Summer 2025 Camp Reviews

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2nd year as a 16 yo counselor says it all. I’m not the original poster, but I have been telling people for years about Calleva having had interactions with their team in a professional capacity. It’s not a safe camp. The training and standards are not adequate for the activities they lead, and the risks are high for serious injury

Are you saying that Calleva isn't safe because they hire 15-16 year olds as junior counselors? You have to be 18 to be a head counselor and even older to be an instructor. What's inherently dangerous about high school students as junior counselors?

[Anonymous]

My kids went to Calleva for years. They loved it and we had no incidents. The loved the ridiculous songs and still sing them once in awhile. Pretty much as close as you can get to sleep away camp without actually sleeping away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2nd year as a 16 yo counselor says it all. I’m not the original poster, but I have been telling people for years about Calleva having had interactions with their team in a professional capacity. It’s not a safe camp. The training and standards are not adequate for the activities they lead, and the risks are high for serious injury or fatality.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now that camps are in full swing, I thought it would be helpful to start a 2025 camp review thread.

So far, we have only done Calleva, and it has not disappointed by 7 or 13 year olds. Calleva is especially good for older kids. One thing to know about Calleva is that they have camp every day, including on Juneteenth and the 4th of July. I love sending my kids on those days because DH and I get date day, as we both have them off.

Parent of the Calleva counselor here - he’s always been paired with a Head Counselor who is 18+ and a Lead Instructor who is 21+ and has specialized skills in whatever activity they are doing (rock climbing, kayaking, etc).

Calleva is not a safe camp

Love it when the bus drivers go to Harris Teeter for beers
Or when someone gets hurt the rest of the group sits in the emergency room

Never send a kid under 12

Calleva is awesome! Bus drivers do not go buy beer or make all the kids sit in the ER. This is totally made up and laughable. Calleva is wonderful! Amazing counselors and has always been a highlight of my sons' summer.

DP here. We have had more than a few concerning incidents at Calleva and not sure if we will return next year. The counselors have a strange tendency to teach mean behavior and songs to the kids in an attempt to be fun and cool.

Can you share more? My kid loved Calleva when younger, a few years ago. After taking a few years away to go to sleep away camp, he's considering applying to be a junior counselor next year, but your comment concerns me.

My very responsible 16 yo DS just finished his 2nd summer as a paid junior counselor with Calleva. He's had a great experience, loves the kids (and they seem to love him). I asked him about the above and he has no idea about any counselors teaching mean behavior or songs.

[Anonymous]

6 yo in MoCo's favorite camps were Visarts and Brookside Nature Center. Definitely registering for both again next year.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for Calleva, my kids love it and have only had a positive experience. The songs are silly but not mean or inappropriate and they use them to build camaraderie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another vote for Calleva, my kids love it and have only had a positive experience. The songs are silly but not mean or inappropriate and they use them to build camaraderie.

Yeah, haven't heard a mean one yet.

It's wildly expensive, but that's the only knock i can think of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2nd year as a 16 yo counselor says it all. I’m not the original poster, but I have been telling people for years about Calleva having had interactions with their team in a professional capacity. It’s not a safe camp. The training and standards are not adequate for the activities they lead, and the risks are high for serious injury or fatality.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now that camps are in full swing, I thought it would be helpful to start a 2025 camp review thread.

So far, we have only done Calleva, and it has not disappointed by 7 or 13 year olds. Calleva is especially good for older kids. One thing to know about Calleva is that they have camp every day, including on Juneteenth and the 4th of July. I love sending my kids on those days because DH and I get date day, as we both have them off.

Calleva is not a safe camp

Love it when the bus drivers go to Harris Teeter for beers
Or when someone gets hurt the rest of the group sits in the emergency room

Never send a kid under 12

Calleva is awesome! Bus drivers do not go buy beer or make all the kids sit in the ER. This is totally made up and laughable. Calleva is wonderful! Amazing counselors and has always been a highlight of my sons' summer.

DP here. We have had more than a few concerning incidents at Calleva and not sure if we will return next year. The counselors have a strange tendency to teach mean behavior and songs to the kids in an attempt to be fun and cool.

Can you share more? My kid loved Calleva when younger, a few years ago. After taking a few years away to go to sleep away camp, he's considering applying to be a junior counselor next year, but your comment concerns me.

My very responsible 16 yo DS just finished his 2nd summer as a paid junior counselor with Calleva. He's had a great experience, loves the kids (and they seem to love him). I asked him about the above and he has no idea about any counselors teaching mean behavior or songs.

Have you reported them? You’re concerned about serious injury/fatality, and I’m curious what else you have done besides posting here.

[Anonymous]

Alexandria Children's Theatre is great! My kids did one of the themed camps at Episcopal High School. They loved the counselors, had a swim break and really good provided lunch every day, learned a ton about theatre, and had an adorable play at the end. I've heard great things about their Burgundy Farm camps too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Girl Scouts sleepaway camps for the win this year for my kids.

A perennial favorite for my 14 year old as well, she's hoping to be a CIT next year (schedule permitting). My younger kid (11) did Boy Scout sleep away camp this year and also rated it highly.

They also like Sportrock for climbing camp. This year the younger kid did a split camp between Sportrock and Building Momentum and really loved that. He wants to repeat it and/or do one of the all day Building Momentum camps next summer. It's a good option for slightly older kids and those can be hard to find.

[Anonymous]

We were pleased with Episcopal Camp. It was their inaugural year and it went well.

[Anonymous]

Never again to Valley Mill. Incompetent management and staff led to dangerous situations.

[Anonymous]

6 yr old DD loved Congressional. So many fun activities for the kids and communication was great. Pricey but I think worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never again to Valley Mill. Incompetent management and staff led to dangerous situations.

I haven't had a kid at valley mill in years, but I wonder if some of the criticism of Calleva (which I know well) and valley mill is that kids are doing inherently dangerous activities and sometimes someone will be hurt. We are used to such sterile and safe playgrounds and activities that it seems like injuries must be someone's fault, even when they aren't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Landon Boys camp was great. My 2nd grader was excited to go everyday for a few weeks. They communicated well and drop off/pick up was well organized I think it’s best for kids that enjoy sports but he also loved the woodworking and other activities.

GDS was kind of a bust. Neither kid really enjoyed their program. And I understood one of them was supposed to be full day but the instructor only stayed for half the day. The lunch was a good and they did like the playground.

Stone Ridge is a favorite for my younger DC. This is our 3rd year. Very organized, love the pool time and the counselors are always really friendly and fun.

My kid did two specialty camps at Landon and I was very impressed by how well the whole operation ran. I had an answer to a question emailed on a weekend in 20 minutes. We also did a week a Bullis (not the day camp)--it was fine but not the well tooled machine Landon was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never again to Valley Mill. Incompetent management and staff led to dangerous situations.

I haven't had a kid at valley mill in years, but I wonder if some of the criticism of Calleva (which I know well) and valley mill is that kids are doing inherently dangerous activities and sometimes someone will be hurt. We are used to such sterile and safe playgrounds and activities that it seems like injuries must be someone's fault, even when they aren't.

Nope, not in this case. The activity was not inherently dangerous. The lack of supervision was.