Activities 

Arts & Crafts

The joy of creativity comes alive in our bustling A&C studio. 

Tap girls create masterpieces in a variety of classes. Clay sculpture, photography, pottery wheel, printmaking, woodworking, stained glass and sewing are just some of the available options.

Experimentation is encouraged—laughter is required!

Campers gather outside for arts and crafts at Camp Tapawingo, girls sleepover camp in Maine.
Arts & Crafts
Landsports

Our supportive community of girls and women encourage all abilities to participate in both individual and team sports. Tap girls vary from beginners to competitive athletes.

Core team sports include: basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball. We also offer electives in field hockey and lacrosse. Team building and the joys of competition are stressed.

Individual sports include: archery, gymnastics and conditioning. 

Our younger campers learn fundamentals as they play all of the core activities. They have at least one week of archery and one week of gymnastics. Our older campers hone their skills as they choose between the core and elective options. 

The Blue versus Gray Games provide a chance to test our athletic skills against fellow Tap girls. We also compete with other camps in our region. 

We learn to win and lose with grace—the joy is in trying our best. 

Girls on the soccer field at Camp Tapawingo.
Landsports
Racket Sports

We love tennis! Tap girls play on either our hard or Har-Tru (green clay) courts. Younger Tap girls enhance their skills with instruction and match play every other week. Older campers can play daily. Competition is encouraged with our Tapawingo doubles tournament as well as play against other girls’ camps.

Pickleball is available for those looking for variety.

Rainy days are filled with rowdy ping pong.

Tapawingo girls celebrate on the tennis court.
Racket Sports
Evening Programs

We spend our evenings as a whole camp community, enjoying camp traditions, hilarious skits, silly games, fun competitions, singing at the top of our lungs, supporting each other and creating life-long core memories. Like everything at Tap, evenings are built on togetherness. We’re one camp family and whether 7 or 17, we truly enjoy spending time together.

Sundays are for campfire songs, jokes and marshmallow roasts. Monday and Tuesday evenings bring fun surprises put on by our Special Program Department. Wednesdays are lively athletic competitions between the Blue and Gray. Thursdays are for time spent with your bunk–making ice cream, playing board games or even tubing. Fridays allow age groups to speak in front of the camp about something they’re passionate about — friendship, courage, and inclusiveness are just a few of the topics our campers hear about at Services. Saturdays are for age-group theater productions. Bravo!

Many of these programs allow our campers to take on planning or speaking roles, giving campers of all ages a chance to grow in their leadership skills. Every Tapawingo evening is packed with fun!

Four campers enjoy the community of Camp Tapawingo's evening program.
Evening Programs
Horseback Riding

From beginner to competitive riders, horseback riding is an optional program available every other day for all campers for an additional fee.

Developing the connection between the rider and the horse is our primary goal.

We teach English style riding in our outdoor arena, on our onsite trails, as well as the trails surrounding our property. Campers also learn to care for our horses (grooming, feeding, etc.). 

We all cheer a Tap girl's first ride and as she makes progress from the lunge line. 

Our more advanced riders learn to jump or experience the joy of riding a horse into Keyes Pond!

Girls enjoy horseback riding on a trail at Camp Tapawingo, part of our optional equestrian program.
Horseback Riding
Performing Arts

Laughter and joy are standards on Saturday night as each each age group puts on a short play. Designed as a confidence builder, Tap girls are given the chance to perform in a loving supportive environment.

We offer instruction in acting, dance, voice, costume and technical production. Our younger campers take one week of dance and one week of acting while our older campers select an elective.

Campers and staff often surprise the community at a meal or at a Blue versus Gray game with a Flash Mob or Half Time Fun!

Girls participating in performing arts take to the stage at Camp Tapawingo.
Performing Arts
Trips & Ropes

Tap girls build their skills in camping, hiking, backpacking and canoeing.

Rising 3rd through 6th graders hike local mountains, swim in mountain streams, and go on Bunk Overnights to one of our three onsite campsites. 

Older campers go on 3 to 6-day excursions off-campus to destinations such as: Acadia National Park, the Appalachian Trail, the Penobscot River and the Kennebec River. A Tapawingo favorite is spending the night at Lake of the Clouds Hut on the flanks of Mount Washington.

Maine and New Hampshire are the playgrounds of Tap girls. Campers grow comfortable sleeping in tents and huts. Nothing beats the joy of playing Uno and Mad Libs with their tent mates while hearing the calls of owls and loons. 

Tap's ropes program is a challenge by design. Our Ropes Course Staff meet with each bunk in the first week of each new session to expedite the cohesion of each group. The Staff work with bunks, age groups and individuals throughout the summer setting personal and group goals. They support camper and staff growth through the use of team building challenges, games, low elements and high ropes elements.

A girl participates in Camp Tapawingo's ropes program.
Trips & Ropes
Special Programs

Sundays at Tap are always special, starting with the option to sleep in and donuts in your pajamas. Our high-energy, creative Special Programs counselors organize activities for the entire day. Whether you’re working in a team to collect gold in Gold Rush, seeking your favorite counselors in Counselor Hunt, slipping down the water slide at Carnival, going into local communities to volunteer, or competing in our annual Song Meet, there’s something for everyone!

Senior Campers are in charge of some of our campers' favorite Special Programs, Holiday and Banquet. These are top-secret, themed events where campers get to enjoy special meals, sweet treats and dance to their favorite songs!

Tapawingo campers enjoy Sunday's Special Programs.
Special Programs
Waterfront

The Tapawingo waterfront is different from most camps, with our ski-boat being the only boat on Keyes Pond. This allows our campers to enjoy the entire pond! The glassy water is ideal for Sunfish sailing, paddleboarding, canoeing, water skiing, tubing and swimming.

Tap girls have the opportunity to swim across the pond and back weekly in what we call the Grandma Shirley Lake Swim. Campers remember Grandma Shirley Lichtman and her love for Keyes Pond as they grow their confidence during lake swims and our annual Blue vs. Gray Swim Meet.

Water-ski is a camper favorite at Tap. Beginning skiers take comfort in our ski boom, while more advanced skiers delight in the challenging slalom course.

Our senior campers have the option of taking a Lifeguard Course throughout the summer to become Red Cross Certified Lifeguards.

Girls water ski at Camp Tapawingo, Maine.
Waterfront
Paddle
Girls from Camp Tapawingo head out on a hiking trail in Maine.

Tap Girls Discover Maine!

Girls from Camp Tapawingo head out on a hiking trail in Maine.

For generations, Camp Tapawingo has provided girls from all over the world a rustic summer home. Young Tap girls learn to camp at the Loon Site, preparing for later explorations of the Mahoosuc section of the Appalachian Trail, Acadia National Park, and more. Early in their time at Tap, campers paddle the lazy Saco River, learning the skills needed to tackle the Allagash River and white water rafting in later summers. All Tap girls lace up their hiking boots, starting with Little and Big Deer Hills, Blueberry Mountain, Emerald Pools and Arethusa Falls, gradually challenging themselves to summit the likes of Mounts Washington and Katahdin. Less rustic trips to the Ogunquit region of the Maine coast and Montreal for Tap’s oldest campers round out the Maine experience.

“Camp songs are the thread that binds all Tap Campers–past and present. Our age group met up for a thirty year reunion and the words were ingrained in our hearts forever. Tapawingo is a part of who we are–reflected in our nicknames, friendships, songs, memories, and the good times we had.”
Camper / Parent
Paddle