The Mill is a unique program area that enables us to travel back in time. Our mill was built in 1890. By experiencing what it is like to run a mill, you will learn why grist mills were such an important part of a community years ago. The mill is a hub of activity where campers grind all of our cornmeal and grits, participate in fishing for trout, make ice cream from the power of the water wheel, and learn to cook over an open fire.
Situated on 300 acres (plus 100 leased) in the French Broad River valley, Blue Ridge Mountains, Brevard, NC; over 50 structures including cabins, dining hall, health hut, horse barn, and climbing tower; creek, pool, lake, hiking and mountain biking trails.
Ages
5–16
Enrollment
Coed
Accreditations stated by camp
American Camp Association
Activities
Waterfront
Fishing
Land Sports
Archery
Arts & Creative
Pottery
Outdoor Adventure
Mountain biking
Clues to fit
Friendship Circle — nightly cabin ritual
Each night, the cabin holds what we call a 'friendship circle'. It's a time for the counselors and campers to debrief their day or have good discussions on things like making friends or practicing gratitude. A good example is 'Rose-bud and thorn' where the campers share what their favorite part of the day was (their rose), something that might have been difficult or challenging (their thorn), and something they are looking forward to (their bud).
Cabin life — Hillside and Brookside, structure and placement
Campers are placed in cabins based on their age and grade level. There are two sides to main camp, Hillside and Brookside. Hillside is where the younger campers live, while Brookside is slightly older. Hillside cabins have 8 campers, while Brookside cabins can have 8-10 campers. Each cabin, on both Hillside and Brookside has 2 counselors and many times either an Intern or Staff in Training.
Cabin life — ideal for making new friends, friend requests honored
It is ideal for most children to come to camp without any friends from home because the campers can then be individuals without someone else defining who they are. Also, they are completely free to make new friends and to learn the most from the diverse community at camp. However, we recognize that some campers may need the security of knowing that someone will be there who they already know or want to be with, such as a friend, cousin, or sibling; therefore, requests for placement with a friend are considered.
Food traditions — Grist Mill cornmeal, International Day meals, pizza night
Not only do we get vegetables and beef from our farm, we also use the cornmeal ground at the Grist Mill. We use the cornmeal in our Johnny cakes for Sunday breakfast, homemade cornbread, and fresh cookies. Most of our breads are made fresh, in house with whole wheat flour the day of service or the day before. We make our own pizza dough for our traditional pizza night, and serve homemade bread or rolls with lunch and/or dinner. On our International Days, the kitchen will prepare and serve foods from the countries we are celebrating and learning about that day.
We have a really fun tradition at camp to let the campers know when it's time for 'light's out'. Each night, we have a few activity leaders walk around to each cabin and serenade them with a verse or two of a song. Once the campers and staff hear the 'serenaders' they know it's time to turn out the lights.
Daily photos — password-protected access for parents
We have several photographers who take photos of campers every day during the summer. While we do our best to capture everyone, our goal is to provide a glimpse into the daily activity at camp, not capture a picture of each individual camper. We post our daily photos through our password protected camp account database system. You can login through your camp account.
