Family Camp FAQs

New for 2024! Families attending our largest weekend programs (Family Camps 1, 3 and 7) may receive $500 off program fees for sharing one of our traditional camper cabins with another family. During the summer, camper cabins house up to 16 individuals; this incentive is available for two families to share one large camper cabin.

Why are you offering this?
At Tawonga, we want all families interested in our programs to be able to experience them. Family Camps 1, 3 and 7 have historically had long waitlists, and we want to make space for more families to attend.

How do I tell you I want to share a large camper cabin?
Upon registration, simply click the checkbox indicating your interest in sharing a cabin. In the spring or summer, you will have the opportunity to complete your family information forms and request another family you would like to share with; we will do our best to accommodate requests.

Will I get the incentive even if I don’t end up being housed with another family?
Housing assignments are made in the weeks leading up to the program; our goal is to ensure that all families wanting to share a cabin and receive this incentive are able to do so. Due to space constraints, we cannot guarantee that you will be assigned to a shared cabin until our housing team finalizes the assignments. If we do end up housing you with another family, you will retroactively get $500 reimbursed from your fees.

Will I get the incentive if I share a cabin during another weekend other than Family Camp 1, 3 or 7?
This season we are only offering the $500 incentive for those who want to share cabins during Family Camps 1, 3 and 7. Families are still welcome to share cabins with other families upon request during other weekends, but this will not affect program fees.

What if I want my own living space for my family?
The default is that families will have their own living space which could be a large camper cabin, small cabin, yurt, individual room in a shared space, etc. We have minimal housing with private bathrooms – these spaces are set aside for families with children under 2 years of age and families in need of specific accommodations for medical reasons. Sharing camper cabins with a $500 incentive is an opt-in option for those attending Family Camps 1, 3 and 7.

Our weekend family programs are designed to combine all the best parts of a summer session at Tawonga into an extended three or four day weekend for the whole family! We welcome infants through grandparents for a unique blend of classic Camp activities, campfires, song sessions, a festive Shabbat celebration, family bonding and fun!

We offer a variety of weekend programs in the spring, late summer, fall!

Some weekends are themed and are targeted for specific groups. Family Camp 2 is our Jewish Families of Color Weekend and is an intentional affinity space for families that have at least one person in their immediate family who identifies as a person of color or JOC+.
Family Camp 3 is our Keshet LGBTQ weekend, and is an intentional affinity space for LGBTQ parents and their families.
Family Camps 5, 7 and 8 are JFAM weekends. These weekends are generously funded by the Foundation for Jewish Camp and the Maimonides Foundation. JFAM weekends are for families who are newer to Tawonga and who have at least one child under eight. Any family who is brand new to Tawonga gets an automatic $50/per person discount on their family weekend.
At Family Camps 1, 4, and 6 – everyone is welcome!

We are also thrilled to offer Women’s Weekend again in 2023! Women’s Weekend is for woman-identifying adults over the age of 21 (some exceptions made for infants).

All Family Camp programs features a similar schedule where kids two and older spend their mornings in groups with similar aged kids participating in traditional Tawonga activities while adults have the opportunity to choose from a variety of programmatic options such as hiking, river dipping, yoga classes, workshops, classic camp activities, or relaxing and reading under a tree. In the afternoons, families participate in activities all together and can choose to swim in our Olympic-sized pool, paddle boat on the lake, create at Arts and Crafts, climb between trees on our adventure Challenge Course or participate in family team activities like softball games and “Chopped” cooking competitions! All our activities are outside and are modified to be safe for COVID-19.

Evenings feature campfires with traditional staff-led shticks and a family talent show and songs led by our talented songleaders. Once the kids go to sleep, our staff keep watch on the cabins while parents can enjoy a glass of wine and snack followed by crafting or a dance!

Each family will be assigned to their own cabin unless you already let us know that you would like to share a cabin with another family. As a result of COVID-19, children will be housed with their families, rather than in a separate kid cabin. Our cabin spaces include individual rooms in shared spaces, large camper cabins, small cabins and yurts, and housing is spread all over the grounds. The majority of our cabins do not have electricity and are a short walk to a shared bathhouse. We have minimal housing with private bathrooms – these spaces are set aside for families with children under 2 years of age and families in need of specific accommodations for medical reasons. We cannot guarantee a specific type of housing and make every effort to accommodate each family’s needs. Families will learn about housing specifics upon arrival to Camp. If you have a question, please email sfdirectors@tawonga.org.

We do have a small number of cabins with electricity available for our youngest and oldest campers, and those needing heightened accommodations for medical reasons.

We know that for some, the adventure of sleeping in a cabin without electricity or a bathroom is fun and exciting, and for others it might seem daunting. We are happy to talk you through it and see how we can best accommodate your family to ensure your stay at Tawonga is comfortable.

Our state of the art kitchen produces scratch-made delicious meals for our 400 person Family Camp community, taking careful consideration of the dietary needs and restrictions among our participants.

We serve meals that are kosher-style, meaning we won’t serve meat and milk in the same meal and strive to create menus that are simultaneously delicious for adults and children, and also make additional “kid friendly” alternatives. We aim to source foods locally when possible – even as local as our own organic garden – and can accommodate most dietary needs, restrictions and allergies. If you have a severe allergy please contact us and we will make a plan with you!

A few weeks before the start of your program, we’ll email you a welcome packet including a packing list, driving directions and tips and tricks for a fun weekend! We provide the housing, the food and the fun – you bring everything else!

We are thrilled to be able to offer morning childcare/day groups to kids ages two and older. The children will participate in fun camp activities that are mostly outside and will follow COVID safety protocols. For those with little ones under two, we will have some fun baby/toddler and parent activities to enjoy!

We also offer night time coverage for all children regardless of age. You put your kids to bed and our loving staff will watch them while they sleep from 9-11pm!

Tawonga’s COVID-19 policies are aligned or slightly more conservative than state and local guidelines and guided and approved by our COVID Task Force. Tawonga requires all Family Camp participants five years and older to be up to date on their vaccinations (at least two shots from the primary series). Tawonga strongly recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 but it is not required. Please email ashley@tawonga.org with questions about our vaccination policy. All Family Camp participants, regardless of age and vaccination status, need to take two rapid antigen tests before arriving at Tawonga (the day before the program starts and the first day of the program).

Almost all Tawonga programs are outside and depending on the COVID-19 situation closer to the time of the program, we may require masking and distancing. We will follow state and local guidelines as well as recommendations from our COVID Task Force.

Tawonga provides adult beverages (including wine and beer) each night at the “bar” once children are asleep. In addition, if adults would like to, they are welcome to bring wine to enjoy during dinner.