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804-560-0068 325 S. 14TH ST. RICHMOND, VA 23219
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Summer Camps

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Summer camp 2025 will open registration sometime in November. Stay tuned!
Give your kids a week of adventures that they’ll never forget! Our goal with RO camps is to foster friendship, confidence, creativity, and an appreciation for Richmond’s urban river, trails, and forest. Our adventure camps have been helping kids do just that since 2007.  
Sapling, Oak, and Old Growth are all rooted in a combination of recreational tree climbing and high ropes style elements. Kids will ascend into the canopy, balance on limb walks, and feel the thrill of giant swings. Harnesses and helmets are always worn while climbing, and kids are belayed by our professional instructors. We utilize the principle of “challenge by choice” with our adventure activities, allowing kids to have greater autonomy to challenge themselves and grow at their own pace. Our dedicated staff offer support, encouragement, and guidance to help campers reach their goals.
Earth Heroes campers will embark on a journey of discovery, exploring the natural world around them in an environmental education camp that fosters curiosity and creativity. Kids will learn to identify the flora and fauna found in and around the parks and gain an understanding of the ecosystems where they live. We achieve this through wildly fun hands-on exploration, nature themed art, and traditional camp games. Campers will spend time swimming (with life jackets, of course!) and rock hopping in calm spots around the scenic James River.
River Shredders is a whitewater focused camp that teaches participants to safely enjoy the James River through paddling various crafts (rafts, paddleboards, kayaks, etc) while learning important principles of river safety. Our goal is to encourage responsibility on the river, a sense of environmental stewardship, and the confidence to pursue things that bring them joy. Along with hydrology, river ecology, and whitewater safety, camp will be rounded out with lots of swimming, river island exploration, and good old-fashioned camp shenanigans. This camp connects kids to the river in a new and unique way, and is a blast for all skill and experience levels.
Join us for an exhilarating summer full of laughter, adventure, and wonder in this great river city that we call home!
Our camps historically fill up early, so register soon to better ensure your pick of dates for this summer.
The best way to contact us is at riversidecamps@gmail.com.
You can also leave us a voicemail at 804-480-2267, though it may take us longer to respond.

 

All Adventure Camps

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Sapling Camp

Sapling activities include arborist-style tree climbing, high ropes activities, giant tree swings, creative games, river exploration and even a rafting trip!

Age: 6-9
Price: $495-$665
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Oak Camp

Oak activities include arborist-style tree climbing, high-ropes activities, giant tree swings, creative games, river exploration and whitewater rafting!

Age: 9-12 *Post Oak is now open to 8 yr olds too!*
Price: $495-$665
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Earth Heroes Camp

Earth Heroes camp activities include exploring Richmond's awesome forests and river, wildly fun hands-on science activities, nature-themed art and games, and natural outdoor fun!

Age: 6-9
Price: $495-$665
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River Shredders Camp

River Shredders campers will have a one-of-a-kind experience learning to paddle a variety of different crafts on the James River, as well as learning about river ecology, hydrology, and river safety.

Age: 12-16
Price: $495-$665
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Old Growth Camp

Rappelling, rafting, and unique tree climbing elements are just some of the experiences you can expect from this camp!

Age: 12-16
Price: $495-$665

FAQ's

  • My child is on the waitlist. How likely are they to get into that camp session?
    • I would not count on it. While it does happen from time to time, it is generally unlikely. Please refer to our cancellation and waitlist policy at the bottom of the page.
  • Will my child be in the same group as his or her friends?
    • If they are signed up for the same camp (Old Growth, Birch Sapling, Red Oak, etc) and the same week they will be in the same group.
  • What is the difference between Red Oak, White Oak, and Post Oak camps?
    • Red Oak, White Oak, and Post Oak camps are separate groups of kids with a different set of counselors, but will have the same programming in regards to adventure activities. They are equally awesome!
    • The same is true for Maple Sapling and Birch Sapling.
  • Do you perform background checks on your staff?
    • Yes. We perform annual checks on all of our camp staff through a third party which covers local, state, federal and sex offender registries.
  • My child is turning _______ years old on ________. Can you make an age exception?
    • We almost never make exceptions in regards to our age groups. We have built into our camp structure a one year overlap in camps (i.e. a 9 year old could attend Sapling or Oak, and a 12 year old could attend Oak, River Shredders, or Old Growth).
  • I am trying to enroll my child in a camp but I’m not seeing the enrollment options for their age group.
    • It’s most likely that the camper’s age was incorrectly listed upon enrollment. Please email us at riversidecamps@gmail.com if you run into this problem.
  • Do you offer extended day programming?
    • We have built into our schedule a flexible pick-up time between 3:30PM and 4:00PM.
  • I’ve forgotten my password and when I try to reset it through the website I am not receiving any emails.
    • Most likely, the email you used to initially register your account is no longer current. Your email address is like a user name in our system so if that changes we need to be notified to change that on our end. If you can think of what email you initially received our confirmations from, that is the account to sign in on and book for the summer.
  • Do you have a Counselor-In-Training (CIT) program?
    • Yes! 16-17 year olds are welcome to apply as CITs. Apply here. Our CITs volunteer at our Sapling, Oak, and Earth Heroes camps for 2 weeks during the summer (preferably consecutive, Mon-Fri). They function as counselors and role models for the kids, are directly mentored by our experienced staff, and learn both technical and transferable skills in the education and outdoor recreation fields. If all goes well, they receive stellar references from us and are invited to apply to work with us as counselors once they turn 18.
**Cancellation/Refund Policy: All payments are non-refundable. Exceptions made at the discretion of our staff. If we are able to fill your camper’s spot through the waitlist, we will refund you all but a $35 per instance processing fee. See our waitlist policy below.**
**Wait List Policy: If we are filling spaces in a camp more than 1 month out from the start of that camp week, we will call one family at a time from the wait list on a first-to-sign-up basis and give them 48 hrs to accept the spot. After 48 hrs we will call the next family on the list.  If we are calling within a month of a camp session, we will call everyone on the wait list concurrently and follow a first-to-respond policy.**