2020 Camp Registration is now open!
We do have limited camp scholarships available. If you are interested in a camp scholarship email dstowell@utk.edu for a scholarship application.
Most camp sessions filled up quickly last year. Be sure to register soon so you won't be placed on the waiting list.
All programs require preregistration. Click on the links below to register.
Publicity Release - Upon enrolling in a UT Gardens program, the parent/guardian authorizes the University of Tennessee to use photographs, quotes or video footage from the camp program for the purpose of marketing. In the event that you do NOT want images of your child publicized, you MUST provide written notice to our Education Director prior to the start of camp. The request must be made via email to dstowell@utk.edu.
Grands & Me (ages 4-12 with a grandparent)
Make memories while gardening with your grandchild. These camps give grandparents a chance to be a kid again and experience the UT Gardens with their grandchildren. The price of camp includes 1 child and 1 grandparent.
Pollinators
Date: 5/29/2020
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Cost: $30/members; $35/nonmembers (cost is for one grandchild and a grandparent)
Birds, bees, and butterflies- oh my! Bring your grandparent for a fun filled day of camp all about pollinators. We will explore the garden looking for pollinators and do a fun craft. During the day we will learn about pollinators and what they do for us here in the garden and in the whole world. Come ready to spend the day out in the garden learning about some of the most interesting creatures that make the garden their home and who even help us out by just living their lives.
Trees
Date: 6/29/2020
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Cost: $30/members; $35/nonmembers
Tall ones, short ones, green ones, ones with flowers, ones with needles, ones with scents, and ones with sticky sap. All are trees! This camp is all about trees: how they grow, what types there are, and where they are in the garden. We will spend the day learning all about trees in the garden, so bring you grandparent and come on down to the gardens!
Date: 7/10/2020
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Cost: $30/members; $35/nonmembers
Bring your grandparent for a fun, feathery day at the garden! We will search for birds, make a bird feeder for you to take home, and we will play in the children's garden. Come join us for this great day all about birds at the garden!
Lil' Gardeners (ages 4-5)
Book Week
Date: 6/8-12/2020
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $150/members; $175/nonmembers
Enter a world with us where crayons talk, big caterpillars munch on things, and we meet different creature characters. This week will be all about children's books. Each day we will read a new book, do some fun activities, play, and explore in the garden! Join us for this fun-filled book week at the UT Gardens!
Explorers (ages 6-12)
Pollinator Week
Date: 6/1-6/5/2020
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $150/members; $175/nonmembers
Did you know that over 300 species of fruit rely on bats for pollination? This camp is all about pollinators from bats and bees to birds and butterflies. Join us as we use the garden as an outdoor classroom to learn about the different pollinators we have in the gardens. We will play games, explore the garden, and will have playtime in the children's garden.
Book Week
Date: 6/15-6/19/2020
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $150/members; $175/nonmembers
Are you looking for an adventure? Do you love to read about daring deeds, magic, and mysterious lands? If so, this is the camp for you! We will be inspired by characters such as Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and the Pevensies and will use our cleverness and teamwork to solve a mystery, take herbology in the greenhouse, and play capture the flag. Join us for this exciting week of camp based on books!
Bird Week
Date: 7/13-7/17/2020
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $150/members; $175/nonmembers
During Bird Week we will learn why birds behave the way they do, watch videos of mating rituals, and search for birds in the garden and on the greenway. Also, we will take home plants that will attract birds and other pollinators. Play games and find out the role that birds play in the ecosystem at this feathery fun camp!
Earth Week
Date: 7/20-7/24/2020
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.Cost: $150/members; $175/nonmembers
Do you ever feel like you can't change anything about the state of the world? What if you could? During Earth Week we will learn about small changes that you can do that will make a big impact on the Earth. We will learn about composting, recycling, reusing, and even taking public action. Would you change the world if you could? Come to this camp to find out how to do just that!
Olympics Week
Date: 7/27-7/31/2020
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.Cost: $150/members; $175/nonmembers
Are you ready for the 2020 Summer Olympics at the UT Gardens? Play games, learn about different countries around the world, and, of course, learn some cool things about plants while you're with us. During this last week of summer camp, we will have an international focus as we study plants and people from other countries. Throughout the week we will do relays, run races, and play in the Children's Garden. It's going to be a great week!
Theater in the Garden
Ages from 9-14 years old.
Date: 6/22-26, 2020
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.Cost: $150/members; $175/nonmembers
This camp will explore aspects of theater while enjoying spending time in the Gardens. Campers will learn theater skills and techniques throughout this fun filled week of camp. Campers will end the week with a performance in the UT Gardens for their friends and family. This session will be directed by Tracey Coper Halter. Tracey’s professional acting credits include Seven Guitars, (Broadway) Richard III and Two Gentlemen of Verona, (New York Shakespeare Festival) and much more.
Specialty/Partner Camps
Garden Explorer Camp
Registration for this session will be open by 1/10/2020
May 26-28, 2020
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
$40 members/ $50 nonmembers
Are you interested in gardening? Do you know the importance of pollinators? At the Garden Explorer Camp, Gardens staff along with the Knox County Master Gardeners, will teach you some of the basics of gardening! Activities include the proper way to pot a plant, how to water your garden, the importance of pollinators, exploring wetlands, and more!
Ages 6-11.
Camp Cultivate: Food Allergy Friendly Camp
Date: 7/6-7/8/20
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
Camp Cultivate is a free camp designed for those who may have food allergies or even for those who want to know what it's like to have food allergies. With the support of our sponsors, we will have three fun-filled mornings learning how everyone can be a hero because heroes are people who stand up for themselves and others, are kind, respect all people, and protect the environment. During this camp we will play in the garden, learn about plants, and will make new friends all while learning how to cope with having food allergies and how to support those with food allergies.
Ages 6-12 (Children under 6 may attend with a parent)
