🌱 aGRITculture at Camp Cruso

Downhill from Frying Pan Tower. Uphill from Ordinary.

Welcome to aGRITculture — a nonprofit-in-progress rooted at Camp Cruso.
We’re reclaiming 90+ acres of flood-slammed land in Cruso, NC to grow food, raise animals, and give folks real skills, second chances, and a reason to get their hands dirty.

🌿 What We’re About

We’re a nonprofit (in-progress) reclaiming flood-hit Appalachian land to grow food, raise animals, and give folks a real shot at starting over.

At Camp Cruso, we:

  • Rent out garden plots, greenhouses, and animal spaces to anyone ready to grow
  • Offer hands-on training for people reentering society, single parents, and underdogs of all kinds
  • Work with local courts, schools, and state partners to turn hard stories into homegrown futures

It’s not fancy. It’s not polished. But it’s real — and it’s working.

👉 [Rent your own space]

🌞 Family Explore Day at Camp Cruso

Unplug. Unwind. Get Muddy. Make a Memory Worth Telling Twice.

Camp Cruso ain’t a zoo. It ain’t a festival. It ain’t a curated Instagram farm. It’s a wide-open, wild-grown, flood-forged Appalachian wonderland — and you’re invited to roam it like it’s yours.

This is where you make the kind of memories that stick: the smell of wood smoke, the splash of cold creek water.

“The sound of your kid laughing while a chicken stares them down like they owe it money.”
— A real Camp Cruso kind of moment

Bring your best friend, your weird uncle, your kid with questions, or just your own damn self — and come spend the day doing everything or nothing in the best way possible.

🧺 What You’ll Find:

  • Cold river water and a creek-fed pond — float, splash, wade, or just sit with your feet in and let the water do the talking
  • Pan for gold — real gold, real chance, real muddy fun (no salted gimmick buckets here). Bring your own pan or borrow one from us. Head down to the flood-shuffled bars and try your luck. Some folks leave with a flake. Some with a story.
  • Fire spots — we’ve got more river rock than we know what to do with. Build your own ring, light your own fire, and cook like a mountain person. Bring foil packs, marshmallows, or a skillet full of dreams and let it sizzle while you soak up the smoke.
  • Free-range chaos — chickens, ducks, rabbits, geese, donkeys, Penelope the pug, and a feral cat that patrols like he owns the deed
  • Old logging trails crisscross the land — some you’ll find, some you’ll make. There are no trail signs, no rules. Just hollers, outcroppings, creek crossings, and surprises underfoot. Bring boots, a stick, and your inner explorer.
  • Foraging grounds — wild greens, herbs, mushrooms, berries… if you’ve got a guidebook or a granny, you’ll eat good
  • Quiet spots — solo time to breathe, think, cry, nap, whatever you need in a world that won’t shut up
  • Fishing? Maybe. Trout live here. You just gotta convince them. (License required)
  • Cleanup Challenge — trade river junk for shiny rocks, small prizes, or immortal glory on the Mayor of Mud board
  • Cell service? Ish. Best bring a can and a string just in case.

🎟️ Admission:

  • Adults: $10
  • Kids 3–12: $5
  • Under 3: Free
  • Pay at the gate, with honor cash, or QR code (coming soon)

📅 Open 8am–6pm, every day
📍 Cruso, NC – East Fork side
📜 Waiver required – [Download Here]
👉 [RSVP for a Visit]

Pack your cooler. Toss in bug spray, river shoes, and your best attitude. This ain’t a schedule — it’s a sandbox of possibility.

🫶 We also welcome group outings and service projects — perfect for scout troops, church youth groups, homeschool families, clubs, or curious humans of all ages. Come explore, clean, learn, and get your boots muddy while making real memories.

This is Camp Cruso. Where wild things heal. And where grown folks remember what it’s like to play in the dirt.

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🐓 Start Your Own Farm – Plot Rentals

🌱 Ever Wish You Had a Little Land to Grow On?

Now you do.

At Camp Cruso, we rent out real mountain space for real folks — garden plots, greenhouse space, animal pasture, and hive spots — all on a working, flood-forged Appalachian farm.

No chemicals. No pressure. No clipboard committees.
Just rainwater, good dirt, and a place to build something that feeds your soul (and maybe your freezer).

It’s not too late to raise your own food, start with a few chickens, plant your first greens, or let your bees go to work.

We’ve got full-sun plots, shady creek spots, and the kind of soil that remembers how to grow things.

🧺 Rental Options:

🌱 Garden Plot – $40/mo
10×20 ft raw land. BYO seeds, tools, and sweat.

🌿 Private Greenhouse – $75/mo
8×12 ft structure with roof catchment. Year-round access.

🐖 Animal Pasture – from $50/mo
Rabbits, chickens, pigs, turkeys — if it eats or poops, we’ll help you raise it.
Bring your own fencing or we’ll build it (for a fee).

🐝 Beehive Pads – $5/mo per hive
Sunlit spots with good forage. You manage your hives, your way.

🛠️ Add-ons available:
Fencing builds, sawmill access, tool help, coop building support.

👉 [Download Rental Agreement]
👉 [RSVP for a Walkthrough]
👉 [Pay with Square] (if setup)