Registration Opens May 1 for Fort Loudoun State Historic Area’s Summer Day Camp

July Camps Offered for Junior Rangers, Ages 6-10

VONORE, Tenn. – Fort Loudoun State Historic Area, along with Tennessee State Parks’ Junior Ranger Program and Fort Loudoun Association volunteers, will offer a Summer Day Camp July 8-12 for ages 6-10.

The week-long day “encampment,” held from 8 a.m. until noon each day, will focus on the everyday lives of the people who lived in and around the fort during the 1750s and 1760s. Junior Rangers will obtain an understanding of the landscape and life in the Overhills before this area became the state of Tennessee.

Junior Rangers will also encounter an array of 18th century experiences introducing them to life at Fort Loudoun during the French and Indian War. These interactive experiences will include participation in a military drill, a flint-lock musket demonstration, receiving an eye-opening look into the lives of 18th century women, children and the Cherokee, and learning how far our medical technology has come by seeing the tools of an 18th century military physician.

Pre-registration for the Summer Day Camp begins May 1, 2013, and is limited to 30 Junior Rangers. Registration is free and due to limited space – early registration is recommended.

Campers will need comfortable, sturdy footwear for each day’s activities. All Junior Rangers should apply sunscreen before arrival at the day camp each day and will need to bring additional sunscreen, daily water and snacks, a hat or cap, and small backpack. Junior Rangers are also encouraged to dress in layers.

For more information or to request a registration packet, contact the park office at 423-884-6217 or Hobart Akin at hobart.akin@tn.gov.    

Fort Loudoun State Historic Area is a 1,200 acre site on the location of one of the earliest British fortifications on the western frontier, built in 1756. Nearby were the principal towns of the Cherokee Nation including Tenase, namesake of our state, and Tuskegee, birthplace of Sequoyah. Today the fort and the 1794 Tellico Blockhouse overlook TVA’s Tellico Reservoir and the Appalachian Mountains and are located one mile off Highway 411 on Highway 360 in Vonore.

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