Why are all the sleepaway camps in the general DC vicinity so underwhelming?
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Anonymous
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My DD goes to Capital and it is what you’re looking for. I promise it’s nothing like Hebrew school, which my daughter did not care for. The girls from camp are some of her best friends and they talk all the time. They just finished their CIT year and have been together since elementary. Although there’s a large Montgomery county group, her friends are also from Baltimore, Virginia, Howard county, etc.z
You should visit! |
Anonymous
| OP, you’re Jewish right? You should totally send your kid to camp Airy/Louise. It has rave reviews and I wish we were Jewish so I could send my kids there. |
Anonymous
| Went to a girls sleepaway camp in WI for weeks at a time as a kid. Absolutely loved it. There’s a number of camps in Wi and MI. My kids will be going in the mid Atlantic for a few weeks at a time. I think 3-4 weeks is the sweet spot. It’s a great opportunity to build relationships away from electronics and to try new activities. Also allows kids a chance to be somewhere where they don’t already have a social reputation. |
Anonymous
Wow. PP, you really are ignorant and self righteous. Maybe a little jealous cuz you can't afford to send your kid to sleepaway camp |
Anonymous
OP here--can I ask which camp your girls go to? |
Anonymous
OP here--I have only heard good things about Airy/Louise and it's something I would strongly consider if my daughter gets out of her "I'm too bored of Hebrew school/organized Jewish activities" funk (though I'm not actually sure how much these camps in particular emphasize Judaism). The one thing that turns me a bit off about Louise though is, from pictures I've looked at, it almost doesn't look "campy" enough. The facilities themselves are gorgeous and it's in a beautiful location, but it doesn't seem very "woodsy," there's no lake, etc. And by "campy" I don't mean anything about how nice/expensive seeming the camp is--I don't think my kids would want to go to a SUPER rustic camp with tents instead of cabins, no modern facilities whatsoever, etc. I know of EXTREMELY expensive camps up North that I would consider to be "campy". What I mean is that most camps offer somewhat similar activities, but one of the ways a camp can really set itself apart with its activities IMO is how they take advantage of their natural surroundings and being outdoors. I have endless wonderful memories from the overnight camp I went to as a kid, but the things that REALLY jog my memories are the smells and sensory experiences of being in the outdoors at camp, swimming in the lake, horseback riding (though I know most camps nowadays offer an extra charge for that), etc. On the Louise website, if you look at pictures of their outdoor facilities/activities, it seems that they are all very basic and take place on the (already fairly limited) campground. It's a camp that seems to focus way more on what their facilities offer than what their natural surroundings offer, and I think the best type of camp offers both. So that's the main thing that's been keeping me away from Airy/Louise, though I do realize it's kind of minor and I often come back to it and reconsider (this of course would still only happen if I can convince my daughter that "Jewish camp" is more fun than Hebrew school!). Does anyone know about Airy/Louise and have any insight on this? Capital Camps I realize is in a similar location, but they IMO from what I've seen do a much better job at making the camp feel "campy," i.e. they have a lake, more extensive outdoor activities, a farm with animals, etc. |
Anonymous
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OP here--for everyone who actually contributed with suggestions, thank you all so much!
I realize now that maybe our best option would be to simply just consider camps slightly farther away--I don't think I would want to send her all the way up to the area I went to overnight camp (in New England), but it seems that there's some pretty good options in places such as PA and southern NY. With PA in particular, the drive wouldn't be THAT much farther than some of the camps I've already looked at in the area, and it seems many offer a bus anyways. My concern about sending her to a slightly farther away camp has nothing to do with distance/driving time, but rather that she'll be the ONLY one from the DC area at camp. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of her having friends from all along the East Coast (as opposed to many camps in the area which mostly attract D.C. area kids), but I don't want her to be SO far away from everyone else that her camp friends would be having reunions that she couldn't go to because she lives too far away, no one in the area who she may be able to meet up with beforehand to get to know, etc. Most of the camps in these areas seem to cater mostly to families from NY/NJ/PA (and I guess FL). Does anyone have suggestions of camps in PA/NY that a decent number of families from the DC area go to? We are actually from NoVA and I am perfectly aware that there's a good chance we will be the only Virginia family at any of these given camps (all of my Jewish friends in Virginia either send their kids to the "underwhelming" camps I described earlier or to camps that are actually Jewish), but I presume there are some that attract campers from Maryland. |
Anonymous
Camp Carysbrook down by Roanoke. Most girls go for 3+ weeks plus they do things like swim lessons everyday regardless of level, shooting, tumbling, etc. next year will be their 100th year and the cabins look like what you would expect from Camp that old. We found it via a neighbor of ours in DC who is an alum. She Sends her daughter there too. Many of the counselors are precious campers too. Take a look and reach out to the director with questions though happy to answer here too. |
Anonymous
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OP, you may be overthinking a bit…airy/Louise are great. My kid loves Louise and it’s a very well run camp. The Jewish aspect really isn’t that significant. If you want a camp that draws from pretty locally it’s a great bet. It’s true there’s no lake but I don’t think the kids care that much. I will say Louise isnt super outdoorsy or sporty if that’s what you want. My DD isn’t athletic so the fact that it’s not all about sports is a plus, there are sports of course but it’s more just fun and not too competitive. The theater and arts programs are great.
The one negative is probably that because it’s close by it is hot but there are fans in the bunks my DD keeps going back so she’s managing. |
Anonymous
I’m the PP whose DD is at Louise. You are crazy. Obviously you don’t send a kid to sleepaway camp who doesn’t want to go but it is like my DD’s favorite place. She has a great home life and lots of friends but camp is special to her and she looks forward to it all year. We are not “sending her away.” We actually have other kids who do not want to go to sleepaway camp and are home so it’s not like we send her to offload our kids. It’s so great knowing she’s getting lots of exercise for a month, with friends, no screens, trying new activities. |
Anonymous
OP here--Wow! I haven't heard of this camp and can't believe I didn't come across it in my search! It looks beautiful, but maybe a bit too rustic--not that I care, but I think my daughter might. I personally love the outdoorsy environment it seems to offer but my daughter has said she wants to go to a camp that's not too "old-fashioned" (I have no idea what that means in the words of kids nowadays--for all we know, they could consider things from a decade ago "old-fashioned"!). Weird question, but do you know if there happen to be a decent number of Jewish campers at Carysbrook? I'm not married to the idea of sending her to a camp with a large Jewish population, but it would be somewhat of a bonus, and since you said many campers stay 3+ weeks, I'm wondering if many of them come from families where their parents did the same (which often, at least back in our day, was something Jewish children mostly did). |
Anonymous
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Timber Tops in PA.
I will say I suggest you reconsider the New England (especially Maine) camps. It is so much prettier with the lakes and the cooler weather. Mostly kids come from NY/NJ/Boston, yes, but she won't be the ONLY DC area kid. |
Anonymous
| Not what you’re looking for, but my three sort of Jewish kids went to nature camp. Very rustic, like an old scout camp. Close. Small. Fun. Also the shorter sessions, not all summer. It has the look-forward-to-it-all-year, return every summer, friends for life and returning next generation culture you describe. But your child has to enjoy being outside. It’s quietly spawned a global network of nature and science people. www.burgundycenter.org |
Anonymous
| Worth considering Timber Tops/Pine Forest Camp/Owego. Not too far, good mix of kids fom the DC/Philly area. Great places, and Owego is a particularly special place if you have boys. |
Anonymous
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There are lots of camps in the PA area that send a bus to pick up the kids in Rockville and/or Baltimore.
I know you said your kid doesn’t like Hebrew school but that the case for many kids. Perlman, NJY, Camp Judea (NC) are the ones I’m familiar with but lots of kids go to Iroquois, Harlam, UJY camps. I would call one of the people that help people like you find camps. Or ask at your shul where the kids go. |