This is a long page, but will likely give you a good sense of the camp if you know nothing about it and answer many of your questions…
Field Camp was founded in Charlottesville in 2000 to emphasize “friendships, adventure, and wonderful memories of summer.” Over time, the camp has grown to encompass two sites in Western Albemarle County as well as outdoors engagement programs for youths from age 6 to 16. The backbone of Field Camp is its day and once-per-week overnight camp for boys and girls ages 6-14. In 2024, we started a residential component called Camp Poplar. Field Camp’s owner and director since the founding has been Todd Barnett.
What makes our camp unique? First, our most salient quality is our community of campers and counselors. We are defined by lots of things, but we thrive because of this community. Our camp’s culture has grown out of our interest in creating a community that is healthy, engaging, and fun for kids. Ours is a relatively small camp, with 75-100 campers per week over the course of a summer, and no more than several hundred different campers all summer. Given the relatively small size, we can get to know one another well. This works better, of course, when kids come multiple weeks, and most of our campers do come week after week, and year after year, making for a genuine community. Kids always get to know one another across ages here as we spend less time in age-specific or gender-specific groups than is often the case with camps. That goes for counselors too who are less restricted to just a small group of kids within the camp. Instead, we mostly provide choices for the campers throughout the day which promotes all counselors getting to know all the kids. It feels much more like a neighborhood or extended family gathering in the relationships that are formed.
Second, the camp’s staff is mostly former campers, with an average of about 10 years experience at the camp among them. As often as not, these counselors started at camp when they were 6 or 7 years old, and have come annually ever since. The heart of the camp is its staff–mostly vibrant college and high school students who provide excellent examples of character with the support of an experienced adult administrative staff.
Third, we are a genuine camp camp – an outdoors camp. We can seek shelter when necessary, but our kids spend their days in the outdoors, playing field games and board games, doing crafts, getting dirty, swimming, and so forth. We have no electronics, and we tend to thrive in trying to find ways to make things happen and get things done with what we have, in true camp fashion. We swim only in natural water pools and streams, and our facilities date back from 80 to 110 years. We serve high quality meals that the kids enjoy, and when they’re getting so much exercise, a tasty and healthy meal is so very satisfying. The whole experience feels like it’s out of another era. The kids get so much exercise at camp, and grow like weeds. It’s pretty easy to understand this appeal as a parent for our kids–away from screens, engaged, physically active, surrounded by ideal camper role models, telling stories over the weekend about their camp adventures, and genuinely happy.
Field Camp has all the best features of a classic overnight camp. We do have an overnight on Thursday nights that is intended for all campers, which extends the feeling that Field Camp is more than a day camp but without the cost of an overnight camp. We tend to have very happy campers and parents, who appreciate having found this unusual summer haven for their kids. We started our residential component–Camp Poplar–in 2024 in large part because so many in our community were interested in extending the length of our overnights from one night to one or two weeks at a time.
Our only other programs are extensions of our regular camp. The Adventure Weeks groups take trips to area outdoors destinations including local paddling rivers, hikes, and climbs, but also spend much of the week participating in regular camp activities. Camp Poplar is a residential camp program that we stage in Free Union, with traditional overnight camp activities.
If you are interested in trying Field Camp for your child, sign up for a number of weeks, ideally on the younger end of our age span, and give them a chance to get to know the routine and some of the other kids and counselors. You will almost certainly have found a long-term summer camp experience in Charlottesville, where your child will grow spending idyllic summer days in the outdoors having adventures, making friends, and collecting wonderful memories of summer.
Field Camp Dates/Registration Info/Fees
Week #1 (June 1 – 5 , Variety Pack, overnight at Camp Albemarle))
Week #2 (June 8 – 12, Scavenger Hunt, overnight at Camp Albemarle))
Week #3 (June 15 – 19, Relay, overnight at Camp Albemarle)
Week #4 (June 22 – June 26, Pool and Moormans Fest, late night at Blue Ridge campground)
Week #5 (June 29 – July 3, Elijahball, overnight at Camp Albemarle))
Week #6 (July 6 – 10, Goldsworthy, late night at Blue Ridge campground)
Week #7 (July 13 – 17, Film Fest, overnight at Camp Albemarle)
Week #8 (July 20 – 24, Hogs/Frogs, overnight at Camp Albemarle))
Week #9 (July 27 – July 31, Pirates, overnight at Camp Albemarle))
Week #10 (August 3 – 7, Holidays, overnight at Camp Albemarle)
Camp Poplar Dates (Residential Camp for Ages 8-16)
First Session (June 21 – 26)
Second Session (July 5 – 10)
Camp Poplar is our residential program. For more information, see fieldcamp.net/camp-poplar.
Our Adventure Week program is an extension of Field Camp for older campers aged 11-15. We generally limit these groups to 10-12 campers, and they spend 2-3 days each week going on trips to area paddling, climbing, caving, or hiking destinations. Our trips combine adventure and place-based education. We generally paddle on the Moormans, South Fork of the Rivanna, and Rockfish Rivers. Our climbing program is meant for beginners or young people with some experience, and we do both indoor training sessions and trips to outdoors destinations in George Washington National Forest. We know this area’s hikes well, and usually plan outings that lead to swimming holes in the summer. Please let us know if you have individual questions about the program.
Adventure Week #1 (June 1 – 5) Climbing program
Adventure Week #2 (June 8 – 12) Hiking to Swimming Holes program
Adventure Week #3 (June 15 – 19) Paddling program
Adventure Week #4 (June 22 – 26) Hiking to Swimming Holes program
Adventure Week #5 (June 29 – July 3) Caving program
Adventure Week #6 (July 6 – 10) Hiking to Swimming Holes program
Adventure Week #7 (July 13 – 17) Climbing program
Adventure Week #8 (July 20 – 24) Climbing program
Adventure Week #9 (July 27 – 31) Paddling program
Adventure Week #10 (August 3 – 7) Paddling program
The weekly Field Camp fees (which includes everything such as the annual tee shirt, daily lunches, shuttle rides, overnights and overnight meals) are $650/week for 1-2 weeks, $600/week for 3-4 weeks, and $550/week for 5+ weeks. For Camp Poplar, the fee is $1,200. A $25 per week discount is provided for all registrations prior to April 15th. A $25 nonrefundable fee per camper is applied to online registrations. You can hold spaces for the summer by making a deposit (the deposit will be credited toward the last week’s fee). The Adventure Weeks have the same fees as Field Camp with an additional $100/week.
Our Reasonable Cancellation and Change Policy: Our goal is to have a reasonable cancellation policy. We have flexibility about changing weeks of attendance prior to April 15th and as long as weeks are not full. After April 15th, however, we often cannot honor change requests. In the event of a family’s change of plans after April 15th, partial refunds will be made up to 2 weeks prior to planned attendance. If requesting more than 4 weeks prior to attendance, a fee of $100 will apply per week cancelled, and in the event of refund requests between 2 and 4 weeks prior to attendance, a $300 fee per week will apply. We do not maintain formal wait lists (our experience has been that families generally make alternative plans rather than utilizing wait lists), though we do our best to accommodate all families.
Testimonials
Next year, our son will return for his fifth year of Field Camp. It just doesn’t feel like summer without it. The quality of the counselors is outstanding, as is the focus on the outdoors, singing around a campfire, Elijah ball (a game invented at Field camp, that still bears the name of the camper who created it), playing in rivers, and respecting one another. Todd, the camp’s founder and director, throws his whole self into this camp, and it shows. He cares about the kids, our community and our planet. The kids learn and respect this. After two years at camp, our son spent the weekends taking us on hikes around Albemarle County, as he now knew his way to various swimming holes and beautiful hikes from his summer camp experience.
My son has been going to Field Camp since he was 6 years old (he’s now 14) and it is the highlight of his summer. We tried several camps and Field Camp was just different. He felt like he was part of a community and having new adventures each day. He would come home happy, tired and excited for the next day. Field Camp is never boring and my son has made so many new friends. Kids he would never have met at school and kids that he sees over and over each summer. It’s been just the best experience for our son. We hope he will transition to being a counselor one day so he can continue being a part of the Field Camp family for many years to come.
My son has tried out a few camps in the Charlottesville area. This one is by far his favorite. I appreciate how many of the counselors are past campers. They seem a notch above the counselors at the other camps he’s attended.
My two girls have attended Field Camp for a few years as well as a week at the overnight Camp Polar for it’s first year last year. It’s everything you could want for your child: just the right balance of supervision, structure, exploration, and risk to stretch them in all the right ways. The setting is like the camp I remember from my childhood: rustic accomodations surrounded by nature, other kids, and adults who obviously care. The come home tired, happy, and ready to go back the next day (or year!). I highly recommend this camp for it’s setting, values, director, and wonderful staff.
Our daughter really loves being with you. You’re a life in the country childhood, and an old fashioned overnight camp, without the weeks away from home. She’s counting the summers until she can bring her cousin along, and hoping someday to be a counselor. The lunches are wonderful, your bus time, jokes, and songs are quoted through the year, and we can’t imagine a better summertime.
Field Camp has become a true summer home away from home for my kids. After trying a variety of different camp options, we stumbled on Field Camp about 8 years ago and knew we’d found our place. We love the change of pace that comes with so much time outdoors and community that has been created that lasts beyond the summer and continues over many years. It has been a joy watching my kids grow in independence, confidence and responsibility through their experiences and relationships formed at camp and in the off-season.
My daughter attended Field Camp starting at age 8 and continued up through being a counselor. Her memories are priceless — a summer that felt like summer instead of school, creativity, outdoors skills, and great traditions. She has lasting friendships from her time there. Great staff, unique program.
A review from our 11 year old daughter:
Blue Ridge Field Camp is the camp I have gone to for five years! It is a completely outdoor camp, where you play games, swim, do crafts, and sometimes, just run around and do whatever you want! One of the things I love most about field camp is the community that we have there. Field Camp is an amazing place to just hang out and make new friends, and I love it when new people come!
This was E’s first year at Field Camp and it was a huge success. By the second week he was already talking about what he would be doing the next summer at Field Camp! He made wonderful friends of all ages and stretched himself physically and emotionally. He came home tired, dirty, and sun-kissed. Who could ask for a better way to spend the summer!
We have three kids that have spent maaaaaany summers in various camps across New York, California, and Virginia. Typically there is a lot of whining because they just haven’t been that fun nor engaging. This summer they attended Field Camp and they can’t wait to go back next year. The other kids are kind. The activities are engaging. And as a parent I’m so grateful that there is a zero technology policy—no cell phones allowed. This means the kids actually play. Another thing I appreciate as a parent is that I don’t have to pack lunches. The camp provides delicious meals for the kids. They were always super happy when I picked them up.
Field Camp is much more than daily camp activities, but rather a community that my kids have come to cherish their last 3 summers. It is screen-free, pro-fun and silliness and the kids are outdoors all day!
Our kids have enjoyed attending Field Camp for several summers. There aren’t many formal activities; kids of all ages play together like it’s an old school neighborhood — a neighborhood that happens to have a huge pool, a riverfront, and several friendly teenagers supervising. Perks we love include a shuttle bus, lunch served on site, and a weekly cabin sleepover.
Activities
We do everything outside, passing the time of summer with both structured activities and down time for relaxation and friends. We make up and have made up many, many games, crafts, and activities over the years, so many that we don’t need any more, but always eager to try something new and fun. We put a great deal of effort into our program–what goes on each day and each week through the course of the summer–to make it genuinely engaging and fun for the campers. We want kids to be eager to spend much of their summer with us, and we try to get the mix of new and old activities just right to keep everyone happy.
Schedule
We generally hold camp at Blue Ridge (1275 Owensville Road) from Monday through Wednesday and at Camp Albemarle (1675 4-H Way) for the Thursday overnight and Friday. Camp goes from 9 to 3:30 Monday through Wednesday, with drop-off as early as 8:30 and pickup up to 4:30. For the shuttle bus, drop-off goes from 8:15 to 8:30 and pickup is available from 4 to 4:15. The overnights begin at the same times, though campers are welcome to stay the night in the cabins at Camp Albemarle. Pickup is available at Camp Albemarle any time up to 8:30 in the evening, and drop-off can take place any time after 8:30 on Friday morning.
Our mornings at camp are more structured and campers are usually divided then into 4 age-specific (but flexible) groups, though we mix them up for Rotations games on Wednesday mornings. We eat lunch at noon, and the afternoon includes read aloud stories, swim time, and an hour when campers choose an activity. The routine is a little less structured on the longer Thursdays and Friday afternoons at Camp Albemarle, with longer swim and activity times.
Young Campers
Our most dedicated campers tend to be the ones who start the youngest. Our youngest are well taken care of by both by counselors and older kids, and usually become fiercely loyal to Field Camp. They then have a home camp for ten years, and sometimes longer. Their favorite down-time activity is probably searching for critters in our creek. The youngest campers have an added pool hour each Monday and Tuesday morning, and are watched closely when swimming. Private swimming lessons are available for an additional cost.
Scholarship Program
The Blue Ridge Field Camp Scholarship Fund, a 501-c-3 tax-exempt organization, provides substantial scholarship opportunities to make our camp available to all area youth. In cooperation with local social welfare organizations and school counselors, the Foundation identifies campers and provides full scholarships, with amounts provided matched by the camp. Its goal each summer is to provide $20,000 to area youth to attend this camp. In 2022, the fund distributed more than $13,000 in funding to 42 area children, mostly on full scholarships. The camp matches all contributions to the Fund. Please consider contributing to making this camp available to more deserving area youth.
Shuttle Bus
We run a shuttle bus service from Azalea Park (398 Old Lynchburg Road) in Charlottesville for any interested families (note that it does not run Thursday afternoon or Friday morning when staying overnight). Shuttle pickup is from 8:20 to 8:30 a.m. and drop-off takes place there from 4 to 4:10 in the afternoon.
Policies
Field Camp is a Single Focus instructional program, and qualifies for exemption from Virginia Department of Education Child Care Licensure. Our camp respects the rights and dignity of all campers and staff, including individuals with varying abilities, cultures, genders, races, and religions. We are inclusive to all, and staff are trained to set the highest examples of behavior for campers. The camp’s staff is responsible for the successful operation of the camp and for the maintenance of a safe and healthy camp atmosphere. The staff determines rules and expectations. Campers are expected to treat peers and adults with respect and courtesy. They are expected to be responsible for the consequences of their own behavior, insofar as they are capable. They are expected to treat the camp’s property and the property of each other accordingly. Parents are expected to assist and support the staff in maintaining a healthy climate. Staff members shall not use any form of physical, verbal or emotional punishment. Such behavior will not be tolerated and if it should occur, disciplinary action will be taken. Campers enrolled at Field Camp shall not engage in aggressive or abusive treatment of other campers or staff, use foul language towards others, or verbally insult or berate other campers, or destroy or vandalize camp property or the property of other campers. Staff will initially deal with behavior by reinforcing desired behavior and by verbally reminding campers, when necessary, of appropriate conduct. If inappropriate behavior persists, counselors will speak with the camper privately to determine the child’s motives and explain the reasons for the undesirability of the behavior. Parents will also be informed. If difficulties still cannot be resolved, the counselor will confer with the director, leading to a possible conference between the director, parents, child and counselor. Field Camp does NOT endorse corporal punishment or any other physical or intimidating methods of discipline. In the case of extreme, dangerous, or chronic behavior problems, campers will be sent home from camp. This decision lies with the director in consultation with the counselors. Parents must pick up the camper, followed by a discussion between the parents and the director before the camper is allowed to return. In the exceptional case in which a camper persistently fails to meet behavioral expectations, physically harms or threatens the safety of others, or continually disrupts camp despite efforts to alleviate the behavior, a recommendation for expulsion may be necessary. Responsibility for deciding to expel a camper lies with the director. Counselors are encouraged to discuss age-appropriate topics only both with the campers and when within earshot of the campers. Among those topics that they need to be sensitive about in the company of campers would be smoking, drugs, tattoos, body piercing, sexuality, dating, cults, religion, ghost or horror stories, divorce, or the personal lives of staff. If these issues arise among campers, staffers should discourage further discussion of the topic and report the matter to the Camp Director. Campers sometimes ride to and from camp or on a field trip in one of our busses or vans, all of which are inspected and regularly maintained. Campers must wear seatbelts when available, and will be expected to follow announced safety rules and procedures. We have two natural water swimming opportunities at camp, including the Pool at Blue Ridge Swim Club in Ivy, and a section of the Moormans River in Free Union. Children under the age of 11 are required to pass a swim test prior to being allowed to swim in deep water in either place, and our swimming sessions are always guarded by certified lifeguards. In the case of an emergency or an accident involving a camper, parents will be contacted with information and/or arrangements made for the campers, with phone numbers provided on registration forms (or by email or text, if that might be more appropriate and immediate). If camp has to be cancelled for any reason, we will send out an email to all parents. All campers are required to provide have health information for their children prior to camp attendance. Most of the camp staff will be certified in CPR and first aid. Medications must be given to the camp’s director, assistant director, or designated health care provider on arrival at camp (on Mondays generally), and must sign an authorization form providing details abut the medication. Our staff has been trained in sexual abuse and harassment awareness, and has been trained to report incidences or issues of concern to the camp’s director.