What differences should you expect when you send your day camper for their first overnight experience?
While WinShape Camps got it’s start in 1985 as a two-week overnight camp for boys, the majority of our campers today will first experience our next-level programming by attending one of our 100+ day camps happening around the country. While the experiences have many similarities, there will always be some natural differences.
For instance, packing for a week is much more complex than packing for a day. On the flip-side, once your kids are packed and dropped off at camp, you get to spend a week retreating from some of the everyday-life parenting responsibilities.
So — if you’ve attended a week at WinShape Camps for Communities, what should you expect when you’re considering one of our overnight camp locations?
Non-Stop Fun
The most obvious difference is that our overnight camps are, well — overnight! Parents bring their campers to camp on Spectacular Starting Sunday to drop them off for a week or two depending on the location. For many parents, this is the biggest obstacle of their entire camp experience. Dropping your camper off for a week is usually a lot scarier for the grown-ups than it is for the campers. But no need to worry, your campers are in safe hands and we’ve thought through all the details.
Overnight camp also means the fun doesn’t stop at 5pm! Campers say goodbye to their parents mid-day on Sunday, and once campers get settled and grab dinner — the fun begins! Any evening at one of our overnight camps wouldn’t be complete with one of our EPIC camp-wide activities. This means campers may celebrate Christmas in July, compete against each other in Sock War, or show off their skills in a talent competition.
Campers get to enjoy a delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner in one of our dining facilities where the fun doesn’t stop. While we don’t play with our food, we do play where we eat our food. Between arm-wrestling competitions and cheers, meals at camp are some of our favorite times.
Camp can be so fun that sometimes you forget to catch your breath. Our day camps are non-stop action from sun-up until pickup. Many parents tell us that their camper doesn’t even make it to the dinner table before they’re asleep. Since our overnight camps don’t end each day at 5pm, we’ve built in some time for rest so campers can be at their best from Sunday until Friday.
Spectacular Settings
While each of our day camps are beautiful in their own way, our overnight camps are some of the most spectacular settings you’ll find at any camp in the country. Whether it’s on the campus of Berry College (named the most beautiful college campus in the world), or in the foothills of the North Carolina mountains — you’re always surrounded by Instagram worthy scenes.
First off, there’s our Normandy-style dorms located at WinShape Retreat. Home to WinShape Camps for Girls at Mt. Berry, this 5-star retreat used to be dairy barns before being converted. WinShape Camps for Boys at Cleveland takes place on the campus of Truett-McConnell University who just put the finishing touches on a brand new student center complete with two full-sized basketball courts and an indoor pool. Lastly, we can’t forget WinShape Camps for Girls at Cohutta Springs, which is a beautiful retreat center completed surrounded by a lake. No matter which way you look, you see the sun glistening off a lake begging to be jumped into.
More Connection with Summer Staff
When we ask parents at the end of the summer what they loved most about WinShape Camps, the biggest piece of feedback we get is that parents were so impressed with our Summer Staff. We hire over 800 college-aged students to serve as counselors, photographers, actresses and so much more and bring in some of the best experts to train them.
Our overnight camps allow for an even better connection for your campers and our Summer Staff. Since campers are with Summer Staff all day, they get to debrief, talk about their day, and experience new things with them throughout the entire week. As you’ve probably experienced in the “real world”, something happens when people eat together. The simple fact that our Summer Staff are sharing every meal for a week with campers allows for them to make real, authentic connections that open the doors for your campers to learn even more about God. It gives your camper an excellent example of what it looks like to grow up and continue following Jesus.
All The Things We Couldn’t Fit In A Truck
While we bring truckloads of fun to your city with WinShape Camps for Communities, there are just some things we can’t fit into a truck. Each of our overnight locations has different adventures, but at several spots campers can experience things like Horseback Riding, the Water Park, Zip-lines or even getting tossed around on the banana boat. Everything you’d expect in a traditional overnight camp can be found at WinShape Camps.
Rich Camp Culture
“S-A-F A-R-I” “S-A-F A-R-I” “S-A-F A-R-I”
Campers at WinShape Camps for Communities become raving fans of either the Ocean, Safari, Alpine or Galaxy villages. These villages are an adaption of what we started way back in 1985 at WinShape Camps for Boys, just with a different name. Splitting campers up by grade and giving them teams to be a part of creates a feeling of belonging to something bigger than yourself and instills all sorts of positive character values in a kid’s life. At our Mt. Berry location, both boys and girls are split up into Tribes by age.
At other overnight locations, we took fandom to an even bigger extreme. At each of our one-week camps, campers are assigned a group for LIFE. No matter what grade you’re in, when you come into your first year at WinShape Camps for Girls at Young Harris, if you’re inducted into the Bumbline Club, you’re in that Club until the last year you attend that location as an 8th grader. With each location comes unique cultural elements, but you can still expect the same pride that swells up in campers. Not to mention non-stop cheers and face-paint for days.
All Covered in Faith
Just as parents have come to expect at our day camps, every element of the day is covered with truths to help campers grow in their faith. Each year we develop a Theme that permeates throughout every single WinShape Camps location. Whether campers attend in California, Georgia or even Brazil, they learn the same set of truths.
At overnight camp locations, we get even more time to share these truths with each camper! The camp day always starts with worship where we introduce a truth that we are talking about for the rest of the day (or two). We create grade-specific content for campers to work through to understand these truths at the appropriate level.
50% Gift
As you might expect, attending an overnight camp complete with all meals and housing can mean a jump in price. Overnight camp may cost a little more, but we think you’ll see that it’s worth it. In fact, we’re so confident that we pay half the cost for all first-time overnight campers. Yes — that even means campers who attended our day camps get a 50% gift to try our overnight camps for the first time. Parents don’t have to pay all at once either. Parents are asked to pay a deposit at registration and then can split the cost up over time. Learn more about payment options here.
What are you waiting for! Take the leap to overnight camps this summer. You’ll be giving your kids a memory-making experience while earning a little break from everyday parenting. Register now!