Imagine spending a week in the mountains with your family. You hike to waterfalls, play outdoor games, share meals together, and step into a story inspired by the world of Narnia. That is the idea behind the Narnia-themed Summer Family Camp hosted by Heart Ridge Ministries, a Catholic retreat center in Sunset, South Carolina, near the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Heart Ridge regularly hosts retreats for Christian groups, along with events for men, women, married couples, and families. Each summer, the ministry also runs several weeks of family camp built around a particular theme.
This year, the theme draws inspiration from The Chronicles of Narnia, with activities and storytelling woven throughout the week. According to organizer Tami, the theme was selected through a poll sent to the retreat center’s mailing list. The options included pirates, survivor-style challenges, and Narnia. “Narnia won two to one,” she said.
A Week for Families
The camp runs from Sunday afternoon through Friday before noon and is designed for families attending together. Parents, children, grandparents, and single-parent families are all welcome. According to Tami, each week typically includes around 15 families, which keeps the group fairly small.
The daily schedule includes both structured activities and free time.
- Mornings begin with breakfast, prayer, songs, and a skit or play segment tied to the day’s theme. After that, children and teens meet in age-based groups, while parents have their own discussion time centered on selections from C. S. Lewis and family life. Families later spend time together talking about what they learned during the morning.
- Afternoons are more open, with optional activities such as hiking, swimming, crafts, and indoor games.
- Evenings may include field games, a country dance, a talent show, and a bonfire with s’mores.
Narnia Elements in the Program
The camp is not being presented as a full costume or role-playing experience. Instead, the Narnia theme is woven into different parts of the week.
Tami said the morning program includes a five-act play, with one act presented each day. The story follows an Archenlander and a Beaver companion on a quest in the world of Narnia.
Other parts of the program may also include Narnia-themed games, activities, and food.
The retreat center also happens to have real beavers on site, though Tami noted that they are not the talking kind.
Catholic Identity, Open Invitation
Heart Ridge Ministries is a Catholic retreat center, and some Catholic practices are part of the week, including optional Mass, prayer, confession, and at times adoration.
Tami said the camp is open to families from other Christian traditions as well, and that the emphasis is not on apologetics or denominational debate.
“We mostly focus on bonding, communication, and virtues that make families strong,” she said.
Camp Dates
The Narnia-themed Family Camp is scheduled for four weeks this summer:
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June 21–26
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June 28–July 3
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July 12–17
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July 19–24
More information is available on the Heart Ridge Ministries website: https://www.heartridgeministries.com/summer-family-camp.html
A Free Narnia Reading Guide
Tami also shared that Heart Ridge created a free six-week family reading guide for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, designed to help families read the book aloud together and discuss it.
Although it was created as a Lent reading activity, she said it is available for any Christian family interested in reading Narnia together.
The guide can be found at: ReadNarnia.org
A full interview with Tami follows