For a kid, summertime means fun, sun and most importantly – No School! With classwork on hold, many families find their entertainment through travel and vacation away from home. But for the littlest members of Reynolds Lake Oconee, the fun is right in their backyards.
With over 1400 young members, not to mention the grandchildren, nieces and nephews of relatives inside the gates, Reynolds Lake Oconee provides ample opportunities for younger generations to stay active, engaged and learning; all while having a blast doing so.
Kicking off the summer, the recreation team holds a 9-week Adventurers and Tiny Tikes Camp designed to give children ages 2-12 the chance to explore and experience the world around them. From swimming, canoeing and tubing to hiking, arts and crafts and so much more, each kid is destined to learn and have a great time.
“Our Adventurer Camps are a summertime favorite,” says Andrew Huebner, director of recreation at Reynolds Lake Oconee. “We try to promote a variety of activities each week of camp, and our main goal is for all the participants to just enjoy themselves. With so many resources right here, that’s pretty easy for us to accomplish.”
Kids can also break out their rackets for the Junior Tennis Summer Camp. Available to juniors ages 4-18, each clinic is geared toward a specific age group and ability level. With focus on techniques such as eye-hand coordination, stroke production, balance and beginning match play, this 10-week program is sure to advance junior tennis players to the next level. For the more competitive players, three specific camps are designed to focus on improving match play, becoming your own coach, and strategy in advanced competition.
“It’s amazing to watch the progress made throughout these camps,” says Dave Neuhart, director of tennis at Reynolds Lake Oconee. “We’ve got some incredible juniors here. But no matter what skill level you are, each junior will walk away with a better understanding of the game of tennis and be more confident in their personal play.”
Some kids may prefer a different swing – like, say, a golf swing? Golf operations offers three 1-week Junior Golf Camps along with six 2-day skills clinics throughout the summer where junior golfers can learn about driving, ball striking, chipping, putting, fitness and etiquette directly from PGA professionals. Open to ages 7-17, juniors can enhance their entire game of golf or focus on a specific skill; then finish up with an optional tournament at the end of the camp season.
“The Junior Golf Camps have always been very popular, and we decided to add the skills clinics this year,” says Mark Lammi, vice president of golf operations at Reynolds Lake Oconee. “These clinics were very successful, giving our juniors the opportunity to focus on just one area of the game at a time.”
To round out the summer camp activities, kids can also join the Classic Soccer Academy, a week-long developmental soccer camp focusing on technical training, and skills such as dribbling, passing, receiving, shooting and basic defending.
“Our coaching staff makes the game fun with methods that encourage both skill and the love of the game,” says Huebner.
One of our most popular event series, Kids Pond Fishing, happens three times a year at Easter, Memorial Day and July 4th weekends. Kids can cast a reel at Carolyn’s Pond, sharing that special moment with their chosen adult as they catch their fish.
“So many great memories are made at this event,” says Charlie Vaughn, director of marina services at Reynolds Lake Oconee. “Many kids here share the same memory of catching their first fish at Carolyn’s Pond. When we see a moment like that happen, the excitement is priceless.”
See a recap of our summer at the lake
If your child acts more like a fish than a fisherman, then the Reynolds Rapids invites you to take a splash. Led by Olympic Gold Medalist Angel Sims and her mother Theresa Myers, the Rapids is a competitive swim team for all youth ages and the perfect year-round activity to enjoy.
With the summer coming to a close and the school year knocking at the door, most kids may be convinced the fun is over. But not the kids at Reynolds Lake Oconee; the fun never stops here. With year-around activities geared toward younger members, there is always something to do. From pool parties, swim-in movies, sunset paddle board excursions and Saturday morning sports to Kids Night Out events, glow-in-the-dark games, story time and arts and crafts, the opportunities are endless. Even the holidays are more special with unique holiday-themed crafts for every occasion, and some of our more popular annual events – Easter Egg Hunt at Plantation Commons, Trick or Treat at The Landing, Visit with Santa and Polar Bear Plunge at the Lake Club.
So no matter what time of year, it’s always great to be a kid at Reynolds Lake Oconee. The fun never ends, so plan your next adventure with us!
