Longleaf Adventure Camp

10/19/2026

Kicking off another wonderful week at Longleaf Adventure Camp!

Track 3 families, your camper’s spot around the campfire is waiting! We have space remaining for the weeks of Oct 26 and Nov 2, and the week of Nov 9 is almost full.

Snag your space today and lock in a track out full of hiking, exploring, making new friends, and having plenty of outdoor adventures!

10/18/2026

It is a beautiful day out at Optimist Farm, and we are all set up not for camp, but for Geek and Grub Night Market! We have a fun set of hands-on activities and a free week of camp to give away, so come out and see us!

There are vendors, food trucks, and a free haunted hayride! Come and enjoy our home property as you’ve never seen it before - and it will look even more magical in a few hours, once it is all lit up!

The night market runs from 5-9 tonight at Optimist Farm, 2930 Optimist Farm Rd, Apex!

10/17/2026

It was truly an unbelievable first week at Longleaf Adventure Camp!

Our very first group of Longleaf adventurers brought so much enthusiasm, curiosity, and willingness to try new things. They jumped right in, explored, worked together, and started making this place their own. Watching friendships begin to form and seeing the kids embrace each new adventure has been such a joy.

And we did A LOT! Here are just a few camper highlights from a busy week of fun, learning, and outdoor adventures:

-Using natural materials to build outdoor shelters

-Searching for animal tracks and making a plaster cast of a deer track

-Dipping nets in the pond and observing minnows, tadpoles, and water insects

-Cooking our own snacks using camp stoves, solar ovens, and campfires

-Exploring in the woods, especially the dry creek bed

-Fishing in the pond during downtime between activities

-Observing wildlife around the camp, including frogs, toads, turtles, deer, and even a bald eagle!

One of my own highlights? Tuesday morning, when a camper who had been apprehensive on Monday came running in, practically bursting with excitement, and hollered, "Do we get to hike again today?!" 🥹

That's exactly what we hoped Longleaf would be: a place to explore, learn real-world skills, take on challenges, work as a team, and have way too much fun outside.

A huge thank-you to our first Longleaf families for being part of this beginning. We're so grateful you trusted us with your adventurers, and hearing your kind feedback has made an already special week even more meaningful.

Now we're getting ready to do it all again with our second Track 4 group next week, and we can't wait! We only have three spots left for next week, so snag one soon if your camper would like to join the fun!

And Track 3 families, your turn is coming up soon! If you've been thinking about Longleaf for your camper's upcoming track out, check out our available dates and come join the adventure!

Here's to more adventures, new discoveries, and many more memories at Longleaf!

10/16/2026

The Halloween night market at our home, Optimist Club Farm, has been rescheduled to Sunday from 5-9! Come out to enjoy vendors, food trucks, a haunted hayride, and lots of festive fun. The Longleaf team will be there with hands-on nature activities and some great giveaways!

IMPORTANT EVENT UPDATE: RESCHEDULED TO SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18!

Due to the forecasted inclement weather on Saturday, including a 100% chance of rain and temperatures in the 40s, we have made the decision to move our Halloween event to Sunday, October 18.

We want everyone to have the best possible experience, and that means keeping our vendors, guests, and families comfortable and safe!

Everything you love about our Halloween celebration is still planned! We're just hoping for better weather on Sunday.

NEW DATE: Sunday, October 18
LOCATION: Optimist Farm
TIME: 5-9

We appreciate everyone's patience and flexibility as we work to finalize the details.

Please help us spread the word by sharing this post!

10/14/2026

Week 1 at Longleaf is off to an AMAZING start!

Our first campers are navigating the woods, learning to cook outside, building outdoor shelters, and working together to solve challenges. They've jumped right into camp life, and it's been so much fun watching them learn new skills, try new things, and make the most of their time outdoors!

We'll share a full recap of our first week at the end of the week, but in the meantime, we've got something exciting happening this Saturday!

Geek and Grub Night Market: Halloween Edition is coming to Optimist Club Farm, our home here at Longleaf. This spooky festival will happen from 5-9 pm, so bring your flashlights!

There will be vendors, food trucks, giveaways, and even a free haunted hayride! And Longleaf will be there, too, with Halloween-themed nature challenges, camp activities, and a chance to meet some of our staff and learn more about what we do.

The property will look a little different than it does during a camp day, but this is a pretty unique opportunity to come see where all these adventures happen! We'd love to meet you, answer your questions, and give you a little taste of Longleaf.

And if your family loves a little spooky adventure, you might even win a free week of camp by taking on one of our Halloween nature challenges!

Come enjoy the festival, grab some treats, explore, and stop by to say hello. We'd love to see you there!

10/12/2026

DAY ONE at Longleaf Adventure Camp!

Our very first day was everything we hoped it would be and more. The kids showed up ready to GO, jumped right into the adventures, and brought so much enthusiasm to everything we did!

We spent the day learning what it takes to be a great adventurer, from choosing the right gear for an outing to practicing Leave No Trace principles and learning how to explore the outdoors responsibly. We also tackled team-building challenges, played games, and got to know each other along the way.

Of course, we made plenty of time to get out and explore! Our morning hike took us through a dry creek bed, where we investigated all the cool things we found in the woods. We also got our first tent set up!

This is what Longleaf is all about: learning real-world skills, putting them into action, working as a team, and having WAY too much fun along the way.

And this was just Day One! We can't wait to see what the rest of the week brings.

Welcome to Longleaf, adventurers!

10/10/2026

The weather may have been rainy, but that didn't stop our Longleaf team from having a great moving day!

We got moved in, worked through some last-minute logistics, and explored a few new hiking trails. And of course, we weren't the only ones enjoying the property!

A whole family of deer stopped by near the firepit.

A great blue heron was hanging out at the pond.

And our resident old camp dog found the coziest spot in his bed and snoozed through staff training. Honestly, he's already mastered the art of camp life.

Between getting settled, making plans, and exploring the trails, we're feeling more excited than ever to welcome our very first campers on Monday!

We've put a lot of heart into getting Longleaf ready, and now we finally get to do the fun part: get outside, learn new skills, take on challenges, explore, and make some memories together.

We're ready for Monday, and there's still room for a few more adventurers! If your camper has an upcoming track out week and you're looking for something a little different, we'd love to have them join us.

Let the adventures begin!

10/09/2026

It's moving day at Longleaf!

This garage has been slowly filling up with camp supplies for months, and we're finally ready to give everything a proper home!

This Saturday, we're loading it all up and moving into our home at Longleaf Adventure Camp. It's exciting to think about all this gear, all these supplies, and all the activities we've been planning finally making their way out to camp, where they'll soon be put to use by our very first adventurers.

And getting my garage back will be a pretty great bonus!

We are so excited to welcome our first campers in just a few short days. We have a few spots available for our first few weeks of camp, so if you've been thinking about joining us, there is still time!

And if you missed Preview Day and would like to see the property before snagging your camper's spot, just send me a message. We'll be out there setting up all day Saturday and would love to find a time to show you around!

Sometimes seeing a place in person makes all the difference when you're deciding if it's the right fit for your kiddo 💚

Big things are happening at Longleaf, and I can't wait for it to be filled with kids, outdoor adventures, and a whole lot of fun!

10/07/2026

Meet Seth, another one of our amazing adventure leaders at Longleaf!

Seth has loved the outdoors for as long as he can remember and made some of his favorite childhood memories on Scout camping trips. He loves that he now gets to combine that love of the outdoors with his passion for teaching and connecting people with nature.

Seth carried his love for outdoor recreation into college, graduating from NC State with a degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, along with minors in Outdoor Leadership and Environmental Education. While there, he took courses focused on facilitating all kinds of outdoor experiences - and we’re thrilled to have him bring that knowledge and experience to our campers!

And clearly, Seth isn't afraid of a little adventure. This photo was taken at the summit of Mount Sherman in Colorado, a 14,000-foot mountain!

Whether it's hiking, exploring, or trying something new, Seth loves just about anything that gets him outside. We're excited to have him bringing that enthusiasm and experience to Longleaf!

And if you have a Track 3 or Track 4 adventurer who wants to join Seth and the rest of the Longleaf team, space is going quickly for the next few weeks of camp. Learn more and snag your spot through the link on our page!

10/06/2026

Meet Malcolm, one of the awesome people leading adventures at Longleaf!

Malcolm joins us with more than six years of experience working with kids both in the classroom and outdoors. Most recently, he was an Assistant Director at an outdoor experiential education school in Boone, NC. He has also led high school students on adventures throughout the mountains of NC, including climbing, canoeing, hiking, biking, skiing, and skating.

So, yes... he knows his way around an adventure!

But Malcolm's love for the outdoors goes way beyond his work. He's been an "outside kid" his whole life and spends his free time hiking, swimming, rock scrambling, and camping. Just recently, he completed 486 miles of backpacking on the Colorado Trail!

He also believes strongly in the way time outside can help kids (and grown-ups!) slow down, reset, and reconnect with themselves and the world around them. For Malcolm, there's not much better than being in the woods, dipping your toes in a creek, and listening to the birds.

We’re really excited to have someone with Malcolm's experience, enthusiasm, and genuine love for the outdoors joining the Longleaf team.

And if your adventurer is ready to join him, we still have a few spots open for next week's camp! Learn more and register at https://www.longleafadventurecamp.com/book-online

We can't wait to see our campers spending the week outside, trying new things, learning new skills, taking on challenges, and having some real adventures of their own.