INTO THE WILD ADVENTURE

Located in Thompson's Station, Deer Run Camps & Retreats sits on 150 acres of beautiful Tennessee forest land. People come from all over to attend year-round private retreats and family getaways, but in the summer, especially, this scenic spot is a big draw for kids who want to experience the great outdoors at summer camp. 

 "We offer day, overnight, and family camps," notes Josh Barrera, Director of Camps & Recreation. "And we do a lot of outdoor recreation, including ziplines, climbing towers, giant swing, paintball, and archery.   This year, we have a brand-new aerial quest, High Ropes, which is a course designed to test your mental and physical strength." The course is a lot of fun but also builds strength and confidence. "It's about 60 or 70 feet in the air," Barrera says, "and then at the end, there's a quick flight where you're connected to a harness and a cable, and you literally take a leap of faith and jump off the platform."  Faith is a key component of what happens at Deer Run.    

The camp and retreat center was created in 1998 by David and Liz Gibson, who felt God was calling them to do something significant with their lives. In the years that followed, the Gibsons and their three daughters turned the wooded property into a nonprofit, non-denominational Christian ministry that offers customized retreats for families and small and large leadership teams, group gatherings, summer camps, and much more.    

During the summer, in addition to day and overnight camps for various ages, kids from 6th through 10th grades can also opt to attend two-week camps that include an off-site weekend adventure in the middle of the stay.   

"That's something we started last year by taking them off-site to do something really adventurous versus what they would get to do during camp," Barrera says.    At the start of summer, Deer Run sets an overall theme that will serve as a guiding force for all of the camps.  "This summer, our theme is 'Into the Wild," Barrera explains. "And we're going to be learning about different people in the Bible and the adventures they went on in order to be obedient in Jesus' calling over their lives. We want campers to know and love the Jesus who created them in his image, all while being outside and creating adventures of their own."  

 Daily camp activities include Bible study, ziplining, canoeing, kayaking, white water rafting, and more.  "We try to change it up year after year and also try not to give away too much information," Barrera says, "so kids are a little more enticed to see it for themselves."   

Barrera, who has been with Deer Run for more than a decade, says one of the greatest rewards is seeing how kids benefit from getting outside and spending time with other children. The importance of that has become even more evident in the wake of the COVID pandemic when kids were isolated at home and unable to socialize with friends and schoolmates.  

 "We want kids to get outside," he says. "It really pulls them out of the strongholds of depression and anxiety and some of those other things that have infiltrated their lives."  

 In touching on some of the other positives of attending camps at Deer Run, Barrera says kids will eat well as the food service director is a "phenomenal chef." And if cost is an issue, financial assistance is available.   

"Our founders decided long ago that we weren't going to turn anyone away due to the inability to pay, so we have a scholarship fund. We want people to have that camp experience regardless of what their income looks like or what their demographic looks like."  

 For more information on summer camps, camp scholarships, or any of the other Deer Run retreats, gatherings, and events available throughout the year, visit https://deerrun.camp/ or call (615) 235-5588.