What an excellent camp filled with kind people, positive energy, fun activities and great food.
My family and some friends from church recently attended the Labor day weekend retreat at Camp Orchard Hill. It was my 2nd time there, as I had attended a church Men's retreat there a few months ago.
I knew what to expect. I had already met Chef Steve, who cooks up delicious meals for guests during lunch and dinner. He had sat down with me at the dinner table and shared his inspiring story and testimony.
I have been out to eat a lot as my yelp profile will attest to and I have to say the quality of the food chef Steve is able to put out for a large number of guests is amazing.
From super tender pork tenderloin to curry chicken and veggies, Steve even has made delicious from scratch cheesecake. Even simple appetizers were delicious - his crispy fresh salad with champagne cream salad dressing was a hit.
Whenever we ate, staff would make eye contact and smile. They would say thank you when we handed our trays and plates back.
Camp Orchard Hill had Derek in charge of activities and they were plenty fun. We could go zip lining, swing from a giant swing, paddle boat or canoe around their man made lake, and fish around that same lake or even while paddle boating. There was also "the blob" which was a big inflated apparatus sitting on the edge of the pond. A heavy set member of the staff would jump off a platform and land on the blob while a rider was sitting at the edge of the blob. The rider would then go flying 20 feet in the air and land in the pond. It looked super fun!
Indoor activities included a game room with 2 pool tables, air hockey, foozball, and a ping pong table.
There is a full sized gym with basketball courts, rock climbing and the fun bubble ball outfits people can put on to bounce off each other.
During our men's retreat we had the opportunity also to skeet shoot and do target practice.
The speaker at the Labor day camp was Gregory Speck. He was highly entertaining, effective and engaging.
Everything he said made sense too and was very practical.
Yes the camp was for Christians but I do believe that anyone with an open mind would enjoy it very much.
The price we paid between 2 adults and a kid for a 3 nights stay and including all food and activities was amazing. I believe around $350.
There are many overrated things on Yelp. Think of any number of pricey restaurants offering what is generally available elsewhere (at other pricey restaurants) and staffed by nonchalant people.
Camp Orchard Hill is the opposite of that. It is really a special place, filled with good hearted people and I hope it survives. read more