My daughter went to camp here last year. The experience she had was so incredible. The counselors…read moreto the directors are very sharp and nice people. It is not too far from home and very new and clean. I am guessing this camp is less than five years old but the construction and thought process behind the layout is wonderful. They have a huge slide that goes into the lake. They have a theatrical theater, new, clean, very nice cabins that have AC. They keep out fresh fruit as snacks, and my daughter being a vegetarian had no problem at all. The leaders of this camp base everything (from what I can tell) about developing your daughter into a strong independent person. They stress the great women in history and the impact they made on our lives. They lead your child into coming home full of confidence and pride in the things they accomplished with out your help. My daughter did one week last year but it will be two this year. This camp made a huge impression on her life and I am excited to see how she grows in the next session this summer. This is a very nice safe and protected place for you child. I often look at the picture on her wall hanging out in front of her cabin , messing around with her friends, having the time of her life. Sincerely, Papa Bear.

My daughters have been going to this camp for 5 years. Every year, they count down the days until…read morethey can go again. It's been a magical place for them. I'm so happy that Piper and Popsie (the leaders) have been part of our lives. Some of my favorite stories my girls have shared.... When my youngest daughter went for the first couple years, she had a "big sister" from the 9th grade leadership girls. The big sisters are supposed to grant wishes for the little sisters. Well, my daughter wanted to stop time. So, her "big" got everyone in the camp to agree that if my daughter yelled "Freeze!" in the dining hall, everyone would stop in place for five seconds. It was an empowering moment to know her wish could come true in such a creative way. Another year, my older daughter was struggling with some friendship issues. When the counselors ended up giving her the firelighter award - as someone who represented the spirit of camp - her entire self-perception changed in a very positive way that carried forward out of camp. This year, the middle school girls wrote everything they didn't like about themselves on post its, stuck them on their counselors, then ripped the post-its to shreds... so they knew they could destroy the power those things had over them. On top of all these amazing self-empowerment moments, camp is just fun! My girls come back learning new songs, happy about new friends, and exhausted from having so much activity for two solid weeks. And they even rave about the food. We heart CLC.

My daughter loved Blackwood Nature Camp for five summers. It was the one place she felt she could…read moretruly be herself. She dreamed of becoming a counselor. Even after she was interviewed and selected to their Counselor-in-Training program, this year she was removed from the training based on a year‑old accusation we were never told about, never shown documentation for, and never given a chance to discuss. She was confronted alone as a minor, her belongings were searched without her knowledge, and she was later told not to ever speak about the incident. Even after multiple attempts to discuss the incident with Camp leadership, including their Board members, I never received a response. The way this was handled has caused her significant emotional distress and destroyed her trust in the adults running the camp. I hope Blackwood reevaluates how it treats children under their care. I cannot recommend Blackwood Nature Camp. This review reflects my personal experience and opinions as a parent.

This is an EXCEPTIONAL place. We attended their Mornings in the Country event on a Saturday. Each…read moreevent is different so our experience may not be identical to yours. The event was from 10-2 and we were greeted and invited to roam and explore the grounds. Their farm is EXQUISITELY designed. Later, the on-site farmer, Becca, took us on a tour and we learned about organic gardening and the balance between plants and soil. It's all about the soil :) Becca was on hand to explain her farming techniques and answer our questions. We were served a delicious lunch outdoors in the large covered patio. This is a MUST SEE/VISIT place. My pics don't do it justice. Our group was a four year old and her grandparents and we all had fun!

Attended a scouting campout here in April and it was great! The property is well maintained along…read morewith the facilities. Each campsite has a flag pole, picnic tables, concrete camping pads, fire pit, canopy cover for the tables, and an electrical outlet if needed. The property has a nice lake, fort, abandoned mine, and ample green space for playing. There are a few trails on the property. If you attend family camping here then the facilities are not open. Adventure camps or summer camps will most likely allow mess hall, pool, splash pad usage. All in all, a great camping site for scouts!

Involvement in scouting is one of the more wholesome rites of passage for American boys and their…read moredads. One of the things I most look forward to do with my Cub Scout is to go on camp-outs. These aren't pack it in 10 miles whilst carrying 40 lbs on your back camp-outs. Instead, for the boys 10 years old and younger, it's park your car and carry your tent 50 yards to where you set it up sort of camp-outs. Regardless, it's an excellent introduction to the outdoors and to skills that they'll use when they really go on wilderness hikes in a few years. Camp Bovay, located an hour from Houston on the way to College Station, is almost too accommodating in this regard. We showed up on a Saturday morning, signed in and went to the designated area for our troop. We set up our tent, and filled it with our sleeping pads, sleeping bags and day packs with all our stuff. We were ready to go. There was the obligatory flag raising ceremony (this is the scouts, you realize) and then lunch was served in air-conditioned comfort in a big cafeteria. Afterward, the kids spent all afternoon going from activity to activity, none of which were particularly nature-oriented. They did get to ride BMX bikes, hit golf balls at a driving range (most of the kids enjoyed picking them up more than hitting them), traverse a rock wall, try their hand a Frisbee golf, play in a swimming pool complex with lots of slides, go paddle-boating, and do some archery (hooray - that finally sounds like scouting!). I found the whole thing a bit staged and "summer-campish". Right as the last activity ended, the heavens opened and drenched everyone. I hurried back to my tent and found that my Walmart special worked as advertised and kept everything inside dry and snug as a bug. Unfortunately for many of the other boys and parents, this wasn't the case. Wet sleeping bags and other camping accessories were everywhere. I turned to a friend and laughed, "If worst comes to worst, it's only an hour drive back to all the comforts of home." A number of people took that option. Another too civilized meal preceded the classic campfire, with skits and humor that only pre-teenagers can fully appreciate along with some communal singing and cooking of marshmallows that went into s'mores (if you don't know what a s'more is, you have no business reading this review). Away from the city lights, you could actually see the milky way. As the evening wound down, I began giggling as the sound of battery-operated air compressors became omnipresent as campers inflated their air mattresses (I told my son that that was "cheating" and we don't camp that way). I slept like a baby, missing the coyote howls, and woke up at 5:30 listening to crickets chirping and the first morning songbirds warbling. I took a deep breath and was confronted with that wonderful smell of stale sweat and sodden clothing. I finally felt that I was having a true camping experience. Then the first ring tone from someone's cell phone went off. Chaucer's Chanticleer couldn't have woken up the troops more effectively. Sigh... I love lighting up a Coleman stove and cooking up eggs in gobs of bacon grease on mornings like this. Instead, we "hiked" (using the term loosely) over to the cafeteria and had breakfast whilst listening to country western music piped over the sound system. I was crestfallen. Afterward, we returned to camp, broke everything down and threw it into the trunk of the car. The boys asked, "What are we going to do now? All the activities are closed!" I replied, "We're going to have even more fun!" We picked up the fishing gear and walked through the tall grass, catching grasshoppers as we went. Down at the pond, a school of pretty perch were more than happy to get hooked with every cast as they gorged on grasshoppers. The boys all got to catch numerous fish (or the same ones over and over again), take them off the hook and throw them back. Things were starting to get good. We found some huge spiders, lots of crickets and more grasshoppers. Of course, all these critters are available in our yards back home, but somehow lack the appeal that they have on a camp-out. Getting hungry again, we went back to our cars and headed home. My son conked out in about 2 minutes and slept most of the way back. I found myself singing along to the Eagle's "Take It Easy" on FM radio as I drove. For a short period of time on Sunday morning, everything was right with the world.

My experience volunteering was extremely disappointing. I left feeling disrespected, unheard, and…read moreunfairly treated by the leadership. One of the most upsetting parts of my experience was that I felt I was treated as though I had been dishonest. I also felt I was unfairly accused of making negative comments about campers. To the best of my knowledge, I never made the kinds of comments I was accused of, and I was never given a meaningful opportunity to explain my side. I was especially discouraged when my volunteer service hours were taken away after everything I had contributed. Instead of feeling appreciated for volunteering my time, I left feeling dismissed and unsupported. I believe volunteers deserve to be treated with respect, listened to fairly, and given the benefit of a genuine conversation before serious conclusions are reached. Unfortunately, that was not my experience.

My daughter was a volunteer at camp blessing and it was the most traumatic experience for her. At…read moreone point, my daughter was exhausted and having a hard time coping and because she went away for an hour to recoup, the counselor told her she would not be getting any volunteer hours, even though she worked for 5 days days and nights. Beth, one of the camp leaders, instead of being a mature adult, managed the situation with zero emotional intelligence. Stay away from this toxic place. There are better environments for your high schoolers to volunteer.

Our son has been attending summer camp for 2 years at St Luke's and it'll be his third year in a…read morerow. He loves the counselors, the activities and the environment. He has attended other summer camps in prior years but enjoyed St Luke's by far. Summer camp is a lot of fun, the pool is open, they have field trips every Friday and more. He enjoyed summer camp so much, that last year we decided to do after school there as well. They offer other activities as well, so he is taking Taekwondo and a science/stem class this semester (took tennis previously as well). He does his homework there as well. All in all, an awesome place.

Years later and I stiill give St. Luke's a summer camp 5 stars. The have the most amazing, fun…read more"field trips" like Go Carts, water parks, movies, etc. My son missed last summer due to moving to the suburbs and he definitely missed it. We will definitely be doing some camp sessions this year. The great part is you can choose some or all weeks (excluding some holidays). The counselors are top notch aardvark I don't worry about my child when I'm at work. 10/10 recommend.

My daughter took riding lessons from Miss Jill over the summer and had a blast! Miss Jill is a born…read moreand raised "horsewoman". We not only learned about riding, but also about horse care, and horse lore. The horse she was assigned to ride as a beginner is a big lovely, gentle soul named Tex. Tex is big hearted and gentle, but also challenging enough so that my daughter learned proper horse commands and how to make a horse listen to her.

This is a small facility where the owner lives onsite. She has 12 x 12 stalls with turnout daily…read more Feed and Hay is given twice daily and if the owner provides suppliments they will administer for you. They also will blanket and flyspray as well if you provide the supplies. Owner loves your horse as if her own and really cares about its welfare. Owner is also a certified trainer and will give lessons to you on your horse at your place or hers. If you don't own a horse and would like to learn all about horses as well as riding, she teaches this as well. She teaches from small children to the adult amateur. She has summer camps and clinics through out the year as well as events that get the boarders together such as the annual painted pony parade, the ornament exchange and we have field trips to horse shows to watch and sometimes support fellow boarders showing in the event. Low key place. Trailer parking available as well.

They were wonderful with the kids and help host a fantastic birthday party. I would recommend using…read morethem for sure! Very kind and sweet. The kids had a blast and learned a lot.

I rarely write Yelp reviews but my daughter's birthday party this past weekend was so amazing I…read morewanted to take the time. Our 9 year old LOVES space and science and wanted both for her birthday party. When looking online I found the Nutty Scientist offered a Space themed party and it was everything she wanted and more. Their interactive show, hands on experiments and hover craft were so much fun and kept the kids entertained the entire time. Our two party hosts were upbeat and fun. It was obvious how much they love their jobs because they were having as much fun as the kids. It was also the first party I have not had to help a party host serve food, drinks or cake. They were truly exceptional and extra effort was very much appreciated. On top of the amazing party, I loved that we could bring our own food and drinks and were not forced to purchase overpriced foods like most party places do now a days. The Nutty Scientist made our 9 year very happy with her birthday party and we can't wait to go back.