In the early morning calm, amidst the bird chirps and water ripples, you can almost feel the earth waking up. The trees stand tall in the reassuring way they have for decades and the grass appears to be breathing as the breeze rustles by. The chickens, ducks and goats peck and saunter. It’s serene. It’s beautiful. It’s natural.

And then the campers awake. Hello day! Out of their beds, they rush over to the Lodge for breakfast, gathering and (loud) songs. There’s a full day ahead – a day of exploring, learning, hammocks, teamwork, fellowship and likely a visit to the mud pit.

Camp Hanover’s 600-acre retreat center in Hanover’s Old Church area welcomes thousands of participants annually for overnight camps, day camps, company retreats and special events. The camp mission is to provide a place apart for renewal and growth in an environment of Christian hospitality and they do it well.

“We believe that if we give kids and teens an opportunity to practice caring for each other here, they will be better equipped to keep doing so out in the real world,” says Doug Walters, Camp Executive Director. For this reason, camper groups must agree on daily free-time activities, have choices on when they do certain activities, learn and see where our food comes from and how we participate in that cycle, take turns cleaning up after meals and participate in service projects.

This camp is a unique place. On our visit, we also learned about maintaining a most awesome mud slide, caring for goats who get caught in fences and that teens really can forget about their cell phones. Come, take a peek into camp life with us – we’re sure just watching this quick video will refresh your spirit as it did ours. Thanks to Camp Hanover for an amazing tour!

Let’s go to camp!

Watch the video!