The Temple Ambler Campout is not only a night of camping, stargazing, orienteering, making discoveries and stories around the campfire. It’s an opportunity to connect people and groups with one another and the natural world around them.
The Campout, which will be held at Temple Ambler from 2 p.m. Saturday, September 27 through 9 a.m. Sunday, September 28, is a family-friendly event is for all ages. During the Campout, spend the evening outdoors without having to travel hours from home and experience tent camping in the relaxed atmosphere of the Ambler Campus. Please note: Registration for the 2025 Temple Ambler Campout is now closed.
“The goal of the Temple Ambler Campout is to provide a welcoming camping experience for beginning and experienced campers alike. Our campout is designed with families in mind who may have never tried camping and want to get that experience without having to trek out into the wilderness,” said Kevin Orangers, Temple University Ambler Deputy Director and Temple Ambler Campout Co-Coordinator. “For experienced campers, this is a way to explore a different type of camping — how often do you get to camp on a college campus — and we hope these participants will share their knowledge with our more novice campers.”
Campers will also have the opportunity to explore the Ambler Arboretum and the Tyler School of Art and Architecture Greenhouse Education and Research Complex, learn some camping basics, take part in a BioBlitz with the Arboretum and Temple Ambler Field Station, learn about orienteering, take part in a star talk with the College of Science and Technology, experience a flight simulator, have a sing-along, listen to campfire stories from the Lenape Nation, and, of course, make s’mores!
Comfortably Connecting with Nature
At Temple Ambler, while participants will be able to enjoy camping under the stars, they won’t need to worry about “roughing it” too much, said Ambler Arboretum Director Kathy Salisbury.
“It might not be ‘glamping,’ but for those new to camping they can ease into the experience with mentors to help them with putting up their tents, and there be flushing toilets and a place to charge their devices nearby. We’ve also shared detailed instructions about what to bring to the campout,” she said. “I think this is part of what makes this event special. It takes some of the discomfort out of a new experience and allows people to focus on connecting with nature.”
Camping, said Salisbury, “brings you closer to nature and helps you build connections with the world as a whole.”
The Temple Ambler Campout is being held in tandem with the Ambler Arboretum and Temple Ambler Field Station BioBlitz.
Campout participants will be able to take part in the BioBlitz, the first held on campus in five years, from 2 p.m. September 27 through 9 a.m. September 28! Campers will get the hands-on opportunity to Identify and record all of the living things they find on our campus trails.
BioBlitz tours will highlight the many living species that call the Ambler Campus home.
“A bioblitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. We want people to realize that the Ambler Arboretum is more than our signature gardens — it is a habitat!” Salisbury said. “Our bioblitz will take place in a 15-acre section of the Arboretum that includes woodlands, meadows, wetlands and creeks.”
New Experiences, New Adventures
According to Holly Lynn, Assistant Director of Campus and Student Engagement and Co-Coordinator of the Temple Ambler Campout, beyond the BioBlitz there will be ample “Choose Your Own Adventure” opportunities at the Campout this year, including programs with several new event partners.
“We want the Campout to be something that is engaging on many levels. In addition to a terrific camping experience and an opportunity to connect with nature, we want our visitors to learn firsthand about some of the unique educational opportunities our students are involved with not only at Temple Ambler but Temple University as a whole,” she said. “Campers will see the Temple Formula Racing car in person in addition to interacting with the College of Engineering’s Flight Simulator in the Ambler Research + Collaboration Building. For our younger campers, we’ll have a special Maker Space provided by Mi Casita Preschool and Camping Stories for Little Listeners in addition to the amazing campfire stories provided by the Lenape Nation.”
New this year, on the morning of September 28, the Boyer College of Music and Dance will offer Yoga in the Gardens to connect breath with motion to focus the mind-body and open energy channels. On September 27, students in the College of Public Health's KPAP (Kinesiology Physical Activity Program) Backpacking and Camping class will showcase outdoor skills such as highlighting How to Use a Compass and How to Build an Emergency Shelter.
Dr. Chris Agard, Assistant Professor of Instruction in Biology in Temple’s College of Science and Technology, will additionally help campers learn about “creepy crawlies” such as reptiles, amphibians and insects, all species he is currently researching on campus.
“The great thing about taking science and interacting with the community is that not only is it educational, it’s also fun! You want to get people ‘in the door’ and we want them to stay interested,” he said. “Whether you’re looking at the stars or looking at insects or snakes or lizards, it’s hands-on and, for some people, it might be just a little bit scary but the kind of scary, the kind of thrill, that keeps you engaged. It’s the sort of thing that helps folks in the community become advocates for nature, for science, for the environment, because they had a good time and want to keep engaging in those experiences — that’s gold right there!”
Fired Up for the Campout
At the Temple Ambler Campout, students from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture Ceramics Program will once again construct a “pit” with cinder blocks on Saturday, September 27, and load it with combustible material for a big fire — different materials create different effects on the ceramics. Tyler students will then place ceramicware they have made within the “pit” — including some items created with clay from the Ambler Arboretum.
Ceramics students and faculty member Lauren Sandler will be on hand to talk about the process during the Campout. (Please Note: The Ceramics Pit Firing is weather dependent. Heavy rain might prevent the firing.)
“This will be our second time participating in the Campout. Since last’s year’s Campout, however, our students have been able to conduct other pit firings at Temple Ambler — it’s become a great partnership,” said Sandler. “It's a different experience, a different learning process and there will be different effects on the objects and materials.”
Being part of this program, Sandler said, “I think serves many positive purposes.”
“One is getting us out of our studio, which is always good, and having new experiences — something we might not be able to do otherwise,” she said. “It's also a great opportunity to collaborate with other people, getting to know the community at Temple Ambler, what is happening there and what we might be able to do together. I think that just makes teaching and learning creative work more engaging and just more interesting for all of us — it makes it more dynamic.”
Join Us at the Campout!
For participants of the Temple Ambler Campout, registration includes a tent site — 15’ x 15’ (bring your own tent), the BioBlitz, guided walks, workshops, campfire, stargazing, s’mores and all of the Choose Your Own Adventure activities! View the whole schedule of activities here!
Guests are invited to bring their own food to the Temple Ambler Campout. It's the perfect evening for a picnic dinner! There will also be food trucks with items available for purchase at the Campout from 5 to 7 p.m.
Please Note: Cooking at the event is prohibited. Refrigeration is also unavailable. Coffee, juice, and cereal bars will be provided the morning of September 28.
The Temple Ambler Campout is being presented with support from Germantown Academy, Mi Casita Preschool and The Goddard School of Spring House.
For additional information, contact 267-468-8108 or [click-for-email].