Camp Nakanawa

09/01/2026

Dolly graduated from Beginners Obedience at Wildcard Canine! Cindy and David DuBose are so proud of their good girl, and Rene came out to celebrate too. Way to go, Dolly!

08/27/2026

Throwback Thursday: the "N" Girl 🖤

At Nakanawa, "N" was never just a letter. It was an honor given out on Trophy Night, reserved for a Tent Row girl who carried the spirit of camp in everything she did, given to a camper in her final year at Nakanawa. The tradition isn't part of camp today, but for the girls who earned it, that "N" meant everything.

Do you recognize this "N" girl and Riding Cup winner with Mitch? Tell us the year and the names in the comments. Keep Nakanawa history alive. 🏕️

08/25/2026

Tennessee lost one of her own today.

Dolly Parton grew up in the Great Smoky Mountains, not so far from our own Cumberland Plateau, with a voice, a heart, and a generosity that reached the whole world. She taught us that dreams don't come with guarantees, just a coat of many colors and a heart brave enough to wear it.

She turned a hard beginning into songs that healed people, and she turned her fortune into libraries, scholarships, and second chances for kids who needed them.

At Nakanawa, we encourage our campers to grow bold, kind, and unstoppable. Our camp family has always looked up to Dolly for these qualities and are saddened by her loss, but will carry on the message of love and charity as we continue in her memory.

08/22/2026

In Memoriam: Dr. Rob Heyer

We are saddened to share the passing of Dr. Robert Allan Heyer, one of the doctors who cared for our happy campers at the Doctor's Lodge in the 1980s and 1990s.

Dr. Heyer built a distinguished career in pulmonary and internal medicine in Charlotte, NC, and spent 25 years as team physician for the Carolina Panthers, later honored as the NFL's Outstanding Team Physician. His daughter Ashley put it best: "He literally gave up being the team doctor to the Amazons and Valkyries to become the Carolina Panthers' team doc."

But at Nakanawa, he was simply one of the doctors who showed up for Sick Call with a parent's compassion, treating everything from poison ivy to homesickness with warmth and care.

His Nakanawa family runs three generations deep: Caroline "Jinx" Washburne Heyer, Tent Row 1965; daughter Ashley, Tent Row 1988; granddaughter Caroline, 2016; and uncle to many more nieces and great-nieces who called Nakanawa home.

If Dr. Heyer treated your scraped knee, calmed your homesickness, or made you laugh at Sick Call, we would love to hear your story. Share your memories in the comments below.

We send our love to the entire Heyer and Washburne family. Wo-He-Lo.

08/18/2026

Final call for Mother-Daughter Weekend at Camp Nakanawa! ⏳

Spots are nearly full for this special event at a premiere Tennessee girls camp, September 18–20, 2026. If you want your daughter or granddaughter to experience camp safely with you—and meet other camp moms—now is the time to register.

Registration closes Friday:
https://admin.gazeboevents.com/events/registration/F047730B-B524-434F-A508-CF2EBC04AE16
or https://campnakanawa.org/upcoming-events/

📍 Crossville, Tennessee
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08/17/2026

08/16/2026

A whole weekend of camp magic awaits:

🛖 Sleep in a real cabin
🛶 Canoe on Lake Aloaloa
🐴 Ride horses
🔥 S’mores by the fire
🚜 Hayride under the stars
🎶 Learn camp songs

Mother-Daughter Weekend at Camp Nakanawa brings generations together at a premiere Tennessee girls camp in the Cumberland Plateau.

September 18–20, 2026 | Register by September 8:
https://admin.gazeboevents.com/events/registration/F047730B-B524-434F-A508-CF2EBC04AE16

08/13/2026

"Today is somebody's birthday! Who's birthday?
Cindy's birthday!" 🎂💚

Our Executive Director, Cindy Alexander DuBose, is celebrating today, right after wrapping her very first summer session leading our camp of dreams. Wo-He-Lo!

We're singing Happy Birthday, sending her around the table, and cutting the cake to share with the whole camp family. Here's hoping the day also brings a little extra rest hour after all the work she poured into Nakanawa this summer. You earned it, Cindy! ❤️💙

08/11/2026

A hundred years of Joyful Junior deserves a celebration, and these photos say it better than we ever could. Costume nights, cake as tall as a camper, face paint and feather boas under the string lights, this is Junior Camp at its best.
Now you can bring a piece of it home. The Junior Centennial tee celebrates 100 summers of joyful Junior, 1926 to 2026, and it's only available for a limited time. The Centennial store closes Thursday, August 20 at 9:00 AM CDT, after that this design won't be reprinted.
Shop it here: https://campnakanawa100yrs.itemorder.com/shop/product/60196983/

08/11/2026

Do you remember your first night at Nakanawa? ✨

Now you can share that feeling with her. Mother-Daughter Weekend is a gentle, first taste of camp life at a premiere Tennessee girls camp—cabin living, campfire songs, and new friendships, all with you right there beside her.

September 18–20, 2026 | Register by September 8:
https://admin.gazeboevents.com/events/registration/F047730B-B524-434F-A508-CF2EBC04AE16

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