Camp Caylor to hold grand opening

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

On the corner of CR 4814 and West Highway 190, about one-half mile on the left after the Big Divide Road intersection, lies Camp Caylor – the “day camp for grownups.” 
The wine and beer garden is celebrating its grand opening this Saturday from noon until 10 p.m.
Owned by Shannon and Jonathan Caylor, Camp Caylor sits on a wide, grassy lot on the corner of Highway 190 frontage and is open Wednesday through Sunday, serving a variety of Texas wines and Texas beer, offering wine and beer flights.
In addition to the beverages, served in the Space Between Tasting Room on the property, Camp Caylor provides a variety of activities for grownups to do some of the things they did as children. 
“We have corn hole, horseshoes, washers, bocce ball, yard chess, yard checkers, giant Jenga, giant connect 4, yard dice, anything “yard” related,” said Shannon. There is a checkout center where guests can check out games to play for free. 
Shannon said they will have food trucks on the weekends, and for the grand opening on Saturday, there will be live music on the stage by the tasting room. 
In addition to food truck fare, Camp Caylor also offers, trail mix, chees trays, and in the evenings, s’mores are on the menu by the outdoor campfire. 
Just like day camp, there will also be crafts for grownups at Camp Caylor.
“For our grand opening, we’re going to have paint your own wineglass,” Shannon said. “There will be a theme craft each month. May 5 is Fiesta, we’re going to make our own piñatas. In the spring, we’ll have a make your own bird feeder out of a wine bottle.
“The crafts will be all the things you don’t have time for, or like for the wine glass, you don’t have the supplies to cut the glass yourself.”
Along with camp, comes merit badges and Camp Caylor will have those, too. 
“You earn merit badges when you complete a task. The first 50 at the grand opening on Saturday will get a grand opening badge. We plan on having a campfire every Friday and Saturday if the weather is good. That’s how you earn your s’mores badge.” 
The idea for the day camp for grownups began to germinate in June 2016, when the Caylors saw the first location they had in mind for their business. That place didn’t work out, but Shannon said the location on Highway 190, the building is what first drew her in 
“It looked like a wine barrel to me,” she said. The couple then set about transforming it into a tasting room and adding other features to the property, such as the food truck pad. 
Indoors, if the weather is bad, there are board games like Wineopoly and more for guests. 
“What we want is a relaxed environment, a place to have fun and conversation, interaction without cell phones, and just really do all the things you did as a kid, that you don’t really get to do as an adult,” Shannon said. 
There are also plans in the works for “camp weeks” such as wine week, with a different activity each day, like wine tasting, visits from featured wineries, and taking a trip on Camp Caylor’s party bus for a wine tour. 
The Caylors’ two teenagers have helped out a lot, Shannon said, with issuing out the games and their son, 17, mowing the yard. He even has aspirations of maybe having his own food truck one day.
Shannon and Jonathan Caylor both served in the military, and Shannon is set to retire from the Army in a little more than a month after serving 20 years. This is the fourth time the couple has been stationed at Fort Hood and they have already decided to call Central Texas home after her retirement is final. 
Shannon said her new venture is completely different from her time in the military, working in law enforcement as a CID agent. 
“I’ve been the worst day of everyone’s life,” she said. “In this job, I want it to be a happy time when people see me.” 
 The address for Camp Caylor is 146 County Road 4814, Copperas Cove. Their schedule and more can be found at campcaylor.com or call (254) 518-5920.