December 2024
One of the things I love most about living in the Triangle is the way you can go from the city to the country in like two traffic lights. I had a friend in grad school who lived on a horse farm and rode the city bus to school every day. A horse farm! On the bus route!
This setup makes our area perfect for farm camps. No matter what sort of neighborhood you live in, there’s a farm nearby where your kid can experience all the joys of country life—think carefree days in the sunshine collecting eggs, snuggling baby bunnies, and digging in the dirt.
In addition to being just plain fun, spending time on a farm also creates unique opportunities for kids to bond with new friends, learn to care for the land, and connect with where their food comes from.
Check out these 10 great farm camps for a slower pace of life without a screen in sight.
1. 1870 Farm
| Location: | South Chapel Hill 1224 Old Lystra Rd., Chapel Hill, NC |
| Ages: | 3 – 5 for junior camp 5 – 13 for day camp 8 – 13 for overnight camp 14 – 16 for counselor in training (CIT) program |
| Hours: | 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM for junior camp 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM for day camp and CIT, with extended care options up to 7:50 AM – 5:30 PM Sunday – Friday for overnight camp |
At 1870 Farm, campers spend their days exploring a charming farm that has been operating for over 150 years. Activities include animal care and feeding, barn and field games, hiking, yoga, gardening, crafts, cooking, fishing, gemstone mining, and more. The farm has a variety of indoor and outdoor activity spaces to provide flexibility and keep the fun going whatever the weather brings. The summer 2025 schedule is already posted and open for registration.
For the first time in 2025, 1870 Farm is offering three weeks of overnight camp in partnership with UNC-Chapel Hill. Campers spend the day on the farm and head to the nearby UNC-Chapel Hill campus to recharge in the evenings.
2. Sun Star Farm
| Location: | Northwest Apex, near Jordan Lake 2090 Marthas Chapel Rd., Apex, NC |
| Ages: | 3 – 12, separated into four age groups |
| Hours: | 8:15 AM – 12:15 PM for ages 4 and below (“Sprouts” camp) 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM for all other ages, with extended care options up to 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM |
Sun Star Farm Camp is designed to give children a break from our hurried modern life with the space and time to unplug, unwind, and play. Every week has a special theme and campers enjoy bonding with animals, getting messy in the garden, making crafts, playing games, singing songs, and venturing out for hikes and creek play. Campers are divided into four age groups, each with their own indoor and outdoor space, and a staff-to-camper ratio of 1 to 6 or better ensures each child gets plenty of attention and supervision.
The summer 2025 schedule is posted and open for registration, with multi-week and sibling discounts available.
3. Belle Vie Farm
| Location: | South Chapel Hill 3000 Damascus Church Rd., Chapel Hill, NC |
| Ages: | 3 – 11 |
| Hours: | 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM for morning camp (age 3-11) 12:30 PM – 4:30 PM for afternoon camp (age 6 -11) 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM for all day camp (age 6-11) |
At Belle Vie Farm, kids cultivate a love of nature with plenty of farm and forest activities, enjoy thrills on a 75-foot zipline, dirt slide, and climbing web, and let their creativity blossom in the art studio and makerspace. Camp is held on a 34-acre farm and forest with access to 1,800 square feet of indoor creative space. With a mission to create authentic community through connection with nature, Belle Vie is a working farm that offers fresh eggs, greens, and more in addition to camps.
The 2025 summer schedule is already posted and open for registration.
4. Learning Outside
| Location: | South Chapel Hill 2912B Jones Ferry Rd., Chapel Hill, NC |
| Ages: | 6 – 10 for weeks 1-5 8 – 12 for weeks 6-8 |
| Hours: | 8:45 AM – 3:15 PM |
Learning Outside offers 8 weeks of nature-based camps each summer in addition to its school-year forest kindergarten and after school nature clubs. Camps are held entirely outdoors and led by naturalists, artists, and educators with an instructor-to-camper ratio of 1 to 5. Campers care for the chickens and goats, spend time in the learning garden, and learn from nature with a plethora of arts and science activities. With access to 269 acres of pasture, forest, and wetlands within Triangle Land Conservancy’s Irvin Nature Preserve, the camp offers ample space to roam and explore.
The weekly themes for summer 2025 are posted online but specific dates are not yet announced. Registration is scheduled to open at 2:00 PM on February 3, 2025.
5. Changing Tomorrow Farm
Website | Track Out and Summer Camps
| Location: | Holly Springs 6312 Cass Holt Rd., Holly Springs, NC |
| Ages: | 6 – 13 |
| Hours: | 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM with extended care options up to 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
Changing Tomorrow Farm aims to help children grow up to be good stewards of the Earth by giving kids a chance to immerse themselves in the joys of the outdoors. Campers get hands-on experience with gardening, animal care, survival skills, horseback riding, archery, and more through an array of summer and track out camps offered year round. In the summer months, a swimming pool and creek offer the opportunity to cool off and enjoy water play.
The camp is already open for registration for summer 2025 and beyond. To see the schedule, you first need to begin the registration process linked on the Camp Registration page.
6. Strouds Creek Farm
| Location: | North Hillsborough 1600 Friendship Ln., Hillsborough, NC |
| Ages: | 4 – 13 |
| Hours: | 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM |
Strouds Creek Farm offers free-ranging farm fun with days spent caring for animals, riding horses, stomping through the creek, splashing in the pool, and enjoying crafts, games, and free play. Enrollment is intentionally kept small (limited to 20 campers) to create a relaxed environment where kids can be themselves and enjoy building friendships with their fellow campers and the farm’s resident animals. Daily popsicles and a Friday marshmallow roast sweeten the camp experience.
You can see the schedule and register for summer 2025 on the Summer Camp page.
7. JC Raulston Arboretum Summer Garden Camps
| Location: | West Raleigh JC Raulston Arboretum, 4415 Beryl Rd, Raleigh, NC |
| Ages: | Preschool – rising 8th graders, varies by week |
| Hours: | Generally 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM, but varies by week and age group |
Summer Garden Camps offered by NC State University’s JC Raulston Arboretum give kids a chance to spend time immersed in nature within the Raleigh city limits. Campers get to know the arboretum’s plants, insects, flowers, and fruits on a whole new level with science, art, and culinary adventures that vary by the theme of the week.
The 2025 summer camp schedule is posted on the Summer Garden Camps page.
8. Jireh Farm Summer Camp
| Location: | East Durham, nears Falls Lake 1310 N. Mineral Springs Rd., Durham, NC |
| Ages: | 5 – 12 |
| Hours: | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM with extended care options up to 8:30 AM – 4:15 PM |
At Jireh Farm Summer Camp, kids are encouraged to get their hands dirty as they have fun on the farm. The camp is run by Jireh Farm Foundation, Inc., a non-profit founded in 2019 with a vision of inspiring people to grow and raise healthy, natural foods within their communities. Children taste the farm’s bounty while harvesting berries, herbs, and veggies and play an integral role in the daily routines of caring for goats, pigs, bunnies, and chickens. Activities also include swimming in the pool, hiking through the pig forest, creating farm-themed crafts, and enjoying fun field games.
The 2025 schedule is not yet available but will be posted at the Camp Sessions page.
9. Old Mill Farm
| Location: | South Durham, near Jordan Lake 8913 NC-751, Durham, NC |
| Ages: | 5 – 12 |
| Hours: | 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM with extended care options up to 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Old Mill Farm is a 14-acre farm with a fishing pond where kids can enjoy the great outdoors in the heart of the Triangle. Campers learn all about life on a farm with activities such as feeding and caring for the animals, collecting eggs, creating farm crafts, fishing in the pond, tending the garden, and enjoying water play and field games. Guest speakers and special activities enhance the experience with STEAM activities and farm entrepreneurship projects. The camp maintains a counselor-to-camper ratio of 1 to 7 so each child gets ample guidance and attention.
The 2025 schedule is posted on the Camp Weeks and Rates page and is open for registration. Old Mill Farm offers early bird discounts until the end of January 2025.
10. Laying Hen Farm
| Location: | South Hillsborough 3318 Arthur Minnis Rd., Hillsborough, NC |
| Ages: | 6 – 14 |
| Hours: | 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM with extended care available by the hour |
Laying Hen Farm is a 10-acre family farm focused on organic practices that operates year-round with a variety of after school, day camp, and summer camp options. With its “slightly wild” environment, the camp provides an inclusive space for kids to engage with nature, make friends, and bask in the joy of farm life. Each week has its own theme and activities are adapted to suit the interests of the group, giving campers lots of room to unleash their creativity, contribute to the farm’s daily routines, and simply play.
Summer camp dates for 2025 are not yet posted but will be available on the Farm Camps page.
Do you have a beloved camp with critters, plants, and outdoor fun that we didn’t feature? Share it in the comments to help others find awesome camps!
Map photo credit: Google.
Camp photo credits: 1. 1870 Farm, 2. Belle Vie Farm, 3. Changing Tomorrow Farm, 4. Strouds Creek Farm, 5. JC Raulston Arboretum, 6. Old Mill Farm.
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