Overnight Winter Camp
By Winter Break, kids are ready for a break that actually feels like one.
Winter Camp gives them a full week away from school routines and screens, back outside with other kids. They reconnect with camp friends or make new ones, spend their days doing the things they love about camp, and get six nights with nothing to study for, turn in, or keep up with.
Florida may not feel much like winter, but we’ll bring the “snow,” sweaters, Winter Beast, and winter magic.
Kids in grades K-9
December 27, 2026-January 2, 2027
$449 per camper
Registration opens in November!
Have a 10-12th grader? Scroll to the bottom for teen leader info.
What Happens at Winter Camp?
Campers spend the week with a cabin group and counselors, eat meals together, head all over camp for activities, and come back together for big programs throughout the week. They’ll get plenty of the Immokalee favorites, from archery and the waterfront to games and time outside.
And beyond that, Winter Camp has collected a few traditions of its own over the years.
There’s our annual Polar Plunge into Lake Brooklyn for campers who want to brave it. The Winter Beast makes appearances throughout the week. We make our own version of “snow,” and there’s a kayak drop that makes considerably more sense once you’ve seen it.
And then there’s New Year’s Eve.
New Year’s Eve at Camp
New Year’s Eve is a whole-camp event at Immokalee.
We make a night of it, with special activities, a celebration, and a countdown together. Younger campers get the full New Year’s Eve experience at an earlier hour, while our older campers can stay up for the real midnight.
There’s something pretty great about ending the year surrounded by camp friends, then waking up at Immokalee on January 1 with another full day of camp ahead.
And for the grown-ups at home, we’ve got your NYE babysitter handled.
The Winter Camp Rundown
Dates: December 27, 2026–January 2, 2027
Check-In: Sunday, December 27 between 2-4pm (specific timeslots will be assigned closer to camp)
Pick-Up: Saturday, January 2 between 9:30-10:30am
Closing Ceremony: 9:00am Saturday
Registration opens in early November.
Learn About Financial Assistance →
Want More Time with the Horses?
Most campers don’t add anything to Winter Camp, and they don’t need to. For kids who really want more time at the barn, Ranch Camp is available. Campers can also add a trail ride without participating in Ranch Camp.
Explore Ranch Camp & Trail Rides →
What If My Kid Has Never Been to Camp?
They won’t be the only one.
Some campers arrive already knowing exactly where they want to go first. Others arrive at YMCA Camp Immokalee without knowing a single person. Our job isn’t to wait for those kids to find their place. It’s to help them become part of the cabin, get comfortable with their counselors, and find their way into camp.
Six nights can feel like a big step when you’re the one dropping them off. Here are some of the things parents usually want to know first.
Campers live in cabins with other kids around their age and counselors who stay with their cabin throughout the week. Cabins have electricity, bathrooms, and showers, and campers sleep in bunk beds.
Cabin requests are welcome, but they aren’t required. Plenty of kids come to Winter Camp without knowing anyone in their cabin. Our counselors help turn that group of kids into a community from the beginning of the week.
This is the question underneath a lot of the other questions, and we take it seriously.
Campers spend most of their week with their cabin counselors, who eat meals with them, live in their cabin, help them navigate friendships and homesickness, and notice when something doesn’t seem quite right.
Our staff are screened and trained before working with campers, and year-round Camp Immokalee leadership is on site throughout Winter Camp.
A nurse is on site throughout Winter Camp to handle medications, illness, injuries, and the health needs that come up during the week.
You’ll provide health information and medication instructions before camp, and we’ll contact you when something happens that you need to know about. If there’s anything about your camper’s health that would help us care for them well, we want to know before they arrive.
We know six nights can feel very different from the parent side of the car.
You won’t hear directly from your camper during the week, but that doesn’t mean you’re completely cut off from us. Our team is here, and parents can contact camp if they have a concern or something we need to know.
And if something is happening with your camper that you need to be part of, we’ll call you. We’re partners in your kid having a great week, and that means working together.
They might. Missing home and having a great week at camp can happen at the same time.
Our counselors help campers through the moments when home feels far away, whether that means getting them involved with their cabin, helping them make it through bedtime, finding the next thing to look forward to, or simply sitting with them for a while.
If homesickness becomes something we think you need to know about or help us navigate, we’ll reach out. You know your kid, and we want to work with you.
Yep. Winter Camp is tech-free for campers.
Phones and smartwatches stay home so kids can be where they are, with the people they’re with. Campers don’t need a phone to reach a parent if something comes up, and parents can always reach our team.
E-readers and digital cameras are welcome as long as they aren’t being used to access the internet or communicate.
And if your kid is nervous about being away from home, tell us. We’d much rather know what you’re worried about before you leave than have you drive away wondering whether anyone noticed.
Still Have Questions?
Good. Sending your kid away for six nights is worth asking questions about.
Our FAQs cover the practical stuff, and our team is happy to talk through the things that are specific to your kid.
Contact Us
cimmokalee@fcymca.org
352.473.4213
Teen Leaders at Winter Camp
High school students in 10th–12th grade can still spend Winter Camp at Immokalee, but their role changes.
Teen Leaders aren’t campers, and they aren’t staff members yet. They’re learning how to lead at camp by taking on real responsibilities, working alongside our staff, and helping create the experience for younger campers.
There are two Teen Leader roles based on grade:
Pathmakers | 10th Grade
Pathmakers are taking their first step into leadership at camp. They work together as a group, help with activities and projects around camp, and start learning what it means to be responsible for more than their own experience. There’s still room to have fun and be part of Winter Camp, but we’re asking more of them than we would of a camper.
CITs | 11th–12th Grade
CIT stands for Counselor in Training, and the role moves teens closer to what being on staff actually looks like. CITs work more directly alongside counselors and younger campers. They practice the everyday parts of leadership at camp: helping a cabin move through the day, supporting activities and programs, noticing what needs to be done, and learning how to take responsibility for other people.
They’re still here to learn, and our staff are still coaching them. But the expectations are higher because they’re getting closer to being ready for a staff role.
Winter Camp Teen Leader Applications
Teen Leaders apply separately from campers, and spaces are limited. Applying doesn’t guarantee a spot.
Applications Open: Early November
Applications Due: November 15
Decisions Sent: November 23
Cost: $200