Labor Day Weekend at Pinewoods Camp

Pinewoods is a traditional dance and music camp, located on 25 hilly acres in a pine forest between Long and Round Ponds in Plymouth, Massachusetts, a one hour drive south of Boston. Facilities include four open-air dance pavilions, an open-air dining hall, and a fireplaced camphouse for gatherings. Cozy, screened cabins nestle among the tall pines. The ponds’ clear waters invite swimmers, canoeists, and kayakers.

Pinewoods Camp is on an out-of-the way dirt road between Long Pond and Round Pond, off Route 3, south of downtown Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Detailed directions to camp are available for driving and public transportation. It is recommended that you do not rely on phone apps for driving directions.

Each of the three featured instructors teaches one workshop a day, on a rotating basis as to whose class is first, second, or third. Afternoon classes cover a variety of interests, including special workshops by the instructors, ritual dancing, music classes, card and board games, and the session’s traditional Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. There are also opportunities for swimming, canoeing, nature walks, volleyball, or relaxing.

The evenings feature dance parties in the main dance pavilion with English country, international, and New England contra dancing called by our dance leaders, with music played by ever-shifting groups of our expert staff musicians. After 11:00pm, the fun continues in the Camphouse at “after-parties.” Past highlights include Skit Night, Gameshow Night, Irish jam sesh, and the beloved pub sing.

Campers are housed in a variety of rustic cabins sprinkled throughout camp. Freestanding, one-room cabins house two campers each. Larger cabins (many with screened porches) have multiple bedrooms housing one to three campers each. Shared bathrooms are nearby.

Pinewoods Camp provides beds, mattresses, and pillows. Campers bring sheets and blankets (or sleeping bags), as well as towels. Sheets and blankets can also be rented for a nominal fee.

See the “What to bring" and "what not to bring” section for additional planning and packing tips. Specific, program-related ideas of what to bring will be sent to you in August.

Meals are served family style (lunch and dinner) or cafeteria style (breakfast) in the Dining Hall and accommodate vegetarians as well as omnivores. Please give us your diet preferences and restrictions when you register. There are two general-access refrigerators and stoves available for camper use. You can get details of where those are when you arrive at camp.

Special diets

Pinewoods Camp feeds a large number of campers with a small kitchen crew; they make every effort to accommodate all individual needs and preferences. It is imperative that you fill out diet section in the registration form; this gives you the opportunity to describe any allergies and diet limitations.

The camp tries to serve a variety of foods, and may offer nondairy or other alternatives to some menu items. A vegetarian option is always provided, but you must sign up for this when you register.

The Dining Hall’s "alternatives cart," available during mealtimes, is typically stocked with:

If you require additional options, you will need to bring your own food with you. Please label your food clearly with your name. Pinewoods does not have food preparation or storage space for campers in the main kitchen. However, there are stoves in two of the camper cabins that are accessible to all.

If you have severe food allergies, check in with the head cook after dinner on Friday night, and ask about specific dishes if you have any doubts. Although the cooks make an effort to have potential allergens listed on the menu board for each meal, Pinewoods Camp, Inc. cannot accept responsibility for notifying you of the presence of potential allergens in the food served.

To help the sessions run smoothly and keep costs down, campers are given small chores, assigned by age, ability, and preference. Please indicate any job requests or limitations on your registration form.

A program-specific list of things to bring will be sent closer to the camp sessions.

What not to bring

The Pinewoods Camp Store sells iced coffee, snacks, ice cream, and sundries. It will be open on a self-serve basis throughout the week.

The Folk Arts Center’s Little Shop of Horas® travels to camp and is available throughout the week. The shop sells the teachers’ materials, as well as recordings of music from around the world, printed music and song books, t-shirts, notecards, and coffee mugs. Venmo, PayPal, cash, and checks are all accepted at the FAC Music Shop.