Spend a Night in Colonial America
Gather your group for a colonial adventure that continues beyond sundown.
From preparing a meal over an open fire to settling into a colonial tent, an Overnight Encampment invites you to experience the daily rhythms of 18th-century camp life. With our knowledgeable staff as your guides, your group will learn traditional skills, share camp duties, and discover how much can be accomplished with a little ingenuity and teamwork.
An engaging experience for Scout troops, homeschool groups, and adventurous friends and families.
All encampments must be arranged in advance with Camp Flintlock. Date requests are subject to staff confirmation.
How Does an Overnight Encampment Work?
Your adventure begins as your group settles into camp, receives colonial clothing, and prepares for life in the 18th century. With our experienced staff guiding the way, participants share the work of camp life—from gathering wood and hauling water to preparing meals over an open fire.
Throughout your stay, hands-on activities, historical demonstrations, and traditional skills bring the past to life. Try your hand at tomahawk throwing, enjoy period music, and discover how cooperation and ingenuity kept a colonial camp running. Your group can also choose additional activities to make the experience your own.
As evening settles over camp, gather for a historical reading before retiring to your colonial tents. Morning brings the sounds of fife and drum, breakfast preparations, and another round of discovery. Whether you stay for one night or two, everyone has a part to play—and a story to bring home.
Your Encampment at a Glance
Gather your group and leave the colonial preparations to us! Explore the details below, then contact us to discuss available dates and begin planning your overnight adventure.
Participants
20-80 participants.
Children aged 5 and under are not considered participants and may attend for free, but please be aware many of our activities will be too difficult for little ones.
Equipment
Colonial clothes, tools, firewood, cooking equipment, primitive tents, straw mattresses, and bathroom facilities provided.
Cost
$75 per participant per night.
Again, children under 5 do not count as participants. Non-refundable deposit required: $200 or 10% (whichever is larger).
Activities
Some activities are set, but others are customizable. Some result in a craft you may keep. All are fun and engaging. See below for a full list.
Scheduling
Encampments may last 1-2 nights and typically take place on a weekend. Contact camp Flintlock to discuss dates for your event. (Dates requested in registration forms are not automatically reserved.)
Food
Authentic colonial meals and drinks provided (3 meals for a 1-night stay, and 5 meals for a 2-night stay). Meals contain a meat, a starch, & a vegetable.
Planning Your Encampment
Life in a Colonial Camp
Every encampment invites your group to take part in the work, recreation, and daily traditions of the 18th century. Pull on your colonial clothing, roll up your sleeves, and discover what it takes to keep camp running!
Tend the Camp
Gather and chop wood, haul water, help prepare meals over an open fire, and wash your tinware afterward. Even the simplest chores become opportunities to learn new skills and work together.
Discover the Past
Every encampment invites your group to take part in the work, recreation, and daily traditions of the 18th century. Pull on your colonial clothing, roll up your sleeves, and discover what it takes to keep camp running!
Settle In for the Night
Share a colonial meal and enjoy the company of your fellow campers before settling onto a straw mattress in a colonial tent. Wake to the sounds of fife and drum as another day in camp begins.
Every Overnight Encampment Includes
✔ Sleeping in a Colonial Tent
✔ Campfire Cooking
✔ Colonial Meals
✔ Wearing Colonial Clothing
✔ Collecting & Chopping Wood
✔ Hauling Water
✔ Washing Tinware
✔ Character Discussion
✔ Colonial Store
✔ Native American Necklace Making
✔ Period Musik
✔ Shooting a Musket
✔ Artillery Demo
✔ Throwing a Tomahawk
✔ Historical Reading
Additional Activities
You may pick one of the following activities per night of your stay.
Rounders
Play the colonial precursor to baseball!
Beeswax Candle Making
Make a beeswax candle using the traditional dip method
Quill & Ink Writing
Learn to write with a quill pen, just like our Founding Fathers!
Fife & Drum Instruction
Don't just listen to our live music--learn to play, yourself!
Block Printmaking
Create engraved images using the block printing technique.
Rag Doll Making*
Make your own classic toy--
the rag doll!
Fencing
Use padded swords to test your fencing skills.
Cord Making
Learn to weave your own seven-strand cord
Colonial Games
Learn & play a variety of period games such as Hoop Race, Graces, & Double Ball
Knot Tying
Learn a variety of knots--an essential skill in a world before zippers and plastic buckles
Bracelet Making
Make a string bracelet using the monkey chain knot
Registration Process
Your colonial adventure begins with a date! All Overnight Encampments must be scheduled directly with Camp Flintlock before completing the booking form.
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Request Your Dates
Complete our Date Request Form with your preferred dates, estimated group size, and whether you’d like a one- or two-night stay. Please plan at least a month in advance.
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Receive Date Approval
Our staff will review your request and contact you to discuss availability and confirm your dates. Submitting a date request does not reserve your stay—please wait for our approval before booking. -
Complete Your Booking
Once we’ve approved your dates, complete the Overnight Encampment Booking Form and submit the required non-refundable deposit.
Description of Activities & Add-Ons:
*denotes a craft that participants may take home.
Automatic
Dress Up & Store
Try on traditional colonial dress (over street clothes) and learn about the language of the fan, then shop in our Camp Flintlock Store!
Add-On
Bracelet Making*
Learn how to turn a string into a friendship bracelet.
3rd grade & up
Add-On
Quill & Ink Writing*
Our most popular activity! Learn to write like Thomas Jefferson with a turkey feather quill.
Add-On
Tin Punching*
Use the classic art of tin punching to make a decorative ornament.
Materials Fee: $3.00
Automatic
Colonial Games
Play a variety of outdoor games including Hoop Race, Graces, & Tug of War!
Add-On
Cord Making*
Weave a cord of seven strands with a simple method that will captivate even the most restless students.
Add-On
Rag Doll Making*
Make your own doll out of cloth & yarn, just as children did in colonial times.
Materials Fee: $1.50
Add-On
Corn Husk Doll Making*
Make a traditional Native American corn husk doll. You may even learn why the story of why the corn husk doll has no face!
3rd grade & up
Materials Fee: $3.00
Automatic
Necklace Making*
Make a traditional necklace with authentic materials! Your choice of Native American or West African necklace.
(Due to the difficulty level, West African Necklace is only recommended for 3rd grade & up.)
Add-On
Face Paint & Story
Hear the adoption narrative of James Smith, a colonist captured and adopted by Caughnawaga Tribe, then try on some Native style face paint yourself.
Add-On
Rounders
A fun and exciting field game--the colonial precursor to baseball. Players hit a ball, run bases, and are "out" when hit with a soft leather ball.
Add-On
Mini Flag Making*
Make a 13-star American Flag out of paper. US flags were not standardized at the time, so students can customize theirs!
Materials Fee: $1.00
Add-On
Beeswax Candle Making*
One of our most popular activities! Make a real beeswax candle using the dip method.
Materials Fee: $2.50
Add-On
Knot Tying
Learn some handy knots such as the square knot, the granny knot, the bowline knot, and more!
3rd grade & up
Add-On
Fencing
Use padded swords to test your fencing skills.
Add-On
Campfire Wassail
A non-alcoholic version of the colonial hot drink (essentially spiced tea with fruit juice).
Materials Fee: $2.00
Add-On
Block Printmaking*
Create pictures, 1700s-style! Use a hand-carved block of wood to print images on paper.
Add-On
Leather Journal Making*
Bind your own leather journal!
Materials Fee: $4.00
Add-On
Tomahawk Throw
Throw tomahawk at a wooden target.
3rd grade & up
Add-On
Store Credit
Give each of your participants credit to use in the Camp Store. Store items start at $2. $5-$10 of credit is recommended. For safety reasons, CF does not sell knives, tomahawks, or bull whips at school field trips.
Whole dollar amount,
min. $2.00
Preparing For Your Stay
Length of Stay
Your group will be divided into teams to share camp duties and activities throughout your stay. The sample schedule shown here offers a glimpse of what your overnight adventure might look like.
One Night | Two Nights | |
|---|---|---|
Additional Activities | 1 | 2 |
Meals Provided | 3 | 5 |
Cost per Participant | $75 | $150 |
What to Pack
Each camper should have:
✔ Bedding (i.e.: sleeping bag, pad, and tarp)
✔ Toiletries
✔ A small flashlight with new batteries
✔ Non-aerosol Bug Repellent
✔ Sunscreen Lotion, if desired
✔ Pocket-size Rain Poncho
✔ Spending Money
✔ One change of clothing
For fire safety reasons, avoid clothing made primarily of synthetic fabric due to fire safety
✔ Plain shoes or sandals of some kind
Campers should NOT bring
✘ Flipflops, crocs, or colorful sneakers
✘ Clothes with a camo print
✘ Shorts
Participants are not permitted, under any circumstances, to bring:
✘ Modern firearms*
✘ Fireworks
✘ Alcohol
✘ Illegal drugs
✘ Electronic items (exceptions: cameras, cell phones, and flashlights)
*If you wish to bring your own reproduction Rev War-era firearms to your encampment, please contact Camp Flintlock for prior approval.
What to Expect
A Night & Day in Camp
Sample One-Night Encampment
Arrival Evening
Settle Into Camp
Welcome & tent assignments
Colonial clothing issued
Supper & camp duties
Historical reading
Time to “hit the hay”
Morning
Rise with the Fife & Drum
Gather wood & prepare breakfast
Character discussion
Hands-on activities & colonial games
Musket shooting
Afternoon
More Adventure Awaits
Tomahawk throwing
Midday meal & cleanup
Period music & camp store
Return equipment & tidy camp
Artillery demonstration & farewell
Camper Details
Help us outfit your group for life in a colonial camp! We’ll need participant numbers, ages, and clothing sizes to prepare colonial clothing for everyone.
Download the Camper Details form and print as many copies as your group needs. Email the completed forms to nc@campflintlock.com at least two weeks before your encampment.
Overnight Encampment FAQs
