Preparing for Camp
Preparing to send your daughter to camp takes planning but makes arrival at Glen Arden on opening day a happy time. We suggest that you read through all of the information that we have provided, but if you have any questions, please give us a call. No question is too small!
Arrival and Departure
By Car
Parents driving their child to camp should arrive between 10:00am and noon on Opening Day. Trunks and other bags may be shipped to camp by UPS or FedEx if necessary. On Closing Day, please plan to arrive at 10:00 am to pick up your daughter.
By Air:
Campers flying to camp may fly into either the Asheville, NC (AVL) or Greenville, SC (GSP) airports. We request that camper’s flights arrive before 3:00pm on Opening Day in order for them to be settled before Opening Banquet. Return flights should be scheduled for departure between the hours of 9:00 am and 2:00 pm on Closing Day. Flights scheduled outside of these hours may be made only after discussion with the camp office.
If your daughter is flying to camp without you, Glen Arden staff members will meet her at either the Asheville or Greenville airport on Opening Day. Parents must fill out the paperwork and pay for the unaccompanied minor fee both for arrival and departure from camp when the flight reservations are made.
When packing your daughter’s carry-on bag, please include the following items: navy shorts and navy collared shirt; plaid tie (given to new campers at Opening Banquet); swimsuit; one set of underwear, socks and pajamas and toiletries.
Complete and submit the online Travel Form by May 15th. When you complete this form, please state exactly which mode of transportation will be used for your child’s arrival and departure.
Packing for Camp
We suggest a standard sized footlocker for clothing and a duffel bag for shoes and bulky items. Please limit the baggage that remains at camp to 2 pieces.
If your daughter is flying to and from camp, she may check her baggage through on her airline ticket or ship it separately. If you choose to ship your daughter’s baggage, our street address is Camp Glen Arden, 1261 Cabin Creek Road, Zirconia, NC 28790. Send baggage 1 week prior to the opening day of camp. We are happy to ship your daughter’s baggage home via UPS at the end of camp, and an online UPS shipping form will be made available to you .
If your daughter wishes to lock her trunk, please send an extra trunk key in an envelope with the camper’s name to be kept in the office.
Camp Uniforms
Campers dress in navy for dinner 3 nights and wear white on Sundays. Collared polo shirts with navy or white shorts (depending on the day) or long pants are fine. Anything denim, such as blue jeans, is not considered a uniform. Plaid ties, to be worn with Blues and Whites, will be given to new campers at the Opening Banquet on the first night of the session.
Laundry
Laundry is sorted and washed on a weekly basis at Glen Arden, and the cost of laundry service is included in your daughter’s tuition. Thus, the quantities on the packing list are based on what a camper will need for one week. Please make sure that each item of your daughter’s clothing is labeled with her full name or last name and first initial. We suggest that you pack your daughter’s trunk with old “play clothes,” rather than purchasing anything new.
Linens
Each camper will need to pack TWO sets of twin sheets and a blanket or comforter (a sleeping bag may be used as an alternative). We recommend each camper brings FOUR towels (2 bath towels & 2 pool or beach towels). Campers should also bring their own pillows and pillow cases.
Special Equipment
Each camper will go on at least one overnight camping trip, so your child will need a sleeping bag and small daypack or backpack. If it is not possible to pack a sleeping bag due to travel arrangements, camp will provide one.
Each camper taking riding is required to wear lace-up, hard-soled shoes with a heel or paddock boots, as well as a Pony Club approved riding helmet. Campers are encouraged to bring their own helmets if possible, but helmets are provided by camp for campers that do not have them.
Glen Arden has many tennis rackets; however, if your daughter has her own tennis racket, she is encouraged to bring it to camp.
Helpful Information
Cabin Placement
One of the best things about your daughter’s experience at Glen Arden is the opportunity for her to meet new friends from all over the country. Thus, Glen Arden encourages campers to come to camp without concern for friends from home. Glen Arden will honor a double request from the parents of two campers from the same hometown to be in the same cabin, if their age and grade level allow. Extra consideration is given to requests from campers with friends or family members from different areas. All cabin requests must be either written on the camper’s application or submitted online no later than 3 weeks prior to the beginning of the session. Cabin placement decisions are made by the Director and Assistant Director and all decisions are final.
Activities
On the first full day of camp, your daughter will go “activity shopping.” This will give her the opportunity to visit all activities in which she is interested, to meet the counselors teaching each activity, and to learn about each activity. During that afternoon, your daughter will sign up for her favorite activities.
Each camper has 4 activities on Monday- Wednesday-Friday and 4 different activities on Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday. In the afternoons each camper may go to any activity, even those she is not signed up for during her regular activity rotation. This time is designed for campers to work on their “Progressions,” which is a system of 5 teaching levels specific to each activity. Some activities have age minimums based on the safety of the equipment involved in those activities. These include riflery and woodcarving.
Horseback Riding
Campers who wish to take riding while at Glen Arden will be evaluated at the beginning of camp. This allows the riding staff to assess the riding ability of each camper and place her in a class based on her ability. Campers are required to wear riding helmets, long pants and hard-soled shoes with a one-inch heel for their riding class.
Swimming
At the beginning of camp, each camper is required to take and pass the Glen Arden Swim assessment. This assessment allows the waterfront staff to evaluate the swimming ability of each camper and consists of treading water, floating, and swimming. Campers who do not pass the assessment will be assigned to a swimming class. Each camper must take her swim assessment each year. Free swim is offered each day either in the lake or the pool.
Communicating with Your Camper
Campers are not permitted to receive or make phone calls during their time at camp. Parents with questions or concerns may contact our office, and we will update you on the status of your daughter’s experience. We assure you that we will call you with any concerns about your child.
Write often and do write before camp starts so your daughter will have a letter the first day. Handwritten letters from home and extended family - delivered each day during rest hour - are highly-anticipated. Allow several days (3-5 days) for mail to come and go due to high camp volume in/out of Tuxedo in the summer. These letters will become prized possessions in your camper’s summer experience and for years to come.
Please address all mail as follows:
Camper’s full name C/O Camp Glen Arden P. O. Box 7 Tuxedo, NC 28784
You may expect to receive mail at least twice a week from your daughter, as well as once a week from her counselor.
Photos and Emails
From the Camp Glen Arden website, you will be able log in to gain access to photos that are updated daily and send emails to your campers. There is no additional fee to view photos, but sending emails requires a fee of $1.00 per email. “Camp Stamps” can be purchased once you are logged in and can be gifted to other family members. Emails sent after 12 noon will be delivered the following day.
Visitation Policy
We allow families to visit camp on Opening and Closing days ONLY. In this way, all campers will feel equally treated.
Package Policy
In order to provide the best camp experience for all campers, we would like to remind you of Glen Arden’s package-free environment.
Campers may not receive packages at camp, nor can they receive food, candy or gum. Please share this information with grandparents and extended family.
If your camper has a birthday during camp, she may receive one package on her birthday. Please make sure your camper’s name and the word “birthday” are clearly marked on the package. Please be mindful of the no food policy. Again, camp birthdays are a big event, and we will happily give a camper her present. If your camper left a necessary item at home you may mail it addressed to: Erin Graham, Attn: (Camper’s Name), Camp Glen Arden, PO Box 7, Tuxedo, NC 28784
All packages not addressed to Erin Graham and those containing unnecessary items will be returned or held until the end of camp. We will make sure all necessary items are delivered to your camper. As always, candy and other food items are not allowed.
All large envelopes, padded envelopes and regular envelopes containing “stuff” (other than a letter) are considered packages and will be returned!
Necessary examples: eyeglasses, contacts (with prescriptions), a retainer
