Garden Camp

As of now, we are pausing all camp programs other than our Summer Garden Camp. This allows our team more time to rest and plan so we can continue to give your campers the best program possible. Thank you for your interest and excitement, and we will be sure to announce any changes to camp programming well in advance.

Due to limited registration slots and our desire to serve as many campers as possible, children may only register for one session of Garden Camp per summer. Thank you for understanding!

Garden Camp has a staggered drop-off between 8:45am and 9:15am. Pick-up officially starts at 3:40pm and ends at 4:00pm. There is no extended or early care for Garden Camp – please help us care for our summer staff by being timely with your campers!

We have two programs that run simultaneously – Garden Camp: Garden Guardians, for rising K-5th graders (5 through 12 years old), and Garden Camp: Nature Navigators for rising 6th-8th graders (12 through 14 years old). The occasional exception is made for an older 4-year-old, or a younger 15 year old, but this is done on a case-by-case basis and must be discussed with our team before registration.

Yes! Gardens members are given a 10% discount on standard camp fees, and the opportunity to register early through a camp pre-sale, starting on February 1, 2024. Early access links will be emailed to all Family/Dual members and above on Monday, January 19, 2024. Become a Member today!

We have shifted to the Tiered Payment system for our Garden Camp program with the hope that this will allow greater diversity of participants in our program from the community. The multiple payment tiers illustrate the true costs of summer camp at the Gardens. Please consider selecting the highest level you can afford, knowing that, in doing so, you are enabling others to participate as well – and our community benefits from greater diversity. All campers will receive the same high quality camp experience regardless of payment tier chosen. Your selection is completely confidential.

Tier 1: Most closely reflects the “true cost” of camp

Tier 2: Partially subsidized for families needing some support to make camp affordable

Tier 3: Subsidized rate, supported through contributions from individuals

Pick-up and drop-off take place on MLK Jr. Drive just through the Botanical Garden’s Main Gate, to the right, before passing the bookstore (see map here). There is no rolling drop-off for campers; please walk your camper into camp for appropriate check-in. Please note that MLK Jr. Drive is a busy street – please use cross walks with your children. At drop-off, parents/guardians will be required to share the name of the adult/s picking up their camper or confirm the name that we have on our list. Campers will have their temperature scanned before entering as well as going through a daily symptom check. If your camper has a temperature or any symptoms, they will not be permitted to enter the program.

During pick-up, we will be checking IDs. Families will line up after checking-in with our staff member and their camper will be brought out to them. Thank you for your patience as we provide the utmost safety for our campers. More information will be included in camper confirmation emails.

With written and express permission, Middle School students may sign themselves out of Garden Camp at the end of the day, no earlier than 3;40pm unless otherwise indicated by parents or guardians.

Thank you!

At this time we are determining our capacity for scholarships in the 2024 summer season. Thank you for your patience!

There is a wait list that you are able to join if interested, but keep in mind that there is often very little movement on this front. If so, we will contact people in order of how they joined the wait list. While registration is only open to Members, only Members are able to join the wait list. Thank you for your interest in Garden Camp!

Yes! Please be sure to include the name of the friend during registration. There is a spot on the form for all buddy requests. Please note that we will keep campers in age appropriate groups. We are no longer accepting pairs that are 3 or more years apart in age. This applies to siblings as well. Thank you for understanding as we work to give your campers the best, most age-appropriate experience possible.

No Garden Camp group will exceed a group size of 12. Each group will have two adults assigned to it for the duration of the 2 week session.

The Garden is a place for children with all abilities. If your child requires an aide at school, please contact gardencamp@gggp.org to speak to a staff member to learn more about daily schedules, activities, and to ensure we are prepared to meet the needs of your child. Aides attending with children will need to undergo a background check in advance of accompanying their camper to camp. We look forward to ensuring all campers have great experience; thank you in advance for helping make this possible by communicating with us early!

Unfortunately at this time we do not offer sibling discounts for our Garden Camp program.

Campers will arrive and check-in at the front of the Botanical Garden around 9am. All summer camp groups have the ability to change and adapt their activities based on what their campers are interested in. All groups will have gardening and ecology lessons, as well as arts and crafts to spark their creativity, and lots of exploration through the Garden.

Lunch will be eaten around noon each day after thoroughly cleaning our hands. Campers can expect to be on their feet and walking much of the day and also to get their hands dirty! Between games, stories, and singing songs, Garden Camp campers spend their time learning and growing, just like the plants we cultivate.

At the end of the day, campers will return to the pick-up zone for easy retrieval and to re-cap their days.

Within 24 hours of your registration, 100% refund is available. After 24 hours, cancellations made until one week prior to your camp start date qualify for an 80% refund. There are no refunds available within one week of your camp start date.

This refund policy holds for instances of illness or family emergencies. Cancellations must be requested in writing via email. The date stamp on the email will serve as the time marker for your request and will establish potential refund, if any.

Change requests must be submitted in writing via email and a $25 change fee will be charged upon change. Each camper is limited to 2 changes per camp season. We will do our best to accommodate changes, but in the event that your desired change cannot be accommodated, the refund policy will apply to any cancellations.

If you are changing your camper into a session that is already full, you will be added to the wait list of that session, NOT given a spot.