YMCA Camp Greenville sits on 1400 acres. We are lucky to have forests full of hiking trails, two waterfalls, a fishing lake, a swimming/canoeing lake, and an incredible mountain view. We are spoiled with our geography and take advantage of our surroundings to run great programs and activities.

Our first summer was in 1912 and we are honored to uphold an incredible legacy. To find out more about our camp history click HERE. There have been many impactful changes over the years but one thing has stayed constant and that is the "Magic on the Mountain". We hope we have the chance to show your camper exactly what that means this summer!

Our goal at Camp Greenville is to provide safe, fun, magical and educational experiences through our core values of caring, honesty, respect, responsibility.

Camp Greenville offers a wide variety of programs including swimming in Lake Sudie, canoeing and kayaking and stand up paddleboarding, lots of arts and crafts, rock climbing, target sports, a great high ropes course, a zip line, sports and games, fort building, teambuilding, and hiking/outdoor skills. Some activities are restricted to certain grades for safety and progression reasons.

We have 3 main programs at camp: Base Camp, Specialty Camp, and Adventure Camp.

In Base Camp, campers rotate through activities as a cabin every Tues-Fri morning. These activities are predetermined for their Division and cabin as well as activities the cabin votes on. In the afternoon, campers have the opportunity to pick what they want to do based on their own interest. The activities in the afternoon are announced daily at lunch time. Campers can pick the same type of activity every day or choose new ones. Its totally up to them, but there is always a ton of variety.

In Adventure Camp, campers participate in our all camp traditions Sunday, Monday and Friday evenings along with Base Camp. Tuesday morning they leave for whatever trip they chose at registration. They are either away from main camp but on camp property (Division 2) or off of camp property (Division 3 and 4) until Friday afternoon. Their activities during the week are dependent on their chosen trip but full of fun adventures.

ACA Accreditation

YMCA Camp Greenville is proud to be an American Camp Association (ACA) accredited camp. The ACA nationally recognizes camps that meet the highest standards, focusing on health, safety and program quality. The accreditation process has over 300 safety and quality standards to which we must adhere.

BASE CAMP DAILY SCHEDULE

7:00am-Wake up

7:30am- Early Morning Activities

8:30am- Breakfast

9:00am-Cabin Clean up

9:30am- Morning shine

9:45-12:45pm- Camper Choice Time

1:00pm-Lunch

1:45-2:45pm- Rest Hour

3:00-5:00pm- Cabin Activities

5:00pm- Rendezvous and Cabin time

6:00pm-Dinner

7:30-Evening Program

8:30pm- Slow songs and vespers

For adventure tripping itinerary please click HERE

We love summer nights, lightning bugs, and evening program at camp. Our evenings at camp are so much fun. Here is a rundown of how our week looks each evening;

Sunday: Opening campfire and Ice Cream Dance Party

Monday: Cookout, Chapel

Tuesday: D3/D4 packout, D1/D2 evening program

Wednesday: D2 packout, D1/D3/D4 evening program

Thursday: D1 packout, D2/D3/D4 evening program

Friday: Camper Show and Closing Campfire

Sunday, Monday, and Friday evenings are all camp activities. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday take place usually just with your Division. Tues- Thurs evening programs for Base camp may consist of Luau, Counselor Hunt, Banana Olympics, Messy Games etc. Adventure campers are out on their trip!

Once activities are done we come together to regroup and prepare to wind down for the evening. We sing slow songs and then return to our cabins for vespers, getting ready for bed, and lights out.

Every summer camp has words for different things that are just special to their camp. Some of ours are herbie the heron, morning shine, packout, Pretty Place, and vespers to name a few. Learn more about our camp culture and traditions

Learn more about activities available to each age group in our activity list

We can almost always have you in a cabin with a same gender friend if you are in the same Division and as long you and your friend request each other on the registration forms. We group the cabins by our division ages – Division 1 (2nd-4th grade), Division 2 (5th and 6th grade), and Division 3 (7th-9th grade), Division 4 (10th-12th grade). We do limit the number of friends in any one cabin as this can cause problems with cliques or some campers being excluded. Camp is always great with friends. The ones you come with and the new ones you make.

A desired outcome for campers at Camp Greenville is to make new friends. We also want all campers to feel comfortable in their cabin groups, whether or not they’re attending camp with a friend. For this reason, our cabinmate request procedure has been updated for 2024.

Each camper may list a maximum of three names of other campers (in the same session, program, gender, and grade division) that they’d like to be assigned into the same cabin with.

For a cabinmate request to be granted, both campers must list each other as cabinmates forming a mutual request.

Requests for cabinmate “chains”, “trains”, or “circles”, where each camper lists a different camper as their request attempting to form larger groups, will not be granted.

Campers are assigned to cabins the week before their session.

Campers are assigned to cabins, based on the following criteria, in this order: 1) Session - The week your camper is attending camp. 2) Program - Base Camp, Adventure Camp, Leadership Program, 3) Gender - Girls Cabin, Boys Cabin, 4) Grade Division, 5) Cabinmate Requests

A desired outcome for campers at Camp Greenville is to make new friends. We also want all campers to feel comfortable in their cabin groups, whether or not they’re attending camp with a friend. For this reason, our cabinmate request procedure has been updated for 2024.

Each camper may list a maximum of three names of other campers (in the same session, program, gender, and grade division) that they’d like to be assigned into the same cabin with.

For a cabinmate request to be granted, both campers must list each other as cabinmates forming a mutual request.

Requests for cabinmate “chains”, “trains”, or “circles”, where each camper lists a different camper as their request attempting to form larger groups, will not be granted.

Criteria which will NOT be taken into consideration when assigning cabins (but rather will be randomly assigned) includes:

Home address, Years of experience at camp, Specific requests for cabin building, Specific requests for cabin leaders, “Same as last year”.

The cabins are fun places where you, your cabin mates, and counselors will live. We have three different villages of cabins: the Ridgetops, the Lakesides, and the Adventure Cabins. Base camp uses the Ridgetop and Lakeside cabins, which have electricity, heat, hot water, toilets, and private, individual showers. The Adventure Camp uses our Adventure cabins that have running water, toilets, and electricity. Shower houses are nearby that have private, individual shower stalls. Some cabins have air-conditioning – it is typically not needed due to the cooler weather up on the mountain, but accommodations are made based on weather.

Each meal has great food like you get at home. Breakfasts always have good cereals, juice and fruit, plus eggs, pancakes, or French toast. Lunch is great stuff like grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, soft tacos, etc., plus a complete salad bar and fresh fruit bar. For dinner, we offer things like chicken, spaghetti, turkey, taco night etc., along with vegetables and a salad bar. After dinner you get dessert! In addition, you can get a snack in the middle of the afternoon at the camp store Tues-Fri.

Dietary needs: we accommodate vegetarian, gluten free, vegan, dairy free, nut free, and no red meat/pork. Any other needs must be discussed with the Camp Director by calling 864-836-3291 ext 0512.

Your biggest concern is for your child's safety and we understand this. The health and safety of our campers is our top priority here at YMCA Camp Greenville. Regardless of how beneficial a program could be, it is worthless unless an effective camp health and safety program is in place and implemented by knowledgeable staff.

Health Center

A state-of-the-art and well equipped Prisma Health Center, is well staffed with an RN or Paramedic along with Health Center Coordinator 24/7 when camp is in session. In addition our summer staff are First Aid/CPR trained and certified. The safety of a great camp depends on the experience and professionalism of the director and their staff. We will give you a call if anything happens at camp that we would want to know about as parents. This includes spending more than one night in the infirmary or any needed visits to the nurse or doctor that require special medical attention.

Health Forms

On your Camp Greenville account page you will find a forms links. This link will include a few different forms that need to be completed, signed by you NOT A PHYSICIAN, prior to your camper attending. We will also ask you to let us know of any changes at check in so that we can make them to your account. Please fill these forms out prior to arriving to camp, campers who do not have the forms filled out will sadly have to be turned away.

Medications

Campers may NOT keep any medications in their cabins. All camper prescription and non-prescription medications will be dispensed by the camp nurse or by the Trip Specialists while on adventure. Medications must be given to the medical staff during check in. All medications must be in the originally packaged bottles with their label or it will not be accepted.

Before you register

Please call us in advance to discuss any medical conditions or special concerns that need to be managed at camp. Our first priority is being sure we can care for your child while at camp.

If you want to sign up for 2 individual one week sessions you can sign up for stayover weekend in between sessions so you don't have to go home and come back. Stayover weekend is $150 per camper and includes laundry service and a souvenir laundry bag.

Stayover weekend is only available to campers in Division 2 and 3 who are attending consecutive weeks of camp. Campers in Division 1 may attend if they have an older sibling also attending stayover weekend.

This can include multiple weeks of adventure, multiple weeks of base camp, or a combination of adventure and base camp! Our 2 week session (Monks Ultimate and Outback already factor stayover into registration)

In 2024 stayover weekend is offered every weekend of the summer.

Just one summer at camp can positively influence a child’s life forever and every child deserves that opportunity. Our confidential Financial Assistance Program allows numerous children, who would otherwise not be able to attend, to experience all that YMCA Camp Greenville has to offer.

Applications for assistance are available mid January but an email will go out notifying when it opens. After you pay you $100 deposit via your Camp Greenville account, log into your account and click the 'forms' tab. The form must be submitted online via the parent portal.

Initial deposit:
A deposit of $100/camper/session is due at the time of registration to hold your child's place for selected camp(s).

Balance due:
Adjustments to payment plans may be made by contacting the office. All payment plans will conclude by April 15, 2024.

Any balances left unpaid after this date (due to insufficient funds, accounting error, etc) may result in the camper losing his/her place in a chosen session, as spots will be filled by our waitlist after this time.

All families with overdue balances will receive communication from our office between April 15-26, 2024 before registration will be cancelled due to non-payment.

Session transfer:
While we try to be accommodating of circumstances, we ask parents to understand the adjustments to cabin assignments, food preparation, and staffing that is necessary when transfers are made. For this reason, please request session transfers a minimum of 7 days prior to arrival date.

Refund policy:
(Updated Sept 2024)

If you realize you must cancel (at any time), you are required to notify the camp office in writing via email to Stacie Simpson, including any relevant information that might be used to determine refund eligibility.

Before January 15, 2025, our summer camp cancellation and refund policy is very flexible. If your circumstances change, just let us know, and we'll provide you with a refund, (less your non-refundable $100 registration fee per camper per session.

Between January 15 and March 15, 2025, a cancellation for any reason will result in a 50% refund of program fees paid to date (beyond the original $100 non-refundable registration fee).

Between March 16 and May 15, 2025, refund requests for major life circumstances beyond your control (such as family relocation, serious injury/illness, emergency hardships, etc) may be submitted with documentation for refund consideration.

After May 15, 2025, no refunds can be provided for any reason.

If, at any time, a refund is requested in such a way that does not represent our core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility, no refund will be provided. Refunds are provided at the discretion of the Executive Director.

Dismissals:
Camp Greenville reserves the right to dismiss a camper from their session in-progress.

Behavioral - Camp Greenville reserves the right to dismiss a camper due to behavioral issues.

Health – Camp Greenville reserves the right to dismiss a camper due to health concerns, including but not limited to: the camper introducing a communicable condition to camp (such as suspected viral/bacterial infection, rash, or lice), or unforeseen health conditions which hinder the camper’s experience or require medical attention beyond the reasonable scope of camp’s Health Hut.

Injury – Camp Greenville reserves the right to dismiss a camper who has sustained an injury that requires medical attention beyond the reasonable scope of camp’s Health Hut. Camp Staff will contact the parent to arrange either parent pick-up at camp, or camper transportation to a health care facility, depending on the severity of the injury.

Decision to Leave – Although Camp Greenville staff will make every effort to ensure a camper has a positive experience, if a camper decides that their camp experience must end, camp staff will contact parents to arrange for pickup.

Session adjustments:

Camp Greenville reserves the right to adjust programming or cancel sessions based on the number of registrations. In this event, transfers will be made to alternate sessions without additional processing fees.

Returned payments:
There will be a $25.00 fee for all checks returned or credit cards declined to Camp Greenville. An official bank check, money order or credit card payment will be required to continue to secure the selected session(s).

Camp is an active place where you are outside having fun, playing, being active, and doing amazing things. You can bring things like books, board games, cards, cameras, flashlights, and other fun stuff, plus any sports equipment you like. If you bring a mountain bike for the adventure program, it can be used only on the adventure trips and not in camp. Since you’ll be so busy, you won’t have time for I-pods, game boys, cell phones, etc. Cell phones don’t get signal at camp anyway, so they are useless. Don’t bring things like water balloons, fireworks, skateboards, knives or any type of weapon. Of course, any type of tobacco (including e-cigs, vapes, or juuls), alcohol or illegal drug is NOT allowed.

A detailed list is available in the link below

Packing List 2023

Every Friday night we have a themed dinner in the Dining Hall to celebrate at the end of session. We encourage campers and staff to dress-up for this special occasion. Don’t feel you have to buy anything. You probably already have stuff at home that you can be creative with!

2024 Weekly Themes not yet announced

Money can be added to your campers account (by logging in to your parent portal) to be used at the camp store while they are at camp. We ask that you do not send cash to camp. Snacks are $2-3 each, shirts and souvenirs range from $5-$40.

If your camper is in Base Camp, they will have an opportunity to visit the camp store Monday-Friday to buy concessions and apparel.

If your camper is in Adventure Trip Camp, they will have the opportunity to visit the camp store on Monday and Friday. Cash may be sent with them for their trip but it is not required and snacks are provided.

During check in, you will take your campers medication and drop it with our medical team at the Health Hut. All medication including over the counter, must be in the originally packaged bottles with the original label. Campers are not permitted to keep any medications in their cabins. All camper prescription and non-prescription medications will be dispensed by the camp nurse or by the Trip Specialists while on adventure.

Drop off for both one and multi week sessions is the Sunday that starts their session. Gates open at 2:30 p.m. and the program begins at 4:00 p.m. You'll receive instructions for this process a few days before your arrival. The closer you come to gate opening time, the longer the wait. A lot of people arrive early creating long lines.

Pick up is the last Saturday of your child’s last session (if attending multiple weeks). Gates open at 9am, and checkout ends at 9:45am. If your camper is attending multiple weeks and you are not picking them up in between make sure you are registered for the stayover weekend session in between.

We do not allow early or late check in or check out.

We’ve specifically designed the start and end of the week to support smooth transitions into camp and from camp back into home life.

If your camper cannot arrive/depart during the scheduled times, our first choice is to transfer your camper to another session when they can fully participate in the program. Please reach out to our office to reschedule.

If arriving/departing outside the scheduled times is unavoidable due to a family emergency, please contact our office for approval. Early/late arrivals/departures are extremely disruptive to the camp schedule and experience, but exceptions can be made in cases of emergency.

Any arrivals/departures outside the scheduled times will result in a $150 fee, charged to your account; and your camper will lose their "returning" status for next summer, limiting your registration opening to be with new campers in Phase 3, rather than with returning campers in Phase 1.

Contacting your camper can be done one-way by dropping off mail at check in, sending mail, or sending an email. Your child will not be able to call you and we are not able to bring them to the phone. We will handle emergency situations on a case by case basis. Cell phones do not get service at Camp so they should be left at home.

Mail:
The best way to be sure your camper gets mail is to drop letters or packages off on opening day. It can take 4 – 6 days for mail to arrive at camp and be distributed. Care packages are welcomed, but we highly discourage food. If you are going to send food please send enough for the entire cabin and be sensitive to common allergies.

During check in we will have a mail bin for each day of the week in which you can place letters or packages. Please label them with your childs name, session, day you would like it delivered and cabin name (obtained at check in).

If you would like to send mail use the address below:

Child’s Name
Session and Cabin Name (available at check-in)
YMCA Camp Greenville
4399 YMCA Camp Road
Cleveland, SC 29635

Emails:
One-way emails (from you to your camper) can be sent by via the Camp Greenville Live app. These are called bunk notes and you'll need to purchase credits. Emails are printed each morning from the PREVIOUS day and delivered during lunchtime. No emails are delivered after Friday 1:00 p.m.

Please note: Adventure campers will ONLY receive mail and emails on Mondays and Fridays as they are away on their trip the remainder of the week.

I’M WORRIED MY CAMPER MAY GET HOMESICK: A recent study by the American Camp Association reported that nearly 96% of all boys and girls spending two weeks or more at overnight camps reported some homesickness on at least one day. Homesickness is not just common, it’s nearly universal, and it is also a rare opportunity for growth. A wonderful home deserves to be missed. But we are also made to engage the world we live in and to not be afraid to move toward opportunity, even when it means leaving behind things that are more familiar. A great camp for kids provides a safe and controlled environment to begin the adventure of healthy independence.

WHAT TO EXPECT…

The Letter:
Homesickness is most acutely felt when campers have the least to do, which is of course the exact moment that they are able to write home! If you do get a sad letter please respond by doing two things quickly. First, write them an email letting them know that you understand they miss home but that you are also proud of them for their growth at camp. Next, please call us and let us know. Chances are that we will be aware that they have missed home, but we can also speak with their counselors and give you more information.

The Bargain:
The fastest way for a camper to remain homesick is for you to say you will come get them if they remain homesick. It’s a circular promise that builds momentum in a camper’s planning so that they then find it very difficult to become a camper. Parents make “the bargain” for a number of reasons, but it is often because they are just as concerned about time away from their camper as their camper is about time away from home. Just like our children need to develop a sense of adventurous independence, we as parents sometimes need to be stretched a little too. If this is true of you, it is okay, you’re in good company. Instead of making “the bargain” with your camper give us a call and let us give you details about how they are doing.

All camper behavior management is implemented with care and respect by our staff. There are some times when a campers behavior distracts from the overall experience of the cabin group by requiring excessive one-on-one attention from staff. As a commitment to the success and enjoyment of camp by each camper, we want you to know our usual steps for redirecting challenging behavior.

Step 1: Cabin leaders will talk about specific undesirable behavior with the camper and together make a verbal corrective plan for success. The cabin leader will let his / her Division Leader know about the verbal agreement.

Step 2: If the behavior continues, the Division Leader will have a conversation with the camper and create a plan for change and document it on the Behavior Contract. After a conversation with the camper, the Division Leader will notify the Summer Camp Director and the SCD will email the behavior contract to explain what has happened, let the parent / guardian know the approaches that we have tried, and ask for advice with the situation. Our partnering with parents in this way has been very successful! However…

Step 3: If the behavior continues, the Summer Camp Director will contact the parent again with the camper in the room and the camper will be required to leave within 1 hour plus travel time from the parents home.

And unfortunately, there are situations when campers are removed from camp activities and parents are required to pick up their child from camp without a refund. This, of course, is not our preference, but for the well-being and safety of the whole group, or as a logical consequence for continued inappropriate behavior, dismissal from camp may be required.

There are also some behaviors that may result in immediate dismissal from the camp program. These include, but are not limited to: physical violence, possessing any prohibited substance, theft, emotional abuse of another camper and bullying.

For parents who would like to book a nearby hotel room before or after check-in / check-out, please view our hotel booking portal by clicking here.