My two sons are counting down the days until their 4th summer at Laurel begins. There are so many…read moreoptions out there, and I truly feel like we hit the jackpot with Laurel. While the facilities are second to none and beyond impressive, that is not what makes Laurel so special. The best part about Laurel are the people, beginning with the directors Jem and Debbie Sollinger. My kids truly love Jem. The attention that Jem gives to each camper is remarkable. He is front and center in everything going on at camp. While I'm not there to witness myself, the daily scroll through the photos paints a great picture. And it doesn't stop with Jem - the staff training is incredibly thorough and intentional. They really know how to work with kids. One of my sons struggled with some cabin relationships, but the connection he had with his counsellors and campus leaders was exactly what he needed to navigate through. Camp is a regular conversation topic in our house and each year they come back giving their summer a 10/10. They truly live "10-4-2"!

Camp Laurel is the best decision we ever made for our children!…read moreThe directors, programming, activities, facilities and community are top quality. Nothing compares to it. The friendships our boys have made will last a lifetime. Laurel attracts wonderful families. My husband and I have also made connections with parents of campers there that are very special. We feel lucky to be a part of the unique Laurel spirit. Trust in the Directors of a camp is crucial and we have the upmost faith in Jem, Debbie and Keith. They are professional, genuine and a lot of fun. They understand that every child is an individual vs just a number. The facilities are beautiful. The food is healthy and excellent - my kids say better than at home. The cabins are always well balanced. The environment at Camp Laurel allows campers to be who they are. The staff is carefully chosen, impressive and intelligent. They encourage the children to try new things and step out of their comfort zones from home. Building confidence and skills is a gift that Laurel gives it campers.

EXTREMELY rude staff. My family attended bark in the park tonight & the Portland sea dogs over sold…read morethe section that we were assigned to stay in with our dog. THEN your group of campers shows up at 6 pm after the game had already started and expected us to move. There were SEVERAL of your staff that were telling us to move. And one of your employees Mr. Ewing, as we were leaving, said "we're glad you're leaving that's what we wanted." I hope you don't teach the children that go to this camp to be extremely rude to adults. Seems like your camp needs to have better time management and not show up when the game has already started and expect other fans to leave their seats they had purchased as well.

I spent a summer at Camp Modin when it was located in Canaan, ME, on Lake George. I was a bunk…read moreleader as well as the archery, basketball and football counselor. But, more important than the in camp activities were the amazing opportunities to use our Maine Guide for hiking, climbing, canoeing and learning the husbandry needed for deep woods survival. For the city kids of New York and Montreal, this was an experience that they would carry with them for a lifetime. The week long trips on the Allagash River, Rangely Lakes, and the challenging backpacking climbs to the top of Mt. Katadin and the dangerous footfalls along Knife's Edge, were as physically demanding as they were awe inspiring. It was a right of passage and accumulation of grace to watch urban kids who were so accustomed to one world, slowly evolve and grow in the skills needed to camp in the wild and learn appreciation for the natural universe. To become stronger and wiser by doing things so alien to their upbringing, and to return year after year to further growth, was what Modin was all about. That Camp Modin was successful in molding their campers into better people is measured by the fact that it is entering its 99th year. Only those who's souls were transformed in the Maine woods would fully understand the importance it could have in the lives of their children and generations thereafter. It was my good fortune to play a small part in that magical process.

This camp is absolutely the best choice for girls to be for an overnight camp. The sense of…read morecommunity is unbelievably strong. The girls are forced to be out of the ordinary world by giving up on modern convinces such as phones, mirrors, electricity, etc.. The values instilled at this camp are incredible and help shape these young ladies into the very best version of themselves.

This place is beautiful. From the minute you turn onto the road leading up to the camp you know you…read moreare arriving somewhere special. The road travels along a picturesque lake and when you arrive on the grounds you will be happy you chose this destination. Everything is well organized, clean, and comfortable. We are here for a weekend wedding. I highly recommend you consider learning more about what this camp has to offer!

One of the best camps in the US, without question. I spent many happy summers at Manitou, and now…read moremy son is a camper there as well (along with many other second and even third generation boys). For kids who would enjoy playing sports all day, and making lifelong friends, Manitou is the camp to choose.

i came here for half of a summer (4 weeks) and loved it so much that i told my parents i wasn't…read morecoming home and planned to stay for the full 8 weeks. i think i spent a total of 3 summers here and often wish for the days when all i did was eat, sleep, play sports, and laugh with my friends. i look back at my summers at camp manitou as some of the best times of my life. wake up for breakfast, sports in the morning, lunch, sports in the afternoon, dinner, and sports at night. just about every sport imaginable was available from the lake (sailing, windsurfing, scuba, waterskiing) to the courts (tennis, basketball, track) to the fields (soccer, football, lacrosse, baseball, archery) and everything else in between. life in the bunks was filled with hazing and brotherhood, atomic sit-ups, and teenage boasting. through the trials of college league and color war we became intense competitors. that competitive nature was never more evident than when we competed against other camps because manitou ran the table in all sports. kennebec, androscoggin, cobbosee, y'all were our bitches. nostalgia abounds

This is a multi-generational family farm run by a couple and their two daughters. The family is…read morevery hard-working, helpful, and experienced, and someone is always available and willing to help when needed. Pros: low-key, kid-friendly atmosphere, huge indoor arena, excellent head trainer, full-sized outdoor dressage ring, heated tack room with hot water, and access to endless miles of trails and dirt roads allows for plenty of independence and fitness work. They offer both stall board and pasture board at reasonable prices ($400 and $550). (Horses on stall board are fed hay and grain three times per day as opposed to just twice for pasture board horses.) They also make their own hay, which tends to be plentiful and high in quality although it can vary and occasionally becomes limited in the spring. They will do blanket changes some of the time. Almost all the turnout areas have shelters, but owners reserve most of the nice grassy fields for their personal horses while boarders' horses are often turned out in less desirable areas which can be extremely muddy in the spring. Trailer parking is complimentary and kept plowed and accessible throughout the winter. The house is close to the barn, so there is always someone around to attend to emergencies, and they always do a night check of the horses in the barn. Cons: the kid-friendly atmosphere includes kid barn help. Many of the chores are done by working students who are not always supervised and are often quite young and inexperienced. Water buckets and troughs are not scrubbed often enough. Stalls have dirt floors which soak in pee and produce overwhelming ammonia odors by springtime. No wash stall. No jumps but people have brought their own, and boarders are free to jump without being in a lesson. Last time I was there, much of the wood/wire fencing was falling apart and horses were getting loose on a regular basis. There were also often loose wires on the ground. Spooky horses may be unsettled by the frequent use of dirt bikes, nearby gunshots during hunting season, and random machinery on the go, but it's great for desensitizing them. The footing in the indoor is dirt and compacted manure (they drag the manure back into the footing rather than pick it out), and can get very dusty. The footing is not too deep but can be a little too firm in the winter. Also they do not water it, but occasionally will put down snow in the winter, which doesn't make much of a difference.

No structure. Kids run the camp. Girls form clicks. Hard to be accepted if over12 yrs old. Find…read moreanother camp.

Solid place to hold a wedding - this is a girls sleep away camp that can be rented out. Pretty…read morecool. The camp is really nice with tennis courts, a radio station, a pool and a lake amongst other things. This looks way better than the camps I grew up going to. Went here for a wedding which was a cute venue. The camp staff acted as servers I think and the food wasn't too bad - buffet style with a giant tray of steaks and some of the best strawberry shortcake I've ever had.

Came for a day pass and the gym had everything I needed for my workout. Friendly staff.read more

First off the owner is rude and money hungry. I discontinued my membership and gave him more than…read more30 days notice and he still tried to charge me. I put a stop to that stunt real quick. I don't know how he continues to treat people like ATM's and manage to sleep at night. I signed up at Planet Fitness and everything there is 10 times better including the treatment. Good riddance!!!

What an awesome experience! After completing the online form to make a reservation - you pick out…read moreyour kayaks, PFDs and delivery/pick up. We met Tanner at the Maranacook Lake (North) Boat Launch parking lot. We did the 1/2 days rental ($35 a boat) which included delivery and pick up of the kayaks. Tanner dropped everything off around 9am and then off we went. Upon returning from our adventure, we locked up the boats and texted Tanner. What a perfect way to get out onto the water! Highly recommend.

Great, solid rental place! I got 2 paddle boards for 4 hours for about $75. I got to choose the…read moreboard size and specify life jacket size. Everything was super smooth- they were at the lake when I arrived, they dropped off the boards right there, talked for a minute, and then left us on our own. We had such an amazing time and it was great to have a place that dropped the boards off! When you're done all you do is text and they come within 5 min or so to pick them up- easy peasy!