Camp Celo


Camp Celo is a privately owned Quaker-based summer camp for children aged 7–12 located in Celo Community of Yancey County, North Carolina.

Program

Camp Celo offers a junior camp and a senior camp. Activities include camping, hiking, swimming, gardening, animal care, arts & crafts, wood shop, and field games. The camp operates a swimming hole on the South Toe River. Campers help maintain an organic garden and farm animals. Senior campers participate in extensive backpacking trips in the nearby Black Mountains, Linville Gorge Wilderness, Wilson Creek Wilderness, and on the Appalachian Trail. The camp serves approximately 35 junior campers and 27 senior campers per session. About 325 campers attend each summer.

History

Founded by Doug and Ruby Moody in 1948, Camp Celo has been operating under the current ownership of the Barrus/Perrin family since 1955.

Philosophy

Camp Celo has been noted for its stances on a number of social issues, including racial integration, gender equality, nonviolence, and environmentalism. Much of its philosophy and traditions are based upon Quaker tradition.