The Outback and The Lodge
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The Outback is offered as a day camp experience for girls each summer. At just over 7 acres, The Outback nature area is a protected wetland located behind A Place for Girls, the Council’s headquarters and program center in Chesapeake, Virginia. Campers can enjoy hiking on nature trails, be challenged on the fitness trail, hone their skills on the archery range, climb the 50-foot observation tower, canoe on Bells Mill Creek or participate in outdoor classroom activities in one of the four outdoor pavilions located on the property. The Outback is a designated site on the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail, as well as being a Lou Henry Hoover Memorial Sanctuary. Adjacent to A Place for Girls and The Outback is The Lodge, an annex property that provides program space, inside and out, overnight accommodations and an inground, salt-water pool for camper use.
Download the Birding Guide to The Outback at A Place for Girls (PDF) and see how many different birds you can spot on your visit!
The Outback:
- Fitness course
- 6 canoes
- 2 kayaks
- Observation tower
- Picnic shelters (each has a capacity of 25 and includes 2 outdoor charcoal grills):
- Abron
- McClain
- QVC
- Ronald McDonald
The Lodge:
- Kitchen, dining, and living areas
- Bathrooms and showers
- Laundry room with washer and dryer
- Meeting capacity 25; overnight capacity 17
- Gaga pit
- Inground, salt-water pool (for an additional fee)
A Place for Girls:
- Parsons Amazing Room (capacity 50)
- Rotary Teen Room (capacity 50)
- Fun Room (meetings 30/overnight 25)
- Kitchen
- Young Performers Room (capacity 50)
- Beazley Science and Hand Arts Room (capacity 25)
- Archery range
Former First Lady and two-time GSUSA President Lou Henry Hoover was a champion of women’s rights, and loved the outdoors. In 1945, the Girl Scouts established the Lou Henry Hoover Memorial Forests and Wildlife Sanctuaries, for the conservation of forest lands, soil, waterways, and/or wildlife.
The Outback in Chesapeake is a designated Lou Henry Hoover Memorial Sanctuary, and a protected wetland. Plan your visit to earn the “Explore Lou Henry Hoover Memorial Sanctuary” patch.
Camp properties are available for rent. View Outback/APFG/Lodge Facility Fees (PDF)
Property maps will be made available to customers upon rental site/camp bookings.
Please contact customercare@gsccc.org on any facility or property rental inquiries.
Pets are not permitted on GSCCC properties. Service animals specifically trained to aid a person with a disability are welcome. Comfort and/or emotional support animals are not service animals and are not recognized by the ADA.
