Why are all the sleepaway camps in the general DC vicinity so underwhelming?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I realize that sounds a bit harsh, so let me clarify. By "underwhelming" I don't mean that I think the facilities/activities/etc. are bad or anything--from most of the camps I've looked at, they all seem pretty wonderful and well-run.

By "underwhelming," I mean there are virtually NO camps in this area that seem to really have the "family" feel that I got growing up at the overnight camp I went to growing up (in the Northeast), and many of my friends did at their camp (I grew up in the New York metro area). Oh, and by "in the DC area," I mean within a few hours drive, so like anywhere in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, maybe even southern PA/the PA/MD border. I am researching overnight camps for my daughter and I have yet to find a SINGLE camp in this area that offers 3-4 week sessions/where most campers attend for at least a month and it seems like the same people return year after year. Almost all of the camps in WV/VA, etc. offer two week sessions at most, with the option to just multiply sessions if a camper wants to stay longer. Heck, I even found a camp (Sandy Hill) where you aren't ALLOWED to stay more than three weeks! And it seems like most people who go to those camps seem to go for a quick summer getaway/to try sleepaway camp out rather than it being their "home."

The one exception seems to be the Jewish camps in the general area, i.e. Airy/Louise and Capital Camps--which seem like really good camps and we are Jewish, so those are an option. However, my daughter seems awfully bored at Hebrew School and I'm thinking she would more enjoy a more secular-type camp, but I was hoping I would be able to find one that seems to attract a lot of Jewish families (similar to the one I went to growing up) so my daughter could make more Jewish friends through camp. Unfortunately, camps like those don't really exist in this area either.

Yes, I realize if I'm that desperate, I could just send her to a camp slightly farther away (i.e. the Pocono Mountains or NY), but it's just baffling to me that there isn't a better option in this area. The natural surroundings in the greater DC area are gorgeous, and it shocks me that almost none of the camps seem to really take advantage of the nature in the area--there aren't really any camps on a large lake that offer waterskiing/watersports for example, which was a big defining factor of the camps my friends went to growing up. With the general beautiful surroundings of the area, you would think more camps would take advantage of making their camp into a true "camp" experience with longer sessions and many returning families.

Does anyone get a similar vibe from camps in the area and moreover, have any theories as to WHY virtually no camps in this area compare to camps in the NE with long sessions, gorgeous facilities, and an extremely close-knit family feel?

Maryland has no natural lakes and Virginia has only a couple of small ones. W. Virginia may have one.

Kettle lakes, as natural lakes formed by glaciers are called, are not a feature of this region. That has a huge impact on the (lack of) water sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only people I know who regularly send their kids away for the summer are Jewish or WASPy, and they are from NY/Mid-Atlantic/New England. It's a regional/class thing. The reason those kind of camps don't exist here is because, historically, that's not what people did with their kids around here. And I'm not sure there's a huge demand for it, at least not enough to support a camp.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize that sounds a bit harsh, so let me clarify. By "underwhelming" I don't mean that I think the facilities/activities/etc. are bad or anything--from most of the camps I've looked at, they all seem pretty wonderful and well-run.

By "underwhelming," I mean there are virtually NO camps in this area that seem to really have the "family" feel that I got growing up at the overnight camp I went to growing up (in the Northeast), and many of my friends did at their camp (I grew up in the New York metro area). Oh, and by "in the DC area," I mean within a few hours drive, so like anywhere in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, maybe even southern PA/the PA/MD border. I am researching overnight camps for my daughter and I have yet to find a SINGLE camp in this area that offers 3-4 week sessions/where most campers attend for at least a month and it seems like the same people return year after year. Almost all of the camps in WV/VA, etc. offer two week sessions at most, with the option to just multiply sessions if a camper wants to stay longer. Heck, I even found a camp (Sandy Hill) where you aren't ALLOWED to stay more than three weeks! And it seems like most people who go to those camps seem to go for a quick summer getaway/to try sleepaway camp out rather than it being their "home."

The one exception seems to be the Jewish camps in the general area, i.e. Airy/Louise and Capital Camps--which seem like really good camps and we are Jewish, so those are an option. However, my daughter seems awfully bored at Hebrew School and I'm thinking she would more enjoy a more secular-type camp, but I was hoping I would be able to find one that seems to attract a lot of Jewish families (similar to the one I went to growing up) so my daughter could make more Jewish friends through camp. Unfortunately, camps like those don't really exist in this area either.

Yes, I realize if I'm that desperate, I could just send her to a camp slightly farther away (i.e. the Pocono Mountains or NY), but it's just baffling to me that there isn't a better option in this area. The natural surroundings in the greater DC area are gorgeous, and it shocks me that almost none of the camps seem to really take advantage of the nature in the area--there aren't really any camps on a large lake that offer waterskiing/watersports for example, which was a big defining factor of the camps my friends went to growing up. With the general beautiful surroundings of the area, you would think more camps would take advantage of making their camp into a true "camp" experience with longer sessions and many returning families.

Does anyone get a similar vibe from camps in the area and moreover, have any theories as to WHY virtually no camps in this area compare to camps in the NE with long sessions, gorgeous facilities, and an extremely close-knit family feel?

Maryland has no natural lakes and Virginia has only a couple of small ones. W. Virginia may have one.

Kettle lakes, as natural lakes formed by glaciers are called, are not a feature of this region. That has a huge impact on the (lack of) water sports.

What you can find in Maryland because of the Bay and rivers are sailing, kayaking, rafting, SUP, and fishing camps, mostly weeklong day camps. So if you have the budget and flexibility, a lake-less sleepaway camp plus a week or two of one of those could be an option.

[Anonymous]

https://campstrawderman.com/

My DD’s friend has been going to Strawderman in the Shanandoah for several years for 4-6 weeks each time. I think there are a lot of repeat campers. Note that there is a non-denominational service on Sundays that I am assuming would be optional. We are atheists and I was a little put off by that but my DD still wanted to go (it ended up being canceled due to Covid though). It might be worth looking into and inquiring about how religion oriented the camp is.

[Anonymous]

Things DCUM is adamantly against:

Sleepaway camp
Boarding school
Cheerleading
Sororities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Funny you mention these camps--I actually have a friend from Maryland who recently told me about Timber Tops when I told her I was considering camps in the PA area! She said many kids from her kids' schools go there and to Owego. Timber Tops sounds like a wonderful place and it's one of the camps I'm looking into further/considering for my daughter.

Random question--do you know why there are SO MANY families from Maryland there? I don't mind at all that there are, and considering the location I assume there are a good amount of kids from other areas too. But the friend who I mentioned said that one of her friends said over half of the girls in her cabin were from Maryland?! Which is kind of shocking for a camp in a location that would presumably attract mostly kids from the NY area! Again, it's not at all a problem that there's so many Maryland families there, but there seem to be minuscule numbers of DC-area kids at other camps in the Poconos--what makes Maryland families attracted to these camps in particular as opposed to the several other Poconos camps, which have very few DC kids? Do Timber Tops/Lake Owego have some type of established connection to people in the DC area?

Again, this is all just out of curiosity!

Great question. No idea, but for whatever reason they seem to skew heavily toward the southern end of the Acela corridor. I guess the NYC kids just go elsewhere. But anyways, they are amazing camps.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in California and no one did sleepaway camp.

My wife is Jewish and from MoCo Maryland; she never did sleepaway camp and most of her Jewish friends from MS/HS did not do it either. They all did day camps, sport camps, went to Israel for a few weeks as part of student tour in HS, etc.

It is very much a cultural Northeast thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Funny you mention these camps--I actually have a friend from Maryland who recently told me about Timber Tops when I told her I was considering camps in the PA area! She said many kids from her kids' schools go there and to Owego. Timber Tops sounds like a wonderful place and it's one of the camps I'm looking into further/considering for my daughter.

Random question--do you know why there are SO MANY families from Maryland there? I don't mind at all that there are, and considering the location I assume there are a good amount of kids from other areas too. But the friend who I mentioned said that one of her friends said over half of the girls in her cabin were from Maryland?! Which is kind of shocking for a camp in a location that would presumably attract mostly kids from the NY area! Again, it's not at all a problem that there's so many Maryland families there, but there seem to be minuscule numbers of DC-area kids at other camps in the Poconos--what makes Maryland families attracted to these camps in particular as opposed to the several other Poconos camps, which have very few DC kids? Do Timber Tops/Lake Owego have some type of established connection to people in the DC area?

Again, this is all just out of curiosity!

Great question. No idea, but for whatever reason they seem to skew heavily toward the southern end of the Acela corridor. I guess the NYC kids just go elsewhere. But anyways, they are amazing camps.

NY kids go north into New England or go Upstate. That's not far for them. They have more options. I also think those kids are trying to go where the rest of their community attends camp, which may have historical ties to certain camps.

Whereas kids from the mid-Atlantic go up into Pennsylvania for camp as that's closer.

[Anonymous]

OP i saw this on dcum once and thought it looked so awesome - so sharing: https://edenvillagecamp.org/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize that sounds a bit harsh, so let me clarify. By "underwhelming" I don't mean that I think the facilities/activities/etc. are bad or anything--from most of the camps I've looked at, they all seem pretty wonderful and well-run.

By "underwhelming," I mean there are virtually NO camps in this area that seem to really have the "family" feel that I got growing up at the overnight camp I went to growing up (in the Northeast), and many of my friends did at their camp (I grew up in the New York metro area). Oh, and by "in the DC area," I mean within a few hours drive, so like anywhere in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, maybe even southern PA/the PA/MD border. I am researching overnight camps for my daughter and I have yet to find a SINGLE camp in this area that offers 3-4 week sessions/where most campers attend for at least a month and it seems like the same people return year after year. Almost all of the camps in WV/VA, etc. offer two week sessions at most, with the option to just multiply sessions if a camper wants to stay longer. Heck, I even found a camp (Sandy Hill) where you aren't ALLOWED to stay more than three weeks! And it seems like most people who go to those camps seem to go for a quick summer getaway/to try sleepaway camp out rather than it being their "home."

The one exception seems to be the Jewish camps in the general area, i.e. Airy/Louise and Capital Camps--which seem like really good camps and we are Jewish, so those are an option. However, my daughter seems awfully bored at Hebrew School and I'm thinking she would more enjoy a more secular-type camp, but I was hoping I would be able to find one that seems to attract a lot of Jewish families (similar to the one I went to growing up) so my daughter could make more Jewish friends through camp. Unfortunately, camps like those don't really exist in this area either.

Yes, I realize if I'm that desperate, I could just send her to a camp slightly farther away (i.e. the Pocono Mountains or NY), but it's just baffling to me that there isn't a better option in this area. The natural surroundings in the greater DC area are gorgeous, and it shocks me that almost none of the camps seem to really take advantage of the nature in the area--there aren't really any camps on a large lake that offer waterskiing/watersports for example, which was a big defining factor of the camps my friends went to growing up. With the general beautiful surroundings of the area, you would think more camps would take advantage of making their camp into a true "camp" experience with longer sessions and many returning families.

Does anyone get a similar vibe from camps in the area and moreover, have any theories as to WHY virtually no camps in this area compare to camps in the NE with long sessions, gorgeous facilities, and an extremely close-knit family feel?

Maryland has no natural lakes and Virginia has only a couple of small ones. W. Virginia may have one.

Kettle lakes, as natural lakes formed by glaciers are called, are not a feature of this region. That has a huge impact on the (lack of) water sports.

+1

Plus this area is literally built on a swamp, so people like to GTFOH in the summer, as a family. They don't tend to see their kids much of the rest of the year, with long hours.

That, and traditionally, there were not as many Jewish people in this geographic area as there are/were in other areas.

[Anonymous]

We tried a 2 week sleep away camp with our middle schooler this year. It was a campus based camp and not a rustic cabin camp (they'd hate that). While they didn't love the theme of the camp we chose, they did like camp, so they'll return next year. 2 weeks is a great experience! More is not for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Look at chestnut lake in PA. Lots of Jewish kids but not a “Jewish” camp and there’s a bus from Rockville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

I get what you mean about Louise. I had the same concerns for my kids, especially the lack of a lake. We ended up choosing a camp in NY with a gorgeous lake and they fly on a chaperoned flight to Albany. It works just fine and honestly the weather is just so much better up there than even in PA.

[Anonymous]

A challenge with the Jewish camps you mention is that they go, make friends, love it, and then you, and they, are stuck. Most camps are: camper, CIT, counselor. Louise on the other hand, costs a fortune, and there are 2-3 years of "Apprentice CITs) where you still pay, and your child works. CIT year is the worst, where you pay over $7k, your child works the 7 weeks thy are there and gets treated like dirt by the "real" counselors. And then the reality comes: they are offered $1200 to work there the summer after their senior year. $1200 for working 8 weeks. INSANE.

When your kids are young you just want them to be hapiy and don't think about this. Well, we have one at Camp Louise who loves it and doesn't care so much about the money, and one making nearly that much each week at another sleep away camp.

[Anonymous]

Netimus in PA has everything you are looking for including lots of kids from the DC area