Activities & Trips

Merri-Mac’s backpacking program is designed to give our girls the skills to travel safely and comfortably in the backcountry. We begin in camp learning the basics of wilderness first aid, campsite selection, backcountry cooking (campfire mac & cheese and s’mores, anyone?), orienteering, etc. and quickly move out on the trail as we visit places like Catawba Falls, Graybeard, and Lookout Mountain.

Our North Carolina mountains offer some of the most beautiful backpacking trails in the world. Come and explore them with us.

Learned skills become muscle memory as our girls learn to pair their skills with teamwork on our court. Our basketball classes focus on mastering core skills like dribbling, shooting, and passing. These culminate in camp-themed scrimmages and games. It’s basketball…camp style!

Our North Carolina mountains are teeming with some of the most exciting white water in the world. However, before a girl is ready to enjoy our rivers she must learn the basics on, and sometimes in, our lake. Here she will learn balance, self rescues, strokes and draws, and perhaps most importantly, teamwork with her boat-mate. Of course, all of this is done with an emphasis on having fun as instruction is organized into games like canoe baseball or swamp wars.

We cheer at camp…a lot. We cheer for our tribes, our cabins, our activities, and our friends. It’s part of what bolsters us to try new things. When we have our friends cheering us on, it makes us a little bit more brave.

For this reason, cheerleading is a camp classic. It is a great mix between the athleticism of gymnastics and the group leadership and communication of the performing arts. From basic cheers to stunting, our cheer program is a great way to try something for the first time or prepare for your school team.

Climbing is a quick teacher. You try, you fall, and you try again. Each time you try, you make it a little further, and each time you try, you get a little more confident.

Girls begin on one of our three climbing walls, learning the basics of movement and balance. From here, those who are ready, can move out to some of the finest granite in the Southeast. We ordinarily begin top-roping at Rumbling Bald or Linville Gorge. For those ready for longer routes we head to Pisgah for a day at Snake’s Den or Looking Glass Rock, or perhaps to Grandfather for some steeper routes. Along the way campers learn basic skills such as knot tying, basic safety, belay and rappel techniques so that by the time they progress through the Bronze, Silver and Gold Bars they have logged thousands of feet and years of experience on North Carolina granite.

Camp is a community, and community is strengthened around a table. That’s why meals are one of our favorite times at camp, and girls in our cooking class get a little bit extra!

Our demonstration kitchen and outdoor grilling station are among the most beautiful and well equipped we know. Our girls return home excited about new skills and love returning each summer to take those skills to the next level.

When you sing at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and chapel you need a few moves to go along with the melodies.

Our campers start with the foundation, and learning technique will take up some of the time, but it won’t be long before she may be center stage in one of our camp productions. Princess Parties, Talent Night, The Carnival, Christmas in July, and dining hall skits are just some of the camp activities where she might find herself performing.

Like many of the activities in our arts programs, dance is also a wonderful activity for a girl to learn to express herself with confidence.

The Merri-Mac diving program is designed to first introduce young swimmers to the sport, as well as to allow competitive divers to continue their workouts.

Diving teaches gross motor and fine motor coordination and at the same time helps girls develop a kinesthetic sense. As these skills are learned our girls gain athletic ability that will easily transfer to many other sports. Also, in our diving program our girls learn the commitment of trying a new dive, and trying it again, and trying it again, until they learn the trick. Of course, as in every activity, the key is to have an instructor who loves the sport and loves the camper so that her enthusiasm will be contagious.

We were made to create, and our DIY Projects class provides a space to do just that!

In all of this it is not difficult to place a strong emphasis on just having fun. We draw, paint, sculpt, stain, tye-dye, bead and just plain create cool stuff every day. There are few greater rewards than looking at a well done piece and thinking “I made that.”

We recently had a camper, who later became a counselor, write us to say that in her 12 years at Merri-Mac she never went on a backpacking trip, and she never climbed our ropes course, but that she fell in love with dance, drama and art at Merri-Mac.

The Merri-Mac drama program is designed to help girls grow confident in expressing themselves in front of a group. Emphasis is placed on comedy, improv and dramatic games.

Fencing is a camp classic, and one of our favorite daily activities.

Fencing has been described as physical chess. It is a blend of physical coordination and strategic thinking that can take years to master. Our girls learn the basic stances, grips, and moves and are soon fencing under the watchful eye of our fencing staff.

Music is an important part of summer camp, and that includes musical instruments like the guitar. Whether you are an experienced guitar player or a true beginner, you can hone your skills under the guidance of an experienced musician on the guitar.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to many talented bluegrass musicians, and our girls camp is no exception. There is almost always someone picking a tune on a guitar somewhere in camp, and our love of good music extends to our guitar classes.

Gymnastics is the bridge between art and sport. Developing strength, balance, grace, poise, a kinesthetic sense, explosive power, commitment, and attention to detail, the Merri-Mac Gymnastics program allows every girl to use her best talents as she progresses from beginner to advanced.

In a fully equipped gymnasium gymnastic coaches give expert instruction, introducing beginners to the sport in a fun-filled way and helping the more advanced gymnasts continue to progress.

Designed for our older girls, Jr. Lifeguarding is the first step in preparing for a Lifeguard Certification (which is needed in many of our staff positions!) and it is a helpful prerequisite for professional level life saving certifications. Our Jr. Lifeguarding classes are small, which is essential for this sort of skill based program.

Jr. Lifeguarding is the right class for those who want to advance in their swimming and waterfront skills without the more strenuous training of our competitive swimming program.

Note: Jr. Lifeguarding begins for rising 8th grade and up.

Kayaking at Merri-Mac, like our other wilderness activities, has a significant out of camp trip portion. Our goal is to teach basic beginner skills on the lake and progress to the river. On the lake, campers learn how to “pull,” how to roll, and several basic strokes. On the river, a kayak allows the paddler to experience the thrill of piloting their own boat and “surfing” the waves.

Our kayaking staff is made up of qualified, seasoned paddlers comfortable on bigger water than our campers can run. We check river conditions and know the strength of our paddlers long before they get to the river, and kayaking, as a result, has become  a camper favorite.

Note: Kayaking begins for rising 4th grade and up.

While many of our camp activities are high energy and adrenaline, we were made for quiet moments too. Knitting gives our campers the opportunity to learn a new skill (or hone one they already have) while taking time in their day to sit and create.

Time and again we hear that the Knitting Shack is where friends are made. We love seeing girls become close as they fall in love with knitting.

Camp might be full of young campers, but we are old! 79 years old, in fact! We are proud to have fourth generation campers with us each summer, and this class is a tribute to the games that their great (great…great?) grandmothers would have played way back in 1945.

Enjoy learning classics like croquet and badminton along with a few team sports games. If you want to play horseshoes and ultimate frisbee in the same class, this one’s for you. 

Camp is all about building something…we build friendships, adventures, confidence, grit, and now (after lots of camper requests) Lego’s!

This class is new for 2024, and we can’t wait for Junior Camp campers (rising 1st to rising 4th) to gather in the ping pong hut to play and build together.

Mountain biking is one of the fastest growing outdoor sports and the Asheville area is the premier East Coast destination. Merri-Mac is home to a pump track and camp trails that were built specifically for teaching mountain biking. This means that they are gentle, inviting, and fun! We begin our classes at camp before we encourage them a bit further out on trips. And at Merri-Mac, our girls get to do this in their favorite way…together!

Note: Mountain Biking begins for rising 5th grade and up.

You thought camp was just for campers? Each summer we host a litter of puppies for our PAWS program. This is designed to teach the dogs how to be well adjusted family members, but more importantly, it gives our girls a new perspective on how to bring out the best in something. They learn to teach these funny little creatures with consistency and confidence.

The fastest growing sport in the country is now at Merri-Mac. Come play on our new Pickleball courts and learn the game that is sweeping the nation. Beginners will learn the basics of gameplay and technique while advanced players can hone their skills.

Pottery has a long tradition in the Asheville area and we are excited to offer this to our girls as a camp activity!

The clay is pretty limitless as an art form and during the summer we teach our girls both hand building and how to throw forms on the wheel. We have some skilled instructors who love teaching beginners as well as helping more experienced girls become ceramic artists.

We take 2-3 trips off campus each day. Most of these are associated with our in camp activities, but rafting is different. These trips are offered to those who sign up for them before arriving at camp and head out to some of the most beautiful whitewater in the country.

Merri-Mac’s riding program is one of the finest in camping. The directors’ family’s extensive experience on the national “A” show circuit and fox hunting has given them the knowledge to select an outstanding team of instructors and camp owned school horses. The program consists of instruction in hunt seat equitation from beginner to advanced.

Our campers begin in the ring, and when appropriate may even start one on one with a lunge line. Here they learn the basics of communicating with a very large animal through very subtle movements. As they progress our campers move from beginner to advanced levels, learning diagonals, leads, flying changes, leg yields and much more as they begin to build a partnership with their horses. Girls who are ready can also begin jumping over fences, and those on a more advanced level can continue to grow with the Merri-Mac riding program.

Riflery is a classic summer camp program and offers a chance to practice concentration, coordination, and calm deliberation. Riflery is a sport that demands attention to detail, both for safety and to do well with an air rifle on our range.

One of the most important things a camper will learn at Merri-Mac is how to handle a gun. Taught by certified instructors, riflery is a popular class – both because of the relaxing nature of the sport and because our range is built across a beautiful mountain stream that whispers along beside our campers.

Play the world’s favorite sport on beautiful grassy fields in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can learn fundamentals or grow your more advanced skills as you pass, trap and shoot with your friends. Soccer encourages fitness, coordination, sportsmanship and, most importantly, FUN!

When you are with your best friends every day is special. Some of our favorites are:

Christmas at Camp

Christmas is so special at home we thought, why not celebrate at camp, too? On Christmas Eve, our oldest girls “babysit” the others while the staff go cabin to cabin singing carols. The next day Santa arrives with Christmas music and breakfast in bed for all those who have been nice…which is everyone!

Tribefest

Tribefest is to camp what April 15th is to accountants. The tribes compete throughout the session, but Tribefest is when we get a little carried away. Drive by Black Mountain during Tribefest and you are guaranteed to hear cheers echoing off the mountains.

Birthdays

Every family celebrates birthdays a little differently, and so does every cabin. Of course there is always cake and singing with the whole camp, but then there’s almost always some other cabin-wide celebration. Every camper gets a year older every year, and we love it when that happens at camp.

4th of July

We’re really good with special decorations and celebrations, and what’s better to celebrate than the fourth?

Sibling Day

Every now and then girls with brothers at Camp Timberlake will get to go visit for an afternoon. Often times these visits include a carnival, cookout and Timberlake’s world famous fireworks show.

Our fitness program is designed to get your body moving in a positive environment with a variety of exercise classes with low to medium intensity.

We have curriculum for these classes, but our counselors love to customize programs for girls who need to follow a fitness schedule for a school team.

Sometime our girls need down-time, and sometimes our parents need to know their girls are knocking out those summer reading requirements. So let us help with that. This class is great for girls who are learning to read and might need a counselor’s help, girls who are tackling a lengthy school list, or girls who love to read and want some dedicated time to do so.

Time on the waterfront fills many happy hours at Merri-Mac. Certified Water Safety Instructors give safe, expert instruction from beginners to advanced. Competitive swimmers are encouraged to continue their workouts under an experienced coach. Free swim, fun filled water games and just plain fun in the sun are also favorites.

Tennis is one of our most popular activities! Campers receive individual and group instruction from counselors who frequently play tennis away from camp.

If you have never picked up a racquet or play competitively, individualized instruction can accommodate all levels of play. Camp finds a good balance of instruction and fun!

Running and stretching are the foundation of this program. Enjoy trails on camp and even a few off site trails with counselors who focus on growth, not mileage.

Note: Trail Running begins for rising 8th grade and up.

There is a sense of adventure that a girl can find high up in the mountains that cannot be found anywhere else and so each day we offer a number of out of camp trips. Merri-Mac’s canoeing, kayaking, backpacking, mountain biking and climbing programs each offer numerous out of camp opportunities and it is not unusual for cabins to also plan special trips to local water slides and swimming holes.

In addition to this we offer several specialized day trips that families may choose before their campers arrive. Rafting the Pigeon or French Broad Rivers are wonderful additions to daily camp life.

New for 2024!

Learn our mountain backyard with your friends. Campers will spend three half-days and one full-day hiking through the Black Mountains that camp calls home learning basic wilderness navigation, growing in strength, endurance, and friendship, and cooking gourmet food over an open fire.

This activity will meet the requirement for two marks: 3 trips and hiking a Slatey, Piney or Greybeard. Hiking is a great way to spend time together working toward a common purpose, so we encourage you to sign up for this activity with friends! Space in this activity is extremely limited, so sign up early.

Note: Trips: Hiking is two activity periods and will be for campers rising 9th grade and up.

Merri-Mac’s volleyball program is an opportunity for novices to learn the fundamentals and for competitive players to expand their skill level. Players will learn the value of working together as a team and improve their hand-eye coordination. In volleyball, campers hone their skills in keen preparation for the tribal volleyball tournament each session.

Our Yoga program focuses on fitness, core strength and balance and it is a great foundation for our other camp sports. Try Yoga for the first time, or build on your practice, but there is no more beautiful setting to take a class than at Merri-Mac’s Pippin Hill.