sunsets & Pushing past your bedtime
Do you love summer evenings, fireflies, and night swims in the pool? Then our Night Owls program might be just for you! Night Owls campers enjoy all the great activities of summer camp, with the added fun of staying up later on two nights and sleeping in for a late breakfast. Learning about owls, exploring the stars, and having fun after dark make this a great way to spend a week of summer camp!
Join us for an exciting week filled with new experiences, friendships, and adventures as we explore all that the night has to offer! The week will be capped off with an exciting “Glow Party” to celebrate the joy and energy we share together. Get ready for a week full of fun, faith, and glowing memories!
Our Goals for every camper
Our goal for all overnight campers is to create an environment where they can THRIVE:
Try new experiences
Camp is great exposure to new people, news skills, and new challenges.
Hear Good News
We are here to share in the joy of knowing and following Jesus Christ!
Reset and Renew
We work hard to create a place where campers can be themselves, unplug from devices, and rest.
Inspire One Another
Community experiences and culture creation are intentional, key aspects of every week.
Value Themselves
Campers learn they can do more than they thought possible by learning and growing all week long.
Explore Possibilites
Campers are encouraged to ask questions about their faith, their future, and their world.
A Night Experience Built for 9 to 12
Night Owls is not a youth program running late. It is built from the ground up for Junior-age campers, with bedtime that stretches gradually, not all at once. Two late-night sessions land during the week, each followed by a late breakfast and a slightly lazier morning. The rest of the daytime hours run on the classic Gretna Glen rhythm.
By the Glow Party, campers have earned the late bedtime and have friends they never thought they would make by the end of a five day week. For a lot of Night Owls campers, the glow stick they bring home is the thing that still has pride of place on the dresser in October.
WHERE YOU'LL STAY
Campers stay in cabins on Gretna Glen's main campus. Cabins feature bunk beds, a changing area, and a modern shower house built in 2018. A counselor is assigned to every cabin.
This is a mainsite program, so campers eat meals in the Dining Hall and have full access to Gretna Glen's main campus facilities.
WHAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW
Night Owls has two late-night sessions during the week. Each is followed by a late breakfast so campers catch up on sleep before the next full day. Staff are trained for nighttime programming with this age group, and supervision, lighting, and safety protocols all reflect that.
Gretna Glen is ACA-accredited, meeting over 300 health, safety, and quality standards. Staff are Ministry Safe and UMC Risk Management trained.
WHO THIS PROGRAM IS FOR
- Kids 9 to 12 who thrive after dark and ask questions about the night sky
- Returning campers ready for their first "stays up late" camp week
- Kids curious about nocturnal animals, stars, and after-dark ecosystems
- Junior campers who want the glow-party and night-hike experience