Camp Dorothy Thomas in Riverview offers more than 220 acres of beautiful campgrounds, and with the longest zip line in West Central Florida, this camp is a great place to take your Girl Scout experience to new heights.
In addition to all the camp has to offer for a Girl Scout, the camp celebrated its 75th anniversary this month.
“Girl Scout families [celebrated] 75 years of building girls’ outdoor skills at Girl Scouts of West Central Florida’s (GSWCF) iconic Camp Dorothy Thomas at a free open camp event that was held on December 3,” said GSWCF’s chief marketing and communications officer, Kristine Rogowski. “The celebratory event was open to families to enjoy a tour of the camp, the viewing of a time capsule, the grand opening of GSWCF’s expanded Camp Dorothy Thomas Retail Shop, food trucks and refreshments, hayrides, memorabilia and more.”
Rogowski added that attendees also earned a free and exclusive Camp Dorothy Thomas 75th Anniversary patch.
The one-day celebration welcomed the community and encouraged them to share their stories of Camp Dorothy Thomas serving to honor the past, embrace the present and ignite the flames of inspiration for years to come.
“The Camp Dorothy Thomas property was acquired in 1946 and the first overnight guests were in 1948 after the official opening,” Rogowski said. “The property is 220 acres with 55 buildings and a sleeping capacity of 192.”
Program amenities include an archery area, a pool, a volleyball court, a gaga ball pit, two observation decks, a basketball court, tetherball, campfire areas and an outdoor stage with seating. “There are more than two miles of maintained hiking trails on the property,” Rogowski said. “The lodge has a seating capacity of 208 and has a full-service commercial kitchen. At the anniversary event, we unveiled the newly renovated retail area located in the Ladybug building.”
Camp Dorothy Thomas has also earned a reputation as an animal sanctuary.
“Campers frequently view deer, gopher tortoises, coyotes, bobcats and a large variety of birds,” Rogowski said. “The camp annually serves more than 2,500 overnight guests and nearly 3,000 day program participants.”
If you’d like to learn more about Camp Dorothy Thomas, you can visit the Girl Scouts’ website at www.gswcf.org/en/for-girl-scouts/camp-and-outdoors/camp-properties/camp-dorothy-thomas.html. Camp Dorothy Thomas is located at 16119 Boyette Rd. in Riverview.
