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 camp also offers a Family Camp session called AfterGlow.
• Ages: 6–17 years old
• Schedule: Three summer sessions (First Session June 21–July 5; Second Session July 5–July 19; Third Session July 19–August 2) plus Family Camp: Afterglow, a four-night getaway August 5–9, 2026
Camp Strawderman was established in 1929 as a private camp for girls and has been a summer home for girls for nearly a century. For more than 225 years, the camp property has been in the care of the Strawderman family and the Camp family, and several original buildings, including the Old House, still stand. The property that became Camp Strawderman was willed to Doctor Samuel Hoffman by the Strawderman family over one hundred years ago, and by 1917 Margaret “Barca” Hoffman began bringing friends to the farm and later remained the camp’s director for more than 50 years. Tours of the camp are available from May through October.
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. Camp Strawderman describes itself as an unplugged, confidence-building experience in the heart of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and as a trusted summer home for girls ages 6–17.
Camp Strawderman has 8 full-time senior staff members, all with advanced degrees in teaching, counseling, and school administration. Counselors must be at least 18 years old, many are former Strawderman campers who have completed a two-year counselor training program as Senior Campers and Counselor Aides, and the camp maintains a ratio of one counselor to every four campers. Every Strawderman swim instructor is Red Cross Lifeguard certified or holds an equivalent international certification, there is a ratio of no more than ten children to one lifeguard, and no camper is allowed in the pool without a lifeguard present. A qualified RN is on site 24 hours a day, and a Nurse Practitioner is available for appointments as needed.
Director Jeanne Mockard began her Strawderman career in 1973 at the age of ten, worked as a counselor for several years during college, served on the Camp Strawderman Board of Directors for many years before being elected Director, had a career in finance as a senior fund manager for Putnam Investments, and currently sits as the investment expert on two insurance company boards and serves on two non-profit boards. Program Director Valerie graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Music Education and Piano, taught music in the public school system in Valparaiso, Indiana, began teaching private piano lessons, and returned to Strawderman in 2009 to direct the choirs and run musical programs.
Camp Strawderman works with CCUSA, a staffing company for international camp counselors, and has had international staff since the 1980s, with an emphasis on cultural exchange. Camp Strawderman is a 501(c)3 organization and has been recognized as Best Summer Camp by Virginia Living Magazine in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and as a winner in Best Summer Camps in NOVA by Northern Virginia Magazine in 2025.
Last updated January 19, 2026.
• Ages: 6–17 years old
• Schedule: Three summer sessions (First Session June 21–July 5; Second Session July 5–July 19; Third Session July 19–August 2) plus Family Camp: Afterglow, a four-night getaway August 5–9, 2026
Camp Strawderman was established in 1929 as a private camp for girls and has been a summer home for girls for nearly a century. For more than 225 years, the camp property has been in the care of the Strawderman family and the Camp family, and several original buildings, including the Old House, still stand. The property that became Camp Strawderman was willed to Doctor Samuel Hoffman by the Strawderman family over one hundred years ago, and by 1917 Margaret “Barca” Hoffman began bringing friends to the farm and later remained the camp’s director for more than 50 years. Tours of the camp are available from May through October.
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. Camp Strawderman describes itself as an unplugged, confidence-building experience in the heart of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and as a trusted summer home for girls ages 6–17.
Camp Strawderman has 8 full-time senior staff members, all with advanced degrees in teaching, counseling, and school administration. Counselors must be at least 18 years old, many are former Strawderman campers who have completed a two-year counselor training program as Senior Campers and Counselor Aides, and the camp maintains a ratio of one counselor to every four campers. Every Strawderman swim instructor is Red Cross Lifeguard certified or holds an equivalent international certification, there is a ratio of no more than ten children to one lifeguard, and no camper is allowed in the pool without a lifeguard present. A qualified RN is on site 24 hours a day, and a Nurse Practitioner is available for appointments as needed.
Director Jeanne Mockard began her Strawderman career in 1973 at the age of ten, worked as a counselor for several years during college, served on the Camp Strawderman Board of Directors for many years before being elected Director, had a career in finance as a senior fund manager for Putnam Investments, and currently sits as the investment expert on two insurance company boards and serves on two non-profit boards. Program Director Valerie graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Music Education and Piano, taught music in the public school system in Valparaiso, Indiana, began teaching private piano lessons, and returned to Strawderman in 2009 to direct the choirs and run musical programs.
Camp Strawderman works with CCUSA, a staffing company for international camp counselors, and has had international staff since the 1980s, with an emphasis on cultural exchange. Camp Strawderman is a 501(c)3 organization and has been recognized as Best Summer Camp by Virginia Living Magazine in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and as a winner in Best Summer Camps in NOVA by Northern Virginia Magazine in 2025.
Last updated January 19, 2026.
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