International Sessions at Pinewoods Camp

2024 Camper Information

After you have registered, you will be notified by email about acceptance status. As the camp dates get closer, you will receive additional information about the program.

About 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.

Session Registration Options

FAC’s week at Pinewoods offers three registration options:

  • Both Sessions (Thursday afternoon through Thursday breakfast)
  • Weekend Session (Thursday afternoon through Monday breakfast)
  • FolkDays Session (Monday afternoon through Thursday breakfast)

Camp opens for the Weekend and FolkDays sessions at 3:00pm. Each session ends at 10:00am. For those choosing the Both Sessions option, Monday is a free day, perfect for exploring Plymouth or lazing by the Pinewoods ponds.

Different dance material is taught at each session.

Getting to Pinewoods

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.

  • Many of the nearby roads shown on maps do not connect to one another, and some go across private property.
  • In consideration of Pinewoods' neighbors, please use the Halfway Pond Road approach to camp as described in the driving directions.
  • The last part of the route to camp is narrow, bumpy, and hidden from the world. If you have not been to Pinewoods before, it would be best to arrive before dark.
  • Pinewoods is off the beaten track, and its name can be confused with that of another camp in Plymouth. If you are taking a taxi or shuttle to camp, have the address (80 Cornish Field Road) and/or driving directions handy.
  • Parking is limited at camp; please carpool if possible. The office is happy to connect people who would like to ride to camp together.

Classes and Activities

Morning
Each morning on full days at camp, dance classes are taught by our guest instructors, featuring a range of dances that will appeal to both beginning and experienced dancers.

Afternoon
The afternoon schedules are flexible and can offer a wide variety of possibilities, including music and dance workshops, culture presentations by the leaders, and a variety of relaxing activities such as swimming, boating, and time built in for naps.

Evening
Evenings feature international folk dance parties to live music. The programs include dances just learned as well as favorites that are requested.

Accommodations

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), and towels. Sheets and blankets can be rented for a nominal fee. After you register and have been accepted you will receive a Preferences Form on which you may make housing and roommate requests, if you have any.

Meals and Special Diets

Meals are served family style (lunch and dinner) or cafeteria style (breakfast) in the Dining Hall and accommodate vegetarian, vegan, omnivore, and many other special diets.. There are two general access refrigerators and stoves available for camper use.

Special Diets

Pinewoods Camp feeds a large number of campers with a small kitchen crew, and makes their best effort to accommodate all individual needs and preferences.

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

  • Bread, rice cakes
  • Peanut butter, jelly
  • Sliced cheese, cottage cheese, plain yogurt
  • Green salad, raw vegetables, fruit
  • Plain tofu, plain tuna, hard-boiled eggs
  • Sliced ham, sliced turkey, plain cooked chicken
  • Condiments (tamari, ketchup, etc.)

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 one of the head cooks at the beginning of your session, 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.

Camper Jobs

To help the sessions run smoothly and keep costs down, campers are given small chores, assigned by age, ability, and preference. You will be able to indicate any job requests or limitations within your camp registration.

What to Bring and What not to Bring

what to bring

  • Flashlight (the paths can be very dark at night)
  • Blankets and sheets (for single beds) or a sleeping bag
  • Extra pillow (if you need more than the one provided or are attached to your own!)
  • Towels: for swimming and beach activities, showers, and hand drying
  • Swimsuit, sunscreen, sunglasses, sunhat
  • Comfortable clothes for dancing
  • Shoes for dancing: clean, soft-soled shoes for dancing
  • Shoes for walking outside: comfortable shoes for walking around camp, flip-flops for the beach and showers
  • Warm clothing (the weather gets cool sometimes, especially at night)
  • Rain gear (this helps keep the rain away!)
  • Insect repellent
  • Toiletries
  • Alarm clock
  • Medications you may need, especially a bee sting kit if you are allergic
  • Special foods you may need (we will let you know where there are refrigerators for campers use when you arrive at camp)
  • Musical instruments

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

What not to bring

  • Pets
  • Guests
  • Valuables
  • Firearms
  • Illegal substances

Phone Calls and Internet Access

Phone calls

If a matter is urgent, callers from the outside world may leave a message for a camper at the camp office phone, 508-224-4858, but neither the Pinewoods staff nor the FAC staff can search for a camper to take a call except in an extreme emergency.

Campers may use cell phones only in their cabins. Use of cell phones on the paths, in the Dining Hall or the dance pavilions, or in other common areas is not allowed.

Internet access

The natural beauty of the camp’s woods and waterfronts offers a welcome respite from high-tech daily life. To help preserve the rustic ambience that is such a refreshing part of the camp experience, Wi-Fi service is available to campers on an extremely limited basis. Further details will be supplied at camp.

Shopping

The Pinewoods Camp Store sells iced coffee, snacks, ice cream, and sundries and is 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. Cash, checks, and credit cards are all accepted at the FAC Music Shop.