About
Camp Strawderman offers activities such as horseback riding, swimming, archery, yoga, campfire songs, trail rides, hikes, water sports, water stunts, and synchronized swimming. The program takes place on grounds that include fields and trails, creeks and springs, and several original camp buildings such as the Old House.
• Ages: 6–17 years old
Camp Strawderman was established as a private camp for girls in 1929, on property that was willed to Doctor Samuel Hoffman by the Strawderman family over one hundred years ago. By 1917, Dr. Hoffman’s daughter Margaret “Barca” Hoffman began bringing friends to the farm, and this corner of the Shenandoah Valley has been in the care of the Strawderman family and the Camp family for more than 225 years. The camp’s stated ideals are to make girls so happy they will share their happiness with others, to create friendships that will last through life, to develop strong, healthy bodies through regular exercise, good food, and rest in the pure mountain air, to create a love for God’s out-of-doors and a reverence for his handiwork, and to bring out the hidden possibilities that lie within each girl and to help her find herself.
The leadership team includes Director Jeanne Mockard and a Program Director named Valerie. There are 8 full-time senior staff members, all with advanced degrees in teaching, counseling, and school administration. Every Strawderman swim instructor is Red Cross Lifeguard certified or holds an equivalent international certification. A qualified RN is on site 24 hours a day, and a Nurse Practitioner is available for appointments as needed. Counselors must be at least 18 years old, many have experience from competitive school programs and college swim teams, competitive collegiate riding teams, and international equestrian programs, and many are former Strawderman campers who completed a two-year counselor training program as Senior Campers and Counselor Aides. The counselor-to-camper ratio is one counselor to every four campers, and the pool safety ratio is no more than ten children to one lifeguard, with no camper allowed in the pool without a lifeguard present.
Camp Strawderman has worked with CCUSA, a staffing company for international camp counselors, since the 1980s and emphasizes cultural exchange through its international staff. It operates as a 501(c)3 organization and has been voted Best of Virginia four years in a row. Listed awards include Best Summer Camp from Virginia Living Magazine in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Best Summer Camps in NOVA from Northern Virginia Magazine, Winner 2025. The camp also offers a Family Camp (AfterGlow) four-night getaway with camp activities for the whole family and maintains camp traditions such as daily life activities, cabin life, and secret Santas.
Last updated July 18, 2026.
• Ages: 6–17 years old
Camp Strawderman was established as a private camp for girls in 1929, on property that was willed to Doctor Samuel Hoffman by the Strawderman family over one hundred years ago. By 1917, Dr. Hoffman’s daughter Margaret “Barca” Hoffman began bringing friends to the farm, and this corner of the Shenandoah Valley has been in the care of the Strawderman family and the Camp family for more than 225 years. The camp’s stated ideals are to make girls so happy they will share their happiness with others, to create friendships that will last through life, to develop strong, healthy bodies through regular exercise, good food, and rest in the pure mountain air, to create a love for God’s out-of-doors and a reverence for his handiwork, and to bring out the hidden possibilities that lie within each girl and to help her find herself.
The leadership team includes Director Jeanne Mockard and a Program Director named Valerie. There are 8 full-time senior staff members, all with advanced degrees in teaching, counseling, and school administration. Every Strawderman swim instructor is Red Cross Lifeguard certified or holds an equivalent international certification. A qualified RN is on site 24 hours a day, and a Nurse Practitioner is available for appointments as needed. Counselors must be at least 18 years old, many have experience from competitive school programs and college swim teams, competitive collegiate riding teams, and international equestrian programs, and many are former Strawderman campers who completed a two-year counselor training program as Senior Campers and Counselor Aides. The counselor-to-camper ratio is one counselor to every four campers, and the pool safety ratio is no more than ten children to one lifeguard, with no camper allowed in the pool without a lifeguard present.
Camp Strawderman has worked with CCUSA, a staffing company for international camp counselors, since the 1980s and emphasizes cultural exchange through its international staff. It operates as a 501(c)3 organization and has been voted Best of Virginia four years in a row. Listed awards include Best Summer Camp from Virginia Living Magazine in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Best Summer Camps in NOVA from Northern Virginia Magazine, Winner 2025. The camp also offers a Family Camp (AfterGlow) four-night getaway with camp activities for the whole family and maintains camp traditions such as daily life activities, cabin life, and secret Santas.
Last updated July 18, 2026.
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