Please tell me about your amazing sleepaway camp!

[Anonymous]

Looking for a great sleepaway camp for 2 girls anywhere between DC and Maine. We want a camp that's well rounded -- sports, arts, etc. But are especially looking for one that's intentional about social/emotional growth and has a warm, enthusiastic director who can help us raise confident, kind girls. We're Jewish, so open to Jewish camps, but not married to them. Slight preference for a girls camp, but also open to co-ed. All recommendations greatly appreciated!!

[Anonymous]

Camp Treetops in the Adirondacks. Best place on earth.

[Anonymous]

DD loved Camp Friendship, tried it for the first time this year and wants to go back next year for a longer time. It’s in VA though…

[Anonymous]

Netimus in PA is great.

[Anonymous]

I'm going to out myself here - Camp Green Lane in PA. Co-ed but with a real focus on people and developing friendships. Owners are former campers. Biggest drawback is most campers come from PA, NY and NJ so friends are a longish drive away.

[Anonymous]

It’s co-ed, but our kids love Westmont.

[Anonymous]

Chestnut Lake

[Anonymous]

Frost Valley In Claryville, NY - it's truly magic in the Catskills.
https://frostvalley.org/

And it has EVERYTHING!
Adventure camp? - got it!
Horseback camp? - got it!
Farm camp? - got it!
General resident camp? (aka all around camp) - got it!

We are Jewish, the camp is technically a YMCA - but it's in name only. There is a large Jewish cohort - mostly from NY/NJ/PA
They truly live up to their pledge of the 8 core values: They are: Caring, Community, Diversity, Honesty, Inclusiveness, Respect, Responsibility, and Stewardship.

Both of our kids continually come home better, happier humans after being at camp.

[Anonymous]

Sandy Hill! My kids went to two weeks sessions when they were younger and they did not want to come home. The key to the sleep away camps is make sure that you let your kids go with at least one friend so they have somebody they already know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sandy Hill! My kids went to two weeks sessions when they were younger and they did not want to come home. The key to the sleep away camps is make sure that you let your kids go with at least one friend so they have somebody they already know.

I disagree with this. When I was a kid, one of my favorite parts about camp was the break from school friends and having a whole other world of friends. At 47 some of my closest friends are people I know through camp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sandy Hill! My kids went to two weeks sessions when they were younger and they did not want to come home. The key to the sleep away camps is make sure that you let your kids go with at least one friend so they have somebody they already know.

I disagree with this. When I was a kid, one of my favorite parts about camp was the break from school friends and having a whole other world of friends. At 47 some of my closest friends are people I know through camp.

And your kids will know each other so they won’t be “alone.”

[Anonymous]

If you're starting from scratch I would think about location. Maine or NH are awesome places to go to camp but year after year the dropoffs/pickups/visitors' weekends are a commitment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're starting from scratch I would think about location. Maine or NH are awesome places to go to camp but year after year the dropoffs/pickups/visitors' weekends are a commitment.

This is true. We love our camp (where I went/worked as a kid) but it’s 6 hours away. That’s a lot of driving for the 3 times we need to be there. We could take them to NYC and put them on the bus but haven’t yet.

[Anonymous]

Camp Louise near MD-PA border. It's all-girls but has a "brother" camp down the mountain so there are a handful of days each session where they visit each other's camps and boys and girls are mixed. Camp has been around for 100 years, great director, wellness center that includes social workers as well as the expected nurses to give band-aids. I'm not certain if I remember the stat right, but I think about half the girls live in the DC-Baltimore metro area and rest may have moved out of the area, are from a bit farther away (e.g., Philly, Richmond), or from a lot farther (e.g., Florida, England) and since their moms or grandmothers want to Camp Louise they're there to follow tradition. It's a Jewish camp but not tied to any particular movement, plenty of kids from interfaith or minimally practicing families. To give a sense, they don't keep kosher but they do make Friday nights different from other nights for Shabbat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're starting from scratch I would think about location. Maine or NH are awesome places to go to camp but year after year the dropoffs/pickups/visitors' weekends are a commitment.

This is true. We love our camp (where I went/worked as a kid) but it’s 6 hours away. That’s a lot of driving for the 3 times we need to be there. We could take them to NYC and put them on the bus but haven’t yet.

Exactly! The first year it was a fun adventure, but I'm over it now.