Camp Hanover does an amazing job of living out Jesus' commandment: "Love one another as I have loved you." This camp and its staff truly welcome and include EVERYONE who participates in their programs and use their facilities. The motto "Things are different here" pervades the camp, because EVERYONE is respected, encouraged and treated with dignity, quite a contrast from what some call "the real world." How much better our world would be if everyone treated others with dignity and respect. I am so thankful that my children have Camp Hanover memories, and that I have been privileged to serve as a volunteer. The camp is also a great place to hold a retreat. There are a variety of accommodations and meeting spaces, food service and activities, including a lake, ropes course, zip line, climbing wall and many trails. read more

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Our son has attended two winter camps at Camp Hanover and loved it both times. We are not a religious family however they do some sing alongside and touch on some bible study. It's mostly focused on outdoor activities and building community. The camp really seems to be run by very dedicated people and providing an inclusive environment that so many people appreciate. read more

THIS CAMP IS NOT A CHRISTIAN CAMP - BE AWARE!!! I'm still in shock that I took my family to this place and witnessed the strange and cult like behavior. My Email: I wanted to share our family's thoughts about this weekend's camping event. When I signed our family up for the Christian family camp, I had hoped that your camp would have been more transparent about being an inclusive Christian group. We only realized the camp's inclusivity when we overheard inappropriate conversations while our children participated in an activity. This made us uncomfortable, especially when other campers noticed our differing beliefs and views. These moments led to our sons asking questions, making it difficult for us to engage in some activities. Ultimately, we felt unwelcome, so we returned to our cabin and stayed there for the rest of Saturday. We left early on Sunday morning. Overall, this was not a positive family experience. It prompted conversations with our sons that could have been avoided if your organization had been more transparent. Camp Hanover's Response: Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience with us. I have shared your feedback with our Executive Director and Associate Director of Programs. Peace, Guest Experience Specialist ****Cabins are creepy, and the only thing that separated us from the other family was a door with a vent that we could see through, not to mention hear the family's entire conversation. I saw in a previous review that the food was terrific, but it wasn't. I did a deep dive into the current staff and was shocked by what I discovered. Let's say, the founders would not recognize the newfound beliefs. read more

I attended this camp for many summers and had incredibly fulfilling, joyful experiences every time. The culture of respect and welcoming taught me lifelong lessons about the right way to treat others. The structured activities built my confidence and the professional staff were my role models. Religious activities are not evangelistic but strenthened my faith. I'm grateful that Camp Hanover has been a part of my life and community. read more

Our sons attended this camp for many years! They have aged out now but still have so many fond memories! Boating, friends, campouts, they loved it all. read more

Camp Hanover is a wonderful summer camp, event, and retreat center. My kids have been attending summer camp for years. All four of my kids love it! They have arts and crafts, a pool, a climbing wall, high ropes course, a lake, canoeing, and more! They are a Christian camp, but accept all faiths, or no faith. They are accredited by the PCCCA and all of their staff is background checked and excellent. I would highly recommend this camp to anyone looking for a summer camp, after school program, or retreat center. read more

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Just had an incident last week with our 13 year old nephew. The camp is hiding a sexualized agenda behind Biblical talking points and wait until the campers don't have their phones to contact parents and guardians before they begin to discuss it with the campers. If they want to agendize, that is their right, but to hide it from their literature and parents/guardians is entirely another matter. read more

This camp put my child in a cabin with an adult of the opposite sex. She was present in the bathroom while the boys were showering. Regardless of your beliefs, this is very inappropriate. The kids were uncomfortable and had no way to reach out to parents. They are pushing an agenda that is not clear in any of their promotional materials. Please be warned! read more

PLEASE READ. THIS CAMP IS ONLY FUN WITH THE RIGHT COUNCILORS. my daughter came back with the worst experience ever. on the first day, her cousins mom drove her to the camp, they were late because they had to drive three hours and there was traffic. it would've been understandable since they were 3 hours late, and I understand the frustration, by my daughters friend who was already there said the councilor kept complaining. I won't name this particular councilors name, but I will definitely name the next. the first councilor seemed very tired and out of it to my daughter, and even though she knew she was gonna be watching 13-14 year olds, she expected them to be quiet, and clean, it's summer time, they want to have fun, if you have some sort of issue then GO HOME, do not bring the other campers down because you feel tired. So, the same councilor was said to be crying or something on the first day because my daughter and her friends were laughing and joking around with each other. The same councilor eavesdropped on my daughter's conversation in the bathroom with her cousin and friend. There was no one else around, my daughter was 14 at the time so it is normal for teenagers to talk about strange stuff. the first councilor left the 2nd day. The 2nd councilor, and I will be naming her, Sadie, seemed nice to my daughter first until she refused to let the kids to go to the bathroom by themselves, it was strange because my daughter was in the middle group, which is old enough to go with a buddy because they had a buddy system. But Sadie would only let my daughter go if it was with her and another girl. Which was obviously frustrating. Miss Sadie also said she did this because she knows what my child and her friends talk about. What? That's so invasive. My daughter started her period cycle during the camp time and asked for a tampon, which, Sadie provided, it wasn't until the next time she asked, she was given a cardboard tampon, where the applicator is made of cardboard, and the tampon itself was sticking out the top of cardboard. My daughter described the insertion as a very painful process and gave up, using toilet paper instead. This same councilor also took my daughters cough drops, and said she'll give it to the nurse. My daughter came with a minor cold, it wasn't contagious, she just came with a small cough and sniffles. When my daughter went to the nurse and asked for her cough drops, he said he never received them and let her use the other cough drops which weren't the remedy I get at the Russian store, so they didn't help. once the 2nd councilor left, my daughter received a third councilor, though she said the third councilor was very nice, and she did like that councilor. read more

Love this place. We have two generations of campers in the family, and my son is almost old enough to go. Beautiful location, wonderful people and so much fun. The one star review posted made me mad enough to reactivate my yelp account. I've never seen roaches. But yes, it's not the Hilton. It's a outdoors summer camp. You sleep in screened longhouses, cabins or walled tents, maybe even in a treehouse. Yes, you have to walk to the bathroom. You even have to bring your own sheets and carry your own dishes back to the kitchen. The horror. Say hi to the nice kitchen ladies and try to snag an extra dinner roll when you do. Not sure what that reviewer was expecting? The grounds are amazing, far enough away to feel like you're in a different world, but only 10 minutes off of Mechanicsville turnpike. They have several big projects in the works to make it even better. Camp is family, camp is friends. Camp is learning about God and yourself and how to live with others. It's about making memories that last forever. It's about removing yourself from daily life so that you can play, learn, and grow. It's not about luxury, but if you look, you will find treasures all around you there that far surpass any luxuries you might miss from home. I'm sad for that reviewer. While pining away for a comfy mattress and air conditioning, they missed one of the most awesome communities I've ever been a part of. Go to the open houses, talk to former campers. I think you'll fall in love with it too. It's a still place in a changing world, and I am so thankful it's still around. read more

I hate to leave a negative review, but I feel the camp completely is deceiving parents when we trust them with our children for a week with no communication. Parents need to know this camp promotes transgender inclusion, which has resulted in a high LGBTQ attendance and a low heterosexual attendance at the camp- at least with the week our daughter was there. Our child told us there were 3 straight kids out of 9 total in the boys/girls middle school group she was in. I read the entire website as well as all forms when signing my child up for camp. The camp is portrayed as a Christian camp to experience God in nature. We are very thankful that due to medical issues our child was allowed to call us after the first night, and grateful she felt comfortable talking to us. That is when we were made aware that she was the only heterosexual child in her cabin. Parents need to be aware that camp appears to have goals to include trans children- which is fine- except where overnight stay is concerned! We are not okay with our child staying overnight with a male or female attracted to females. They are middle school children with raging hormones at that age. No- nothing should happen in that environment, but no one can guarantee it won't. When my daughter made a comment about a boy she liked, the girls reacted saying "that's weird". A little girl was coloring a rainbow & unicorn when an older girl said "oh you're gay". The little girl was confused & surprised. Our daughter was there 24 hours. In that time she brought home one activity she did. In the middle of the paper the children were asked to say how they identify - he / she / they. It had nothing to do with Christianity. She said there wasn't much Christian focus in the time she was there either. The leader prayed & they sang some echo songs. She attended two other Christian camps this summer & said this was nothing like her experience at those camps. The issue I have is that the camp was not honest in what they are promoting. Parents need to be aware that children will be learning about transgender inclusion & LGBTQ pride during the camp. If this is the type of camp you want, then fantastic. If not, then parents need to have the FULL information to decide if this camp is right for their child. Parents need to be able to decide whether they are okay with their child being in the same sleeping quarters as individuals attracted to their child's gender. The directors need to respect that some children may have traumatic histories and parents should be aware if there is a high likelihood of a child being placed overnight with kids attracted to same gender. I am giving them 1 star because this is a Christian camp, and I feel they have been dishonest. The 9th commandment says "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." They were not upfront in the activities they would have our children participate in to include transgender education. Nor did they include any information that they promote pride. We teach our children to love people regardless of their differences- including LGBTQ friends and family that we have. We also expect our heterosexual child to be accepted as who she is as well if she is in an environment such as this. However; we will protect our child when it comes to overnight accommodations. And we feel mislead about this camp. I honestly thought when my daughter talked to me & told me all she had experienced, that I had accidentally signed her up for a LGBTQ week of camp. I even asked the camp director this question when I talked to him. He said no. I asked about transferring our child to another cabin to address the sleeping situation, but the other director I talked with said the other cabin had at least one known gay girl there also. I will say that the staff was all very nice. The drive through drop off was impressively organized. Our daughter was not impressed with the cabins, but it is rustic and what we expected. We did receive a partial refund for the rest of the week after we decided to pick our child up from camp. Under no circumstances did I expect to allow her to come home. But I never would imagine that she was in a cabin with all LGBTQ roommates. She is not allowed overnight with males, so why would we be comfortable with her being overnight with females/transgender attracted to females or a LGBTQ leader in the cabin? The camp knows the direction they are trying to go with LGBTQ & are not honest on their website. I'm glad LGBTQ has somewhere to go. Just don't hide it from parents! Parents- don't take my word for it. Please verify my review by googling "Camp Hanover" AND "LGBTQ". You will find results searching this. Once you have the information then you can make a decision about this camp for your child. Unfortunately because of the deception we feel we received, we cannot recommend this camp. read more

Camp Hanover is great! It is an amazing environment for kids to learn about God in nature and is a great opportunity! The food is delicious and the camping skills taught are very important! for most nights you sleep in a longhouse (cabin), so it is friendly to more posh campers. The lessons learned about God are amazing as well, giving campers a chance to grow deeper in faith. read more

Our son attended Camp Hanover last summer. We were shocked at the open and overtly encouraging LGBTQ spirit of the camp. There was a high-level counselor who was openly gay, and the theme for the last day of camp was "pride," for which several counselors advertised their sexual orientation. Believing this to be a Christian, Bible-based camp, we were surprised "pride" (of any aspect) would be celebrated, and we were upset Camp Hanover seemed to prioritize an LGBTQ agenda over a Christ-centered agenda. As the camp's stance on LGBTQ was not advertised on its website, we felt deceived and regretted that we exposed our middle school son to this environment. While he did enjoy the camp activities and had a positive experience with his own cabin counselor, we would not have sent him to Camp Hanover had we known the camp's doctrine and policies. We recognize some families may not take issue with it, but we felt compelled to write this review for those who do. We wish we'd done more research prior to choosing Camp Hanover. read more

Both of my daughters have attended for the past 8 years. Even though it is primitive in many respects, they love it! They can't imagine a summer without going. read more

Our daughters have been attending this camp for three years. They love it and we feel 100% confidence in the staff and counselors. It's clean, they say the food is great, and the outdoor activities are plentiful. Camp Hanover is the highlight of their summer. read more

The cabins are roach infested so are bathrooms. Have to walk long way to get to bathroom. Beds are like sleeping on wood board very disgusting rooms. Barely a step you from out house. No a/c. I will never stay there ever again. It's in the middle of no where. Warning you will dream about bugs If you have weak stomach not recommend. read more