The 14 Best Camps In Georgia Today

Spending a week or two (or more!) at camp is a summer tradition for thousands of children across the United States. A fantastic summer camp is easy to define. It's a fascinating place where boys and girls may make new friends, explore new hobbies, discover their freedom, and learn to be independent. They are also taught vital life principles such as teamwork and cooperation. Best of all, they do it all while surrounded by magnificent mountains, lakes, and other stunning natural settings.

Keep reading for our list of the 14 best camps in Georgia today.

1. YMCA Lake Allatoona

YMCA Lake Allatoona is a traditional camp in Bartow County, Georgia, located near the lakeside. The staff-to-child ratio is 7:1, ensuring that each kid receives adequate care and supervision. There are various programs available, each with a particular concentration. Some concentrate on watersports, while others concentrate on outdoor activities such as hiking and camping.

Campers can look forward to fun activities such as rope courses, overnight camping, water skiing, and tubing, among others. The programs aim to improve a camper's self-esteem, self-confidence, and resilience skills by providing a supportive environment.

With a focus on teaching children the value of nature, children enjoy the fun while also becoming more knowledgeable about the ecosystem around them. Throughout the year, the YMCA also offers a family camp and various types of specialist camps.

2. Camp Fire

Camp Fire encourages youngsters to find their spark while meeting new people and exploring the outdoors. The camp is for students in grades 1st through 12th and is held on Toccoa's 176-acre property. Throughout the weekly programs from June through July, children can choose their own activities. They are encouraged to develop their leadership skills and to better themselves while having fun. 

This camp offers traditional camp activities such as hiking, archery, gardening, art, theater, and water sports. In addition, all participants take part in group activities such as shelter construction, waterfall excursions, and fire-building techniques. 

Cabins are available for children to share with eight other peers and a counselor. The outdoor swimming pool allows campers to swim, and the surrounding environment allows them to experience the wonderful outdoors.

3. Cohutta Springs Youth Camp

For nearly 40 years, Cohutta Springs Youth Camp has welcomed children of all ages. During its activities, the camp promotes strong Christian traditions, which are ideal for team building and outdoor adventure.

Cohutta Springs Youth Camp is located off Cohutta Springs Road in Crandall, Georgia. They provide coed programs for students ages 7 to 18, as well as family and trek-focused camps. 

They also provide a wide choice of activities, which are classified according to the type of camp. Activities centered on craftsmanship and fine art include model rocketry, videography, photography, music performance, drama, and creative arts. There is also rock climbing, a large rope swing, BMX biking and archery, and other exciting activities.

These Christian summer camps offer an outstanding value-based package, offering a wide selection of activities for all ages while keeping fees affordable thanks to donations from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and other community donors.

4. WinShape Camps

The WinShape Foundation operates Christian summer camps around Georgia, including Crandall, Cleveland, and Mount Berry. Students in grades K-8 can spend the day at one of their many day camps, while students in grades 1-12 can have unforgettable overnight experiences at one of their sleepaway programs.  

Archery, rock climbing, basketball, field games, and other thrilling camp activities are available at WinShape programs. Their amenities provide a comfortable setting in which campers can explore the outdoors while remaining safe. There are one-week and two-week programs available, as well as a family camp. 

The purpose is to help campers grow closer to God and better themselves by following God’s teachings. Each year, thousands of youngsters attend their camps, which are led by seasoned camp personnel. 

5. Game Camp Nation

Students of ages 9 to 19 who are interested in game creation and coding can enroll in Game Camp Nation's camps. Your children can learn important STEM skills that will help them in their future college major and profession. 

Game Camp Nation teaches coding, 3D graphics, pixel art, game creation, and other skills. Day camps and residential summer camps are available, however, children in other locations can also select their virtual lessons. Each camp and program is organized into age groups, so kids their own age can learn alongside them. The course curriculum is well-designed, allowing students to enhance their skills progressively through project-based learning. 

Campers use applications such as Unity and Minecraft, as well as programming languages such as Python, Scratch, and Java. In their schools, your children can gain confidence and make new friends. 

6. Camp Woodmont

Located on the summit of Lookout Mountain in Northwest Georgia Camp Woodmont is open to boys and girls ages 6 to 14. Its overnight summer camps provide a variety of activities such as dancing, fishing, horseback riding, climbing, soccer, archery, and much more. 

Camp Woodmont is a traditional camp that is committed to treating its campers with dignity and promoting strong family values, all while interspersing fun and creative activities and injecting structure into the daily routine.

During the afternoon, group members participate in structured activities to bond through a more simple set of activities such as creek stomping, scavenger hunts, berry harvesting, and building a tent.

Their specialty camps have weekly themes such as Hunt the Counselor, foreign folk dance, nature night, special night, and carnival night, as well as group games and team sports such as Capture the Flag.  

The objective of Camp Woodmont is to teach people how to bond with their campmates and improve themselves while staying on the picturesque Lookout Mountain site.

7. Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center

Located in Mansfield, Georgia, the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center offers day and overnight camps for children ages 6 to 16. Their camp provides a unique opportunity for youngsters to connect with their natural environment. 

They provide two-day camp programs for children ages 6 to 10. Through crafts, animal encounters, games, and adventures, Where the Wild Things Are encourages children to learn about nature. Nature Heroes Day Camp is for children aged 8 to 10. During this week-long day camp, children may dress up as superheroes and learn skills that will help them protect ecology and wildlife. Watersports, fishing, and archery are some of the most popular hobbies among campers. 

Students aged 11 and above can attend one of their many overnight camps. Participants can pick from a variety of activities such as fishing archery, riflery, studying wildlife survival skills, riflery, and much more. There are also exciting field trips to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Jekyll Island. 

For older youth 14-19, the Georiga Department of Natural Resources also offers Camp TALON. The six-day program takes teenagers on a thrilling excursion along Georgia's coast, stopping at state parks and wildlife places along the way. 

8. Camp Evergreen

Camp Evergreen is an overnight and day camp in Clarkesville, Georgia, near Lake Burton and surrounded by the tranquil mountains of Northern Georgia. It's a Christian camp run by a family that focuses on nature, Christ, and self-esteem. 

Pastor Toby Grady and Director Katie, the husband-and-wife creators of Camp Evergreen, feel that having small groups allows for greater interactions, which is why each session has no more than 80 campers.

Summer sessions and family weekends are available. Day programs and overnight camps are also available for children joining kindergarten through ninth grade. Overnight camps can last anything from three nights to two weeks. Day camps are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Daily worship, games, hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, and mystery day trips are among the enjoyable activities. There are family weekend programs available in which the entire family can spend the night at camp.

Families attend worship services, climb waterfalls, play games, and participate in scavenger hunts throughout these sessions. It's a means to bring families together via enjoyable interactions, campfire lectures, and wonderful meals.

9. Camp Juliette Low

Camp Juliette Low (CJL) is named after its founder and namesake, Juliette Gordon Low, who also founded the Girl Guides.

CJL is situated on more than 330 acres atop Lookout Mountain, in one of the most picturesque regions of Cloudland, GA. Camp Juliette Low only accepts girls aged 8 to 15. 

In general, it has one or two-week courses, although girls aged 6 to 17 who are trained to be counselors have three-week sessions. Mini one-week programs are also available for younger girls aged 8 to 10.

Typical activities include crafts, tennis, archery, rope courses and climbing walls, horseback riding, swimming canoeing, sailing, and many more outdoor adventures.

The camp takes pride in teaching campers fun activities and team-building exercises such as hiking, storytelling, learning outdoor skills such as constructing a fire or cutting wood, unit/group activities, group songs, and many other activities.

10. Camp Southern Ground

In Fayette County, Georgia, Camp Southern Ground provides overnight camps for children ages 7 to 17. Campers here form bonds with friends and staff who are different from them and have adventures in the great outdoors.

Team sports such as basketball and soccer, archery, dance, gardening, outdoor cooking, zip line and ropes courses, arts and crafts, mountain biking, and many other activities are available at camp. There are several week-long camp sessions that run from June to July. They have tiered pricing so that families can choose the best option for them.

Camp Southern Ground offers a fun, welcoming, and caring environment in which children from all walks of life can grow into better versions of themselves and spread goodness throughout the globe. This camp is a wonderful choice for students wishing for an educational outdoor adventure.

11. Camp Barney Medintz

Camp Barney Medintz offers a fun overnight camp for youngsters to help them create a closer connection with their Jewish identity. This camp is situated on 500 acres of land with two lakes in the North Georgia mountains. 

Crafts, dancing, theater, music, ziplining, horseback riding, water slides, water skiing, and other activities are available to campers. Every camper attends Camp for at least one Shabbat. 

Depending on the camper's grade level, Camp Barney provides one, two, and four-week camp options. A Junior-in-Training Program is also available for rising eleventh graders, which includes a six-day camping and hiking trip across the Blue Ridge Mountains. Participants in the twelfth grade are welcome to join in an eight-week-long camping experience where they will learn the ins and outs of camp and transition into camp counselors.

The objective of the camp is to assist children to develop key leadership qualities as well as responsibility, resilience, and self-confidence.

12. Georgia 4-H Camp

Georgia 4-H Camp provides weeklong sleepaway summer camps to children around the state. Depending on the age and grade of the campers, the camps are held at one of Georgia's many 4-H centers. 

Cloverleaf Camp is hosted at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton for fourth and sixth grades. Hiking, archery, athletics, swimming, and other activities are available to campers. 

Junior Camp is accessible for seventh and eighth graders on Jekyll Island. Day visits to sites like the Georgia Aquarium and Stone Mountain, as well as opportunities to learn about the local environment, are all fun things to do.

The Wilderness Challenge Camp is designed for the more adventurous camper in seventh and eighth grade. White water rafting, taking survival classes, zip-lining, swimming in the river, and anything else outside are among the activities your little camper can look forward to.

Senior Camp is a program for high school students in grades 9-12. Teens enjoy community service projects, team-building events, kayaking, and pool parties. 

13. Camp Highland

Camp Highland provides wholesome activities for organizations, families, and kids while instilling Christian values. The Fellowship Bible Church in Gilmer County, Georgia, hosts both overnight and day camps during the summer. 

Camp Highland offers a variety of spring and summer activities, family retreats, and men's and women's group retreats. There are other combinations available, including those for middle and high school pupils. 

Camp Highland has a variety of activities for campers, such as tree zip lines, and low and high ropes courses. Water sports on Carter Lake include paddleboarding, tubing, and kayaking. There are various activities for groups and individuals, such as Bible study and tribal time. Make sure to supply your camper with enough camp supplies for their stay. 

Fellowship Bible Church hosts the day camps. Here, campers take part in a majority of the same activities as the overnight camps, such as the rock wall, pamper pole, and the low-rope course. Through physical activities, team-building exercises, and communion with God, Camp Highland's programs aim to bring families and communities together. 

Conclusion

While some parents may be apprehensive to send their children to an overnight summer camp, the benefits outweigh any concerns. Experienced camp counselors are on hand to assist your child in being responsible, attaining self-confidence, being independent, making decisions, and engaging in the environment. Structured activities, adventure, community, responsibility, and fun at the best camps in Georgia all work together to enrich your child's summer, producing experiences that will last a lifetime. 

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Robert Kneschke/Shutterstock.com.