ACTIVITIES WITH A PURPOSE
Grow in confidence while rock climbing, blacksmithing and making new friends. Our activities promote growth and good times
Ever wonder if you could climb a 100-foot cliff or paddle down a raging river? Eagle’s Nest campers don’t just wonder, they do it! Our activities promote community awareness, a connection with the outdoors, and a healthy and joyful lifestyle, removed from technology. Campers grow in independence by creating their own schedules for the session with the assistance of the camp leadership. A well-balanced schedule of activities which include at least one outdoor, arts, and athletic activity gives our young people a chance to participate in activities they already know they love and also discover new ones. Whether they are learning more about forest ecology, ceramics, or drama, or trying out horseback riding, whitewater canoeing, or rock climbing, campers grow in skill and have fun!
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Learn to work with a partner in a canoe to explore the rivers of Western North Carolina or learn knot-tying skills and belaying while climbing some of the best granite sites in the Easten United States. Eagle’s Nest Camp is just 20 minutes from Looking Glass rock and is surrounded by beautiful white water. Campers can also learn campcraft skills like tarp set up, fire building and cooking on a camp stove before venturing into Pisgah National Forest for a 2 – 3 day backpacking trip.
Campers also enjoy hiking through the creeks that run throughout Eagle’s Nest, crawling through rhododendrons in search of crayfish and salamanders, or cutting down bamboo to make a fishing rod and catching fish with worms dug out of the compost pile. Campers can also help plant and harvest lettuce, squash, beans, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, herbs and more in our garden.
One of our most popular NC Mountain Summer Camp activities is “Walks and Waterfalls” – a class that takes campers off campus to explore the many magnificent waterfalls in our area.
ARTS ACTIVITIES
Arts abound at Eagle’s Nest! Campers can learn how to weave baskets, batik and tie dye, sew, knit, develop and print film and craft bird houses out of wood. In pottery classes campers learn a variety of methods for making pots or building sculptures out of clay. Our teenaged campers also enjoy bending and shaping metal by the forge or carving green wood in our blacksmithing and green woodworking class.
Campers who enjoy performing can be a part of our camp musical, be in a dance or improvisation class or take a guitar or “strings and things”.
ATHLETICS
Athletics classes at camp promote teamwork, skill building and play! Campers are encouraged to give their best while playing Ultimate Frisbee, basketball, tennis and soccer. Campers can brush up on swimming skills in our fresh mountain lake, or learn to hit the bull’s eye in archery.
Horseback Riding is one of our most popular athletic activities. We provide training in English hunt seat style horseback riding to novice through advanced riders. Participants build relationships with their horses while learning to care for them.
Discover Camp Activities
Click on a picture to learn more about our Camp Activities.
Archery
Ever wondered if you have a steady shot? Try your hand with a bow and arrow and test your aim.
Horseback Riding
Whether you’re a novice or an advanced rider, our instructors provide training in the English hunt seat style of horseback riding. Participants build relationships with their horses, and campers ride every other day or every day, depending on skill level.
Swimming
Learn swimming techniques in a clean, fresh lake. Campers are encouraged to meet and exceed various levels of achievement.
Wide World of Sports, Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee and More
Love playing team sports? There are so many choices of games to play at camp! Can’t decide? Sign up for Wide World of sports and learn to play sports from around the world! Our international counselors offer instruction in cricket, rugby, bocce ball and croquet.
Twilight
Every weekday evening campers have their choice of five activities during our Twilight period. This time allows for campers to experience activities at Eagle’s Nest that they may not have signed up to do every day. These choices often include activities like swimming or canoeing at the lake, an athletic game such as kickball or ultimate Frisbee on the athletic field, an arts and crafts activity like ceramics or tie dye, a nature hike or four leaf clover search, and even letter writing or knitting on the front porch.
Evening Activities
Each evening after we gather as a camp community for Goodnight Circle, the entire camp participates in an evening activity. The announcement of these activities, through skits presented by the counselors, is always eagerly anticipated by our campers. Some favorites include campfires, Air Guitar performances by cabin groups, and camp wide games of hide and seek, dances, and talent nights.
Weekend Activities
Saturday afternoons are always special at Eagle’s Nest as well. We have a camp wide activity each Saturday offering campers a fun filled afternoon spent with the entire camp community. Saturday activities could include trying to solve a mystery in a live game of Clue, building your own boats out of cardboard and plastic objects for the Regatta race across the lake, being challenged in a game of World Cup Soccer, participating in a huge game of “Survivor”, or Capture the Flag. The Saturday afternoon activity is followed by a cookout and square dance which features live music from local musicians.
Campcraft, Explorer’s Club and Forest Magic:
Learn camping skills and go on a two – three-day backpacking trip in nearby Pisgah National Forest orExperience the wilderness of nearby Pisgah National Forest, or explore the creeks and woods that run through the Eagle’s Nest campus. There is much to discover while crawling through rhododendron thickets, turning over rocks to find salamanders and learning about forest ecology on our 180-acre campus! Young campers can also venture into the woods to build fairy houses and discover hidden magic in the forests.
Rock Climbing and Whitewater Canoeing
Climb some of the Eastern United States’ best granite sites after learning safety precautions, knot-tying skills, climbing signals and rescue techniques. Nesters can master rock-climbing techniques on our wall before venturing out to the natural faces of Looking Glass and Linville Gorge. Canoers learning paddline skills on our lake and then test their abilities on some of North Carolina’s whitewater rivers.
Walks and Waterfalls
The forests surrounding campus are home to hundreds of waterfalls, and we love to visit them! Travel to a different waterfall every other day to explore, swim and experience the thrill of natural rock waterslides.
Fishing
Campers make their own fishing poles from bamboo they harvest from our campus. After digging for worms in the garden or searching for crickets under the cabins, they try their luck and test their fishing skills at the fishing pond in our catch and release fishing class.
Gardening
Help plant and harvest lettuce, squash, beans, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, herbs and more in our garden.
Arts and Crafts
Campers can participate in many different forms of arts and crafts: basketry, knitting, batik, stained glass, drawing, jewelry making and more!
Ceramics
Unleash your creativity while producing pottery with your own hands. Learn coil, slab and thrown pottery methods to make clay sculptures.
Camp Musical, drama, improv and dancing
Enjoy the performing arts or helping out behind the scenes? Take a class in acting, improv, dance, or costume or set design. Each session we have classes that focus on the performing arts. During Session 2 we stage a full musical production.
Music, guitar and song writing:
Expand your musical talents by playing a dulcimer, guitar, banjo or mandolin. Campers learn to play new instruments or play their own in small ensembles.
Photography
Want to be behind the camera instead of in front of one? Discover your artistic eye through black-and-white photography. Campers develop their own photos in our darkroom facility inside Wayah, the Visual Arts Building.
Woodworking and Blacksmithing
Expand your creativity and use your hands to build anything from benches to tree houses, or learn the trades of blacksmithing and green woodworking. Carve wooden bowls and spoons from fallen trees and twist hot metal to create beautiful hooks and works of art.