successful, and we find that campers have the best experience if they can do the following:
- Be fully independent with hygiene (with reminders from staff)
- Use the bathroom, shower, and get dressed unassisted
- Live, shower, and dress in communal spaces. Privacy is an essential and fundamental right of everyone at camp, including in toilets, changing areas, and showers, which are single-use. Typical of most public bathrooms many single-use bathroom stalls are located in one facility.
- Sleep in a room with other people and/or fall asleep without assistance. Our cabins and tents all hold multiple people; there is no situation in which a child will have their own room.
- Follow verbal directions
- Understand and follow camp rules and expectations
- Be able to verbalize if they need assistance, are hungry, hurt, etc.
- Be able to reasonably and age-appropriately self-regulate social and emotional needs.
Physical Needs:
If your camper has physical restrictions and/or uses a wheelchair, crutches, braces, or similar assistive technology, please contact our camp team so we can plan the best possible experience for them.
While many programs can be modified to meet the specific needs of our campers, we are not equipped or staffed to provide care for campers who need one-on-one assistance. Activities such as high challenge, canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding and similar activities are challenging to access for those with mobility challenges and have limited adaptations depending on the challenges faced.
Program Information and Physical Restrictions:
To balance the demand for challenging activities and the safety and well-being of campers, staff, and animals, we offer the following programs and activities with restrictions as listed below. If you have questions or concerns regarding a camper participating because of these restrictions or would like additional information, please contact a member of the camp team. We realize these restrictions may lead to sensitive conversations, and we welcome the opportunity to speak in advance of your camp program to discuss options and potential solutions.
Equestrian Programs:
To protect the health and safety of our horses and participants, the maximum weight limit for participants in Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee horse riding programs is 200 lbs. Current research shows that horses should carry no more than 20% of their weight. Our limit is based on the size of our horses, weight of our equipment, and the type of activities we provide. As a Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) accredited site, we have established this policy in accordance with their safety protocols and recommendations. If your group is participating in a workshop or program that includes ground activities, participants not eligible to ride can still participate in the ground portion (fees can be adjusted accordingly with prior notification).
Adventure Activities
Several of the activities offered at our facilities utilize specialized equipment. This equipment is designed with the safety of the participant in mind and has manufacturers recommended limitations to minimize the risk of injury to the participant. In order to ensure that all participants are able to utilize equipment safely, the following weight limits must be strictly enforced:
High Challenge, Rappelling, Tree Climbing: 250 lbs
Zip line, Flying Squirrel, Swing By Choice: 250 lbs
Corcls®: 225 lbs
In addition to these weight limits, supplied harnesses and equipment must fit properly and securely. Fit will be evaluated by the staff on site.
Water Activities
All participants utilizing watercraft (canoes, kayaks, and CORCLs) on council properties are required to wear Coast Guard approved Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) at all times. Usage of watercraft is dependent on proper fit of supplied PFDs and will be evaluated by the instructor/facilitator on site.
- Grade Level
Campers should register for the level they will be in Fall 2023. For example, a current 3rd grade brownie who will be a rising 4th grade Junior in the fall will register for a Junior program at summer camp.
- Registration
Registration opens on January 5 for registered members of Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. Registration for other campers opens January 26. You are not required to become a member of Girl Scouts, but GSMIDTN members receive priority registration and Girl Scouts pay a lower camp fee. Once registration opens we encourage all camper families to register for camp on CouncilAlignMENT. Please make sure to check your CouncilAlignMENT profile or create one if you do not have one. If you have challenges with CouncilAlignMENT, you may contact a member of the camp team. Please note that those who are not members of GSMIDTN will be unable to complete registration via CouncilAlignMENT. A registrar or camp team member can help you get registered, or you can fill out a paper registration form.
All registrations require a $100 deposit to hold your space. All remaining payments are due by May 11, 2023.
- Cancellations, Transfers, and Refunds
Your deposit is refundable only if you cancel your registration prior to May 11, 2023, or you are unable to be placed off the waiting list. This includes transferring a camp registration to a new program after the payment deadline. After this date, no refund of deposits or other monies paid will be given except in the following circumstances: not being placed off the waiting list for your chosen week of camp, absence due to a camper’s illness or injury, or the death or serious illness of an immediate family member prior to the start of camp. A medical statement must be provided in the case of camper’s illness or injury. Campers who leave camp early due to illness or injury. Campers who leave camp early due to illness or other reasons will not receive a refund.
There is no charge to transfer your camp registration to a different program prior to the payment deadline of May 11, 2023. After this date, we will withhold your $100 deposit to transfer your registration to a new program, with the exceptions of illness, family emergency, transferring off a waiting list, or a program being cancelled by GSMIDTN. All other monies paid, including discounts received, will transfer depending on discounts applied and program type.
- Discounts
We are pleased to offer Holiday, Early Bird, and Military Discounts for registered members of Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. Only one discount may be applied per camper per summer. Please see above for discount deadlines.
The Military Discount is offered to campers who have a parent/guardian serving active duty in the United States military. To use this discount, please contact the council registrar or a member of the camp team before March 9, 2023. You must submit proof of duty status (i.e. military orders). Do not send a copy of a military ID.
- Waiting Lists
We cannot predict or guarantee whether your camper will be placed into a program from the waiting list. Camp directors check their numbers weekly and make adjustments to accommodate as many campers as possible. If there are no remaining spaces available in a program, vacancies will only be created if another camper cancels.
Some programs are in high demand and will fill early in the year. If your camper is placed on a waiting list, you have several options:
- Remain on the waiting list for available space. Camp directors check waiting lists weekly and make adjustments as needed dependent on housing. Occasionally spaces open quickly, and sometimes they will not open at all. You may remain on the waiting list for as long as you’d like, or you may request a transfer or a refund at any time.
- Transfer to a different camp week with availability. Simply contact the camp director to make this change.
- Request a refund. Contact the camp director to cancel your program and request a refund.
If you join the waiting list to hold spots in two or more programs, you must cancel any additional programs within 10 days of receiving the placement notice from CouncilAlignMENT. Failure to do so will result in forfeiting your deposit in any additional programs that your camper is placed in.
- Check-In / Check-Out
Camp Sycamore Hills
Check-In – Sunday: 1-3
Check-Out – Friday 1-3
Camp Holloway
Check-In – Sunday 3-5
Check-out – Friday 1-3
Camp Holloway Day Camp
At Camp Holloway:
Check- In: 8:00-8:30 AM
Check – Out: 4:00-4:30 PM
At the Nashville Service Center (must register for bus transportation):
Bus departs at 7:45 AM
Bus departs Camp Holloway at 4:30 PM and returns to the Nashville Service Center by 5:30
- Housing
Campers will stay in a variety of housing options at Camp Holloway and Camp Sycamore Hills. Due to housing logistics, camp housing cannot be requested by specific campers, but families will be notified of their camper’s unit approximately one week prior to their camp program. If your camper needs specific accommodations, please contact a member of the camp team.
- Allergies and Dietary Needs
We make every effort to meet dietary needs that are religiously based, common dietary practices in the home (for example: vegetarian or gluten-free), or those required for medical needs. Dietary needs, including allergies, MUST be documented on the Health History Form in Camp Doc. Some diets may require you to provide supplemental food for your camper. Please contact your camp director at least two weeks prior to your camper’s arrival to discuss dietary arrangements.
- Cell Phone and Technology Policy
Cell phones and any other electronic devices are not permitted at camp. We want campers to fully experience their camp programs and engage directly with other campers and staff. Camp is a time to build confidence in being away from home and learn to problem-solve in unfamiliar environments. In addition, cell phones are expensive, camp can get dirty and wet, and items get lost easily. If you or your camper feel they need a cell phone to spend the night away, we encourage you to register for Me and Mine or day camp programs. Cell phones discovered after check-in will be confiscated and stored in the camp office for the rest of the week. We are not responsible for lost or stolen items at camp. This applies to campers at all levels, including CIT and CIT II.
- Medications
The health office at camp stocks common over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen (Advil), acetaminophen (Tylenol), triple anti-biotic ointment (Neosporin), hydrocortisone cream, etc. Please indicate on your health form in Camp Doc which medications make be given to your camper. If your camper takes prescription medication, please bring it in the original container (see below) and turn into the Health Officer at Check-In. Prescriptions must meet the following requirements:
1. Prescribed to them by a licensed prescriber
2. In the original prescription container (do not place medicine in baggies or medicine boxes) and labeled with this following information on the label: camper’s name, prescription number, medication name and dosage, how to administer, date, licensed prescriber’s name, and pharmacy name, address, and phone number.
3. If instructions are different than prescription bottle, bring detailed written instructions from a licensed prescriber.
- Trading Post
Our camp store, known as the Trading Post, has various souvenir items available for purchase such as water bottles, t-shirts, pens, and stuffed animals. Items range in cost from $1 to $25; for example, a camp shirt costs $12. We recommend that you deposit $20 to $40 into your camper’s trading post account. An e-mail will be sent two weeks prior to your camp program with a Square link to add money to your camper’s trading post account. Trading post deposits will not be accepted after the first day of camp. Your camper will visit the trading post once during the week. If there is a remaining balance in your camper’s account you may choose to donate it to the Camp Scholarship Fund or receive a full refund to be returned back to your card. You can make your choice when you deposit funds into your camper’s trading post account.
Camp In a Nutshell