Zac Brown Could Have Built a Private Paradise. Instead, He Built a Place Where Kids and Veterans Find a Way Forward.

When country music star Zac Brown acquired 400 acres of farmland in Fayetteville, Georgia, he could have used the property for almost anything. A private retreat. A luxury estate. A personal getaway far from the noise and demands of his career.

Instead, he chose something much bigger.

He built Camp Southern Ground, a nonprofit campus designed to serve two groups whose needs can be very different but whose journeys share something important: the need for belonging, confidence, connection, and a safe place to grow.

The camp's mission is centered on children during the summer and veterans and military families during much of the rest of the year. Its programs bring together young people with different abilities and backgrounds, while its veteran programs support people transitioning from military service and those dealing with combat stress.

It is an unusual legacy for a musician.

And it began with a very personal belief: that the opportunities and experiences that shaped Brown's own life could also help other people discover their strengths.

According to Camp Southern Ground, Brown purchased the 400 acres in Fayetteville in 2011 and developed the property into a facility dedicated to youth and veterans. The organization says his own experiences as a camper and later as a camp counselor helped inspire the vision.

What exists there today is far more than a summer camp.

It is a place where children are encouraged to discover what makes them unique, where families can reconnect, and where veterans can work toward a new sense of purpose after military service.

And perhaps most remarkably, many of the veteran programs are offered at no cost to participants.

From 400 Acres of Farmland to a Life-Changing Mission

The story of Camp Southern Ground begins with land.

In 2011, Zac Brown purchased approximately 400 acres of farmland in Fayetteville, Georgia, about 30 miles south of Atlanta. The organization's own historical materials describe the property as the foundation for a world-class facility dedicated to serving youth and veterans.

The idea wasn't simply to create another recreational camp.

Brown had experienced the power of summer camp himself. According to Camp Southern Ground, he grew up attending camp and later worked as a counselor. Those experiences convinced him that camp could influence a young person's confidence, relationships, and outlook long after the summer ended.

That belief became the foundation for his project.

Rather than separating children according to their differences, Camp Southern Ground was designed around inclusion.

Rather than creating a program exclusively for one type of child, it brings together young people with different experiences and abilities.

And rather than treating military service as the end of a person's story, the organization created programs designed to help veterans build a meaningful next chapter.

The result is a campus built around a deceptively simple idea:

People become stronger when they have a place where they belong.

Summer at Camp Southern Ground

When summer arrives, the focus shifts toward children.

Camp Southern Ground operates residential programs for children ages 7 to 17, bringing together young people from a wide range of backgrounds. The camp specifically includes typically developing children, neurodiverse children, children from underserved communities, and children from military families.

The organization's inclusion program identifies children with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, dyslexia, learning and attention differences, and other social or emotional challenges among the populations it serves.

That means a child with autism might share the same camp environment with a typically developing child.

A child from a military family might share a cabin or activities with someone whose family has never had a connection to the armed forces.

A child from an underserved community can participate alongside children from completely different socioeconomic backgrounds.

The philosophy is not to pretend that differences don't exist.

It is to show children that differences don't have to prevent friendship.

Camp Southern Ground says its inclusion model is designed to help young people interact with campers whose circumstances, experiences, and perspectives may be different from their own. The organization describes this diversity as a strength rather than an obstacle.

That is a powerful lesson for children.

Growing up can already be difficult.

Children are constantly trying to understand who they are, where they fit in, and whether other people will accept them.

For a child who learns differently, communicates differently, or experiences the world differently, those questions can become even more complicated.

Camp creates an environment where those differences are not necessarily the first thing people see.

Instead, children can become campers.

Friends.

Teammates.

Artists.

Swimmers.

Explorers.

Leaders.

They are given opportunities to discover abilities that might otherwise remain hidden.

Inclusion Is More Than a Slogan

One of the most important aspects of the camp's model is that children with different needs are not simply placed in a separate program and left on their own.

Camp Southern Ground says its summer program uses specialized counselors, inclusion specialists, behavioral experts, and medical staff to help campers thrive. Nurses are available around the clock to address medical concerns and manage medications when needed.

The organization also says that its accommodations are designed to provide campers with different developmental needs an opportunity to experience residential camp.

That distinction matters.

Inclusion is not simply putting people in the same room.

True inclusion requires changing the environment so that people can actually participate.

For a child with sensory sensitivities, that might mean thoughtful accommodations.

For a child with attention challenges, it might involve additional structure.

For another child, it might mean having a counselor who understands how to support them.

The goal is to create an environment where differences can coexist without becoming barriers to friendship or participation.

Camp Southern Ground describes its approach as bringing together children from different socioeconomic backgrounds, races, religions, abilities, and life experiences.

In other words, the camp isn't trying to make every child the same.

It is trying to help children become comfortable with the fact that people are different.

The Camp Is Designed Around Growth

The activities at Camp Southern Ground are not simply about keeping children entertained during summer vacation.

The organization's summer program describes camp as an opportunity for young people to connect with new friends, spend time outdoors, explore nature, and develop confidence.

That philosophy turns ordinary camp activities into opportunities for personal growth.

Learning to navigate a new activity can build confidence.

Working with a group can teach cooperation.

Trying something unfamiliar can help a child become more comfortable with uncertainty.

Spending a week away from home can create independence.

Making a new friend can change the way a child thinks about someone whose life is different from theirs.

And succeeding at something that once seemed frightening can produce a feeling that stays with a child long after the camp session ends.

The point is not simply what happens during one week.

The point is what campers take home with them.

A Place Where Military Families Are Included, Too

Camp Southern Ground's summer mission also includes children from military families.

That is significant because military life can affect the entire family, not just the service member.

Children may experience long separations from a parent.

They may move frequently.

They may worry about a parent's safety.

They may have to adjust to changing routines and new communities.

Camp Southern Ground intentionally includes children from military families alongside other campers, creating opportunities for them to meet peers with different experiences while also connecting with children who understand some of the realities of military life.

The organization has also developed programs specifically for military and veteran families.

Its Warrior Family Camp, for example, is designed around communication, connection, and understanding within military families. Camp Southern Ground says deployments, traumatic injuries, mental-health challenges, and other pressures can create difficulties for families, and the program aims to give family members tools for improving communication and connection.

So the mission extends beyond the individual.

It recognizes that when one member of a family serves, the entire family experiences the consequences of that service.

Then the Mission Changes

Summer eventually ends.

The children go home.

The cabins become quieter.

But Camp Southern Ground does not shut down.

Instead, the focus shifts toward veterans and military families.

The organization describes the rest of the year as a period dedicated to supporting veterans through several programs, including Warrior Week, Warrior PATHH, and Warrior Family Camp.

This creates one of the most distinctive aspects of the property.

The same place that gives children an opportunity to discover themselves can later become a place where veterans work on their own next chapter.

The age groups change.

The activities change.

The needs change.

But the underlying philosophy remains remarkably similar.

Connection matters.

Purpose matters.