FAQs

Q. What is the Camp Greenbrier mission statement?
A. It is the mission of Camp Greenbrier to provide campers with a safe, positive environment where they can have fun, gain independence, improve their self-confidence, and learn to live unselfishly with others.
Q. How long has Camp Greenbrier been in existence?
A. Since 1898. Camp Greenbrier is the oldest, privately owned, summer camp in the United States.
Q. How old are the campers?
A. The campers in the boys camp range in age from 7 to 15 years old. Participants in the Leadership Academy are 16 to 17 years old or have completed the 10th grade.
Q. How many campers are there in each session?
A. There are 130 campers in each session.
Q. What is the ratio of counselors to campers?
A. Generally, there is a counselor in each tent with three campers. In a few cases, there may be four campers in a tent with a counselor. Also, some fifteen year old campers may be in an honor tent, without a counselor.
Q. Tell me about the counselors.
A. Most of the counselors are college students. Many of them grew up as campers at Greenbrier. The rest have been referred by friends of Greenbrier, or are international staff who have come to Camp through a long-running cultural exchange program. The counselors go through an intensive week long orientation prior to the arrival of the campers.
Q. What are the medical accommodations?
A. A doctor or a registered nurse is on site 24 hours a day to care for campers and staff. The local physician’s office is 1/4 mile from camp, emergency services are 2 miles away, and the local hospital is 13 miles from camp. It is your responsibility to provide medical insurance for your son. We do not provide accident insurance or prescription medicines. In the event there is a need for either, the local hospital or drug store will bill you for services, which your own medical insurance may cover. Our medical staff handles routine treatments and the giving of daily medication. A health form will be sent to parents with our mid-April mailing.
Q. What are the bathroom and shower facilities like?
A. Modern plumbing with stalls for showers and toilets.
Q. How structured is the camper's day?
A. Each week, campers get to choose their own activities for that week’s morning classes. During the afternoons, campers can choose a trip out of camp, participate in team sports, or make other individual activity choices. The evening activities are selected according to the campers’ ages and interests.
Q. What happens when it rains?
A. Basically, campers and counselors go on with their regular activities. In case of a thunder storm, all campers wait out the storm in a nearby building.
Q. Please tell us about the Awards Ceremony.
A. At the end of each term, there is an Awards Ceremony for all of the campers. Campers can receive Honor Roll Cards, trophies, and/or the Order of the Star. Campers earn points by demonstrating learned skills, showing improvement, and having a good attitude. Campers who earn 10 points in an activity, earn that activity’s Honor Roll. Campers who receive 100 or more points during a term are awarded the Order of the Star. Trophies are also given out for each activity. Trophies can be awarded to the camper who excels the most, or to the camper who is the most enthusiastic, or to the most improved.
Q. How do campers get to and from camp?
A. Campers can come to camp by car, flight to Greenbrier Valley Airport in Lewisburg, WV, or flight to Dulles International Airport, outside of Washington, DC. Amtrak may also provide transportation to Alderson, WV. The train station is two miles from camp (check for age minimums for passengers). There is a $135.00 fee for the Dulles pick-up and transportation to camp, and there is a $100.00 fee for transportation to Dulles for flights home from camp. Remember, campers who are traveling to camp through Dulles International Airport should arrive the day before the opening day of the session they are attending. And for travel home via Dulles, campers’ flights should depart after 3:30 p.m. on the last day of the camper’s session, allowing us time to get them to the airport and through security. Travel instructions will be mailed to each family in mid-April.
Q. What about camper spending money?
A. Each camper has spending money for the camp store. Minor items such as stamps, envelopes, snacks and drinks, tennis balls, toothpaste, batteries, etc., can be purchased. Each camper must have a minimum of $100.00 in his camp store account. Any boy’s account money not used will be returned to the camper on the day he departs from camp. Boys may not have cash in their possession while at camp.
Q. What is carried in the camp store?
A. Our Camp Store has a great selection of high quality baseball caps, t-shirts, shorts, and sweatshirts, which are suitable for your child to wear at home and at school. Post cards, ping pong paddles, camp stickers, flashlights, water bottles, and other items can also be purchased in the Camp Store. An order form for hats, t-shirts, shorts, and sweatshirts will be mailed to parents in mid-April.
Q. How is camper laundry taken care of?
A. The camp fee covers the cost of laundry. Unlimited laundry is done for every camper once a week.
Q. What happens when a camper has his birthday while at camp?
A. Each camper receives a cake and a “Happy Birthday” song from the entire camp on his birthday. Parents are welcome to send birthday packages ahead of time, to be opened on the camper’s birthday. Please mark these birthday packages on the outside “Birthday, to be opened on ……” with the date clearly indicated.
Q. What should a camper bring to camp?
A. Most campers will wear a t-shirt and shorts most of the time. We urge each camper to have at least one official Greenbrier t-shirt for special occasions. For more details, select “Families” on the menu bar and then select “Forms” to find the “What to Bring” list. This form will be sent to all families with our mid-April mailing. Families should tape this list to the inside of the camper’s trunk lid for easy reference.
Q. What not to bring?
A. Cell phones, or any device which is capable of playing a video, or any device which can connect to the internet, may not be brought to camp. Campers should also refrain from bringing expensive items like watches, cameras, etc., because they can be easily broken or lost and they are not necessary for a happy camping experience. Campers are also not permitted to have money with them while at camp. Weapons of any kind, including pocket knives, are not permitted. Additionally, campers may not have or use alcohol, tobacco products, vaping products, or non-prescription drugs while they are at camp.
Q. What luggage should a camper bring to Camp?
A. The general practice for each camper is to bring a trunk or footlocker for clothing and small articles, and a duffel bag for bedding and large bulky items. There are no size restrictions for the trunks / footlockers.
Q. May campers have visitors during their stay at camp?
A. We do not allow visiting because we have found it is not in any of the campers’ best interests. Visitors may cause homesickness where none previously existed, even in a camper who merely sees another camper’s parents visiting. We do, however, want you to meet our staff and see our facilities, so we suggest you either bring your son to camp or pick him up at the end of his stay. Please understand that our position on visiting is for the well-being of all of the children.
Q. Should we send packages to our son while he is at camp?
A. Please do not send food, candy, or gum. In a supervised situation, the campers are able to get snacks and goodies from our camp store. If food, candy, or gum is received, it will be discarded. We suggest, in lieu of food, candy, and gum: postcards, comic books, yesterday’s sports page or comic strips, paperback books, games for Rest Hour, etc. We recommend not sending more than one package every two or three days.
Q. How do I communicate with my camper while he is at camp?
A. Feel free to write letters to your camper while he is at camp. We recommend not sending letters or packages more than once every two or three days. Constant communication from home makes it harder for campers to gain the true independence camp is uniquely situated to instill in a camper. Campers are not permitted to use the camp phone to receive or place calls, except in the case of an emergency. A telephone call will often create homesickness where none previously existed.
Q. What is the timing for signing up and returning forms like the health form to camp?
A. Campers can sign up at any time after October 1. In mid-April, additional forms including a health form will be sent to all camp families. The health form and the other forms will need to be returned to camp by May 15.
Q. What is your Privacy Policy? And What is your Security Policy?
A. Credit & Debit Card Security

Credit and debit cards can be used to make purchases with Camp Greenbrier in two ways. Both methods use Heartland Payment Systems as the ultimate processor. Your card data is stored through Heartland Payment Systems’ data storage and is encrypted through the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). They store your data on a secure server behind a firewall. The direct payment gateway adheres to the standards set by PCI-DSS as managed by the PCI Security Standards Council, which is a joint effort of brands like Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.

The first method to make credit and debit card purchases with Camp Greenbrier is through a direct payment gateway (more commonly known as an eCommerce purchase). SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology protects your information on our site. SSL technology is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browser remains private and confidential. Your purchase transaction data is stored only as long as is necessary to complete your purchase transaction. After that is complete, your purchase transaction information is deleted. Once your purchase transaction data leaves our site, it will be protected by Heartland’s secure server.

The second method by which credit or debit card information can be given to Camp Greenbrier is directly, either in person with the card present, over the telephone, through the Contact Us area of our website, or via email. Sending card information through the Contact Us area of our website or through email is not recommended as such methods may not be secure. Card information given directly to Camp Greenbrier will be immediately processed through Heartland Payments Systems’ secure system (outlined above), via computer. Following input, Camp Greenbrier immediately destroys the first 12 numbers of any credit or debit card.

Protecting Your Privacy

At Camp Greenbrier, we are committed to maintaining strong privacy protections for our camper families. We will collect personal information about your family when you visit us in person, write to us via regular mail, talk with us on the telephone, email us, and when you visit our website. The information we will collect includes addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and medical information about campers in attendance. This information will be used to provide the best camp experience possible; to establish and maintain camper accounts and billing records; to contact you about our camp sessions and other special events; to provide appropriate medical care as it is warranted; and to monitor website statistics. Your personal information will not be shared with anyone outside of Camp Greenbrier, except medical persons when deemed appropriate by our medical staff or the Camp Director, for the care of a camper in attendance.

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