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Opening & Closing Days

The big day has arrived and it’s time to head to camp!

Check-in is on Sunday from 2:00 to 3:30 pm. More than likely there will be a line of cars. Rest assured that once we open the gates the line will move very quickly. You are welcome to arrive early and walk around camp, or bring a picnic to enjoy while you wait in the car line, but please do not enter the cabins until 2:00 as the counselors will be busy preparing for your arrival. Here is how the check-in process works once the gates open at 2:00:

Directions to Camp Cheerio can be found on Google Maps. Our physical address is 1430 Camp Cheerio Rd. Glade VAlley, NC 28627

Arriving from the east:

Follow I-40 West through Winston-Salem, then get on Highway 421 North. Follow 421 N until it intersects with I-77. Take I-77 North for approximately nine miles, then take exit #83 (Highway 21 North- Roaring Gap). After about two miles, you will come to a stoplight. Go straight through the stoplight; Highway 21 then becomes a two lane road. Continue on this road for another 17 miles until you come to the top of the mountain. Take a left onto Camp Butler Road, which is just past High Meadows Country Club/Restaurant (you’ll see a big sign for Camp Cheerio); follow this road for 1/2 mile, then take a left at the top of the hill onto Camp Cheerio Road. This road dead-ends into camp after a mile and a half.

Arriving from the south:

Take I-77 North, then follow directions above.

Arriving from the north:

The best way to arrive is via the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is only 2 miles from Camp Cheerio. Easy access to the Parkway is available from I-77 South near Fancy Gap, VA. Get off in Roaring Gap at the Highway 21 exit. Head South on 21 for about three miles. Take a right onto Camp Butler Road, just past the Cherry Lane VFD (you’ll see a big sign for Camp Cheerio); follow this road for 1/2 mile, then take a left at the top of the hill onto Camp Cheerio Road. This road dead-ends into camp after a mile and a half.

Arriving at Camp

Drop-off is on the first Sunday of your Session, between 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm. You will be checked in at the front of Camp in your car. If your child has medication, that will be dropped off at the Sloan Center with our Camp nurses after you have moved your child into their cabin.

Picking up at Camp

Pickup for our 2G, 3G, 1C, 3C, and 4C sessions starts on Saturday from 8:30am-10:00am. Pickup for 1G, 4G, 2C and 5C, starts on Friday from 9:00am-10:30pm.

Move into cabins

Approximately one week before the start of the session you will receive a postcard with your child’s cabin assignment. Go to the cabin first. Our friendly staff will be on the road to direct you to the right spot. When you arrive at the cabin you will be greeted by your child’s counselors who will help you move into the cabin and show your child their assigned bed.

Cabin Photos

Each cabin will have a group picture taken by our camp photographer. Campers will receive a copy of their cabin picture to take home at the end of the session. Once you have finished in the gym and returned your child to their cabin, you are free to leave. After parents leave the campers will start to make friends with their cabin mates and counselors, as well as learn camp rules and get an introduction to what their time at Cheerio will be like. Their afternoon will also include the following:

Swim Test

All campers will be given a routine swim test to assess their swimming abilities and comfort level in the water. Campers who do not pass the swim test will be required to wear a life jacket in the deep end of the pool, and will be given a different colored swim band to help our lifeguards identify those swimmers that need extra attention. Failing to pass the swim test does NOT prohibit campers from participating in water activities at Cheerio.

Activity Sign-Ups

After they have been checked in, campers will sit down one-on-one with their counselor to choose which activities they want to do during their time at camp. From our list of offerings they will choose the 8 activities they want to do, as well as 2 alternates just in case one of their primary choices is unavailable. Every effort will be made to get campers into their top 8 activities. Our schedule rotates, so campers will participate in 4 activities on Monday and Wednesday, and the other 4 on Tuesday and Thursday (M/W/F and T/Th/S during 2-week sessions.)

Once campers have chosen which activities they want to do they are assigned to specific activity periods. This lets us keep all classes to a manageable size, and allows us to know where each and every camper is at any point throughout the day. Some activities, including dance, drama, and cheerleading/tumbling, are held every day during 1 week sessions. (Choosing these activities will lower the total number of activities in which a camper participates. A full list and descriptions of our activities can be found on our Activities page.)

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Closing Day

Please call the camp office if you run into traffic or other issues and will be late. Your child will be waiting for you at their cabin, so go there once you arrive at camp. Take extra care to be sure you have all of your child’s belongings before you leave. The most commonly left behind items are shoes, laundry bags, and sleeping bags. Each cabin has a lost and found bucket; please check that for your child’s belongings before leaving. Items left behind can be mailed back COD. If your child took medicine while at camp their counselors will have it in the cabin ready to give back to you. You will also receive your child’s cabin photo, a Camper Development Form highlighting their experiences at Cheerio, and Tapestry (Instructions) to help your child document their time at camp. Be sure to sign your child out of the cabin before leaving.