Cuscowilla Summer Camp registration opens March 1

Press release from Alachua County
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – Registration for summer camp at Cuscowilla Nature and Retreat Center opens on March 1, 2024. This year’s theme is “EPIC Summer Adventure. Where campers will Explore, Play, Investigate, and Create!” Those registering for summer camps should visit the Camp Cuscowilla program page. Links to register will be available starting March 1, 2024 at 8 a.m.
Day camps will be offered for seven weeks from June 10 to July 26, Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Children ages 7 to 12 can register for one week or the whole summer. Each week offers archery, swimming lessons and recreational swimming, outdoor skills, arts and crafts, kayaking, and more. Campers will also attend field trips once a week to places in Alachua County, such as the Santa Fe Zoo, the Alachua County Sports Complex, Poe Springs, the Cade Museum, and more.
Specialty camps are offered for ages 10 to 14, with themes such as Fish Camp from June 10 to June 14. There is also an all-new Teen Week from July 29 to August 2. Fish Camp is a Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission-based curriculum for campers to learn proper catch-and-release techniques while exploring George’s Pond at Cuscowilla. The all-new teen camp allows campers to choose a track based on their interests, such as art and music, leadership skills, or outdoor adventure.
“This summer, we’re teaming up with some incredible educational partners such as UF IFAS Extension, Micanopy Library, Harn Art Museum, and many more,” said Camp Manager Jamie Bass. “Camp provides an increasingly rare opportunity for children to unplug and immerse themselves in the natural world right here in Alachua County.”
The weekly rate is $150 for day camps and $175 for specialty camps. Campers will receive breakfast, lunch, and a snack. Daily bus transportation to and from Lincoln Middle School (1001 SE 12th St., Gainesville) is included. Campers can also be dropped off and picked up from the camp (210 SE 134th Ave., Micanopy).
Qualifying campers can also receive a scholarship from Alachua County Children’s Trust and the Friends of Cuscowilla with completed applications and proof of documents.
Looking at the advertising poster for this summer camp, I am impressed with the efficiency of Alachua County.
It shows that for only $175 per person, Cuscowilla will rent Taylor Swift’s jet and take campers to New York City to see the Empire State building, to Paris to see the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower, to Italy to see the Leaning Tower of Piza, to Egypt to see the Pyramids, to India to see the Taj Mahal, topped off by a stop at a Japanese pagoda. When Alachua County says “field trips” they REALLY mean it.
Can adults sign up for this great Explorer camp? I want to go!
I for one am glad the young uns will take a field trip to the Alachua County Sports Complex. They need to know that when they get out of college, they will be the ones who, on August 1, 2036, will be required to pay off the funding for the Alachua County Sports Complex on Bond 2021B. On that date, they will have to pay off a balloon payment of $15,260,000 to pay for the Alachua County Sports Complex. Bond 2021B is one of the worst financial decisions ever by the stewards of the public’s money, the Alachua County Commission. This insanely stupid bond was totally missed by all the local media outlets who claim to be watchdogs of our local bad governments. Sad.