Summer Camps for Older kids

[Anonymous]

I'm looking into outdoor summer camps for active 8 yo boy. We don't really want to do sports camp, more outdoor adventure kind camps. I've heard of camps where buses pick up kids at certain locations to take them to a day-camp and bring them back in the evening. If your child has done camps like that would you recommend it?

[Anonymous]

You might want to check out Camp Calleva. They offer kayaking, horseback riding, mountain biking, etc., with bus transpo out to the activitiy sites. It's a long day -- maybe 8:30 - 4:30 or 5, so your child needs to have the stamina. Also, there's a fair amount of time spent on the bus every day -- 90 mins. or so round-trip. Some kids love it, but mine never wanted to do it since there wasn't much time left at the end of the day for hanging with friends or going to the pool.

[Anonymous]

Valley Mill Camp
Germantown, MD
http://www.valleymill.com/about.html

[Anonymous]

Adventure links got great reviews from a friend of mine, whose son loved it. Here's a link to last year's schedule. We may try it this year with our 8yo DS. http://www.adventurelinks.net/pdf/Schedule.pdf


If you're in NoVa, my DS has also really liked the Fairfax County Lake Accotink summer camp in Springfield. It's wonderfully low-cost. The kids go canoeing, paddle boating, hiking, fishing, orienteering, do nature scavenger hunts, wade in streams collecting water creatures, etc. They also go swimming once a week at a local County pool/water park. Not quite as adventurous as Adventure Links, but my son really liked it last year and the year before.

[Anonymous]

I second the recommendation for Valley Mill. My son went there for the first time last year and LOVED it! He will be returning this year as a Hawk (6 year old boys). If you're interested, you should get in touch with Valley Mill ASAP. They sent their paperwork out to returning campers in December and will be opening up remaining spots to new campers soon (if they haven't already). I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about Valley Mill---we're hooked!

[Anonymous]

Can you tell me a general ball park figure of cost for 2 boys, please ?

[Anonymous]

The Zoo has a sleep away camp at its Front Royal facility that's supposed to be great. Also, I know many kids who love Camp Horizons, but it's also a sleep away camp.

[Anonymous]

Calleva is great but as a PP noted it is an exhausting week (which was perfect for my son and he loved it). But we only do a week or 2 a summer and I wouldn't do them back to back.

[Anonymous]

Congressional Camps in Virgina.

[Anonymous]

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