One Week, Zero Wi-Fi, All the Adventure!
If your family calendar is already filling up with swim meets and vacation plans, here’s one more date worth circling! Applications are now open for Camp Tanase, a weeklong overnight experience designed for 10- to 14-year-olds who would rather trade screen time for campfires. Hosted at Montgomery Bell State Park, the July 12-18 session is shaping up to be one of the most meaningful summer opportunities for kids who love the outdoors or are ready to learn to.
Led by the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, Camp Tanase is not your average summer camp. It’s part adventure, part leadership lab, and part confidence builder. Think less arts and crafts under a pavilion and more real-world outdoor skills guided by trained park rangers who know these trails like the back of their hands.
What a Week at Camp Tanase Looks Like
Campers spend the week immersed in the kind of experiences that stick with you long after summer fades:
- Lake paddling and water safety lessons
- Scenic hikes that turn into hands on ecology talks
- Basic survival skills that build independence
- Team challenges that quietly teach leadership and trust
Small group sizes mean kids aren’t just another name on a roster. Counselors provide close support, safety is taken seriously, and every camper gets the chance to step up, try something new, and feel capable doing it. For some, that might be conquering a hiking trail. For others, it could be speaking up during a group activity or mastering a skill they never imagined attempting.
The early bird registration rate is $799.99, with full and partial scholarships available for families who need assistance. Scholarship applications are due May 15, so planning ahead matters. The goal is access, not exclusivity, and the program works to make sure cost is not the reason a child misses out. You can register for Camp Tanase right here!
Beyond the canoe strokes and campfire stories, Camp Tanase is about connection: connection to nature, to peers, and to the parks that shape so many family memories year-round. By the end of the week, campers head home a little more confident, a little more capable, and deeply proud of the places they explored.
Discover more summer adventures at guidetotennessee.com/summer-camps!
