Cabins
Girls live in rustic wooden cabins with screen windows and doors.
At night, campers are serenaded by cicadas and crickets. Cool breezes blow through the screen windows during Rest Hour. On rainy days, you can hear the gentle lull of raindrops on rhododendron leaves. Living close to the outdoors is one of the best things about Camp!
Each camper is assigned to a cabin according to her school grade. Cabin assignments are made with care and intention, and we try to assign no more than two girls from the same hometown to each cabin. This keeps one group from overwhelming a cabin and encourages girls to branch out and make new friends.
The simple cabins at DeSoto are the backdrop for some of the sweetest moments in Camp, from spontaneous dance parties and silly laughter to cabin devotions and whispered goodnights. Cabins become like families for the month that girls are at DeSoto, and cabin mates often become best friends.
The Enchanted Forest
Junior campers (grades 2-4) live in the Enchanted Forest. Each green cabin holds 8-9 campers and 2 counselors. These cabins have a half bathroom inside, including a sink and toilet, storm curtains for wet weather, and a welcoming front porch. The shower house is centrally located within the cabin area.
Hut Row
Last Year Junior, Intermediate, and Senior campers (grades 6-10) live on Hut Row. These brown cabins differ in size: some hold 6-7 campers and 1-2 counselors, others hold 8-9 campers with 1-2 counselors. Each has storm curtains for wet weather and a welcoming front porch. The communal bathrooms and showers for each age group are centrally located within the cabin area.
Queendoms
In the cabin, each camper has what we call a “queendom” – this includes her bed, her shelves, her trunk, and any of her belongings. Each girl is responsible for keeping her queendom clean, keeping up with her things, and deciding whether or not to invite others into her queendom. We recognize that each girl needs some part of the cabin to call her own, and a space that is a haven. We encourage campers to be respectful of each others’ privacy and need for space, as well as to be hospitable queens who are generous stewards of their area and belongings.
