I started as a camper here in 1995, became a counselor/specialist when I was in college and have…read moresince returned as adult staff. My daughter attends camp here as well, and I was thrilled she loves it here as much as I did when I was her age. The owners know everyone by name, all the staff are incredibly friendly and the overall environment is caring and adaptive. They consider each individual campers needs and work to accommodate everyone. They have many campers with gluten sensitivity and a separate food station for gluten-free food so as not to cross contaminate foods. The infirmary is staffed by experienced nurses and they always have a doctor on campus (in addition to the owners being doctors themselves). Color War is a time honored tradition that brings a camp together at the end of the summer. Win or lose, Apache relay is a fun tradition in which every single camper partakes in an important role. There is an ice cream parlor, a movie theater, a playhouse, an outdoor adventure zip line course in addition to an inflatable water park on the lake. The kids stay in touch year round and I still talk to people I met as a camper to this day.

I was a camp counselor for Camp Pontiac for the summer of 2021 and when I say this was one of the…read moreworst run businesses I have ever seen and the worst job I have ever had, I am in no way exaggerating. To begin with, the hours they have their general staff work is outrageous. There is no break, you never really get off time here. The staff lounge is a glorified hut with moldy couches and a TV that is can barely fit 1/5 of the staff at a time. The other places on the campus were not open to staff even though the management made it seem that way in the interviewing process. Which is only the first thing that they lied to their staff about. I was lied to about the parameters of my job, I was lied to about my hours, I was lied to about what I would be able to do with my off time. I felt like a prisoner in this camp, I wasn't allowed to leave once I got there, or else I would have been fired. The management DOES NOT care about their general staff, if you get sick, they will not give you adequate rest time to recover. Over 2/3's of the staff was sick throughout the summer. And then there was the covid outbreak. The covid outbreak that the management tried to blame on their general staff as if they weren't allowed families to come in to tour when it was a "bubble" as they marketed to their current parents. Of course, they would never point the finger at the management who frequently went out to eat for every meal at the local restaurants like the Pond or allowed their campers to leave to go boating on another lake. It was a poorly run business that had no care for its general staff. There were promises of things getting better throughout the summer in which they never did and the bonuses that were promised because the staff was doing double the work, were never delivered. The 'Wannabe Director' Micahel Etra has horrible anger issues that made him go off on counselors causing many to quit. His carelessness and ego lead me and many others to be stranded at the airport due to missed flights because he would not allow us to leave earlier to catch our flights even though we brought it to his attention. The group leaders did not care about their counselors, my went as far as to tell me to quit when I talked to her about being unhappy with the exhausting workload, even after I explained to her that paying $800 for a plane ticket home was not an option for me in my financial situation. And then of course there is the favoritism. If you were a camper here and you chose to come back to work, this is a dream job. You are given special treatment and access to the entire camp. You get away with taking 10 or 20 minutes here to there. You get away with taking time off to go and work on things for school. I was refused the wifi passwords to the buildings I worked at, the only places I had access to service to call my parents, but a former camper had them. Ultimately if you're a new counselor, the directors and owners do not care about you. This camp preys on young college students looking for interesting jobs and then locks them on the campgrounds and exploits them for seven weeks, throwing them away once they got their use out of them. I felt like the help most days, slaving over a bunch of spoiled rich kids. Counselors got fired for just disciplining the kids. Counselors got fired for trying to ask for adequate pay. Genuinely, this was an awful experience. For anyone looking to work here, if you have no sense of self-respect, you'll be fine. But understand the long hours and poor treatment that you are going to have to deal with. If you are looking to send your child here, the directors and upper-level staff do not care about your child. Your child is money to them and nothing else. They use the "interesting" specialties such as sports and arts & crafts to babysit your kid, very few of the kids enjoyed the everyday activities. The evening activities were more contrived ways of babysitting the kids so they couldn't be left alone to realize that camp life is nothing but a lie to get money out of the parents. Save your money and send them somewhere else, trust me, this camp is going to go under soon.

Camp staff did not let kid talk with father when called in, only after mother consent…read more At the registration this should be clarified, that YMCA staff is Not allowed to block kids from either parent.

Well, you know what they say... it's fun to stay at the YMCA! There are many ways to have a good…read moretime and they have many things to enjoy, you can even hang out with all the boys (and girls because this is 2018 and we're talking about a campsite people). Already getting off track. Anyway, Camp Jewell is a great location for retreats and gatherings that caters to kids, adults, and students all over CT and the northeast. They have excellent meeting facilities, solid bunk bed sleeping acomodations, and always serve some sort of chicken patty during your stay. This is truly a camp through and through so if you're running a retreat but want to glamp instead of rough it, or if you're looking to escape the wild city life for a weekend, book a group here and have a blast (we sure did).

As a former camper, and now an adult who has dropped off my nephew & picked him up over the past 2…read moreyears, I can say Hi-Rock is a special place. Is it perfect? No. It's a rustic camp in the middle of the woods with bugs, and most cabins don't have plumbing inside them (it's a short walk to communal bathrooms in every unit except the youngest, which does have indoor plumbing). But you know this going in! I don't think anyone comes here expecting a 5-star resort. We dropped off my nephew this past Sunday and found check in to be a well-oiled machine. We waited a little bit (and the line was longer later in the day), but I think that's to be expected for an overnight camp! I'd rather they do their due diligence, than just have us drop off and leave. We were able to explore the camp, have a nice, buffet lunch, watch my nephew take his swim test, and even show my son his potential cabin for next year. RedHawk bunks are 3 and a half walls, so they're open and somewhat exposed to the elements. They've been this way for 30+ years and the boys seem to really enjoy it (apparently they're getting renovated though!). The bathrooms could maybe use non-clear shower curtains. ;) If you've gone to Hi-Rock, you know how magical it is, even if every second isn't perfect.

I was a camper at Hi-Rock, and now my child attends (as well as many of my other former bunk mates…read moreand their children) and it continues to be a special place. The camp builds confidence and establishes a great connection to nature. I like what another fellow commenter said - it's not "perfect" in terms of standards that are unattainable by most camps - it's rustic, but I see that as a positive. I've also observed my child's social emotional benefit of being off screens from her time at camp, and that alone makes it an enriching time. The counselors and staff are all kind and patient. All of that, and it is a beautiful setting for camp.

My kids attended Camp Moe summer camp last year and they had an absolute blast! The activities were…read moreso well thought out for every day, they always had something so creative and fun to do. The camp is run with amazing care and attention to detail. I highly recommend this camp!

Such a great camp! My nieces go here and absolutely love it. The location is great,10/10 would…read morerecommend!

I came here with my school for a 3 day, 2 night trip. When we got here after a 2-3 hour bus ride…read morethey did not allow us to unpack and make us go to the lunch room, the problem with this is that every time we went to eat a meal someone had to set the table and then we had to wait 10-20 minutes listening to them talk about nonsense, after every meal it was the same thing as well. This outdoor classroom programs problem is that they do not think about what the student would think is more appealing. The rooms were dirty and mice were found in many when we go there, some room were also very much nicer than the others which is odd because we all spend the same amount of money ( 400$ ). The showers were cold and the cleaning supplies they used was expired, plates and silverware were not cleaned properly either. The staff was nice for the most part other than the unnecessary talking about rules but some staff was rude and unfriendly, there is much more as well but if you are considering to send your school here for a trip think twice because the price was not worth it.

My experience working at camp Eisner camp for a few months. I quit because they have horrible…read morecommunication about your pay. Multiple times my pay was not right. And they put my money in direct deposit in the wrong account. Now to positive working there. My head chef was amazing and his girlfriend is amazing. Two awesome people to work under. But they do not handle your pay so for that be very careful. I would not recommend anybody to work there, but I only can give you my experience.

Silver Lake is the outdoor ministry site of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of…read moreChrist. This is a place where leadership is nurtured and called forth and lives are changed. It's a place where you can come and be yourself as God has created you to be. It's a place where building community is paramount and where everyone is accepted for who they are. It's a safe space for all ages and it is in a beautiful setting in the northwest corner of CT. It is an awesome place!

Two of our three kids had their first sleep-away camp experience last summer at Greenwood Trails…read more It was actually the first time they had been away from home for more than a few days for any reason, so we were all a bit anxious--to say the least. I started to relax at the drop-off, when the kids were somehow whisked away in a happy hoard and never looked back. I fully relaxed when we had our phone call with the kids after the first week, and they breathlessly told us all about how much fun they were having and reeled off the names of all their new friends and didn't mention a word about missing us. When we picked them up a week later they acted like seasoned, independent campers -- eager to show us around the place and to tell their little sister that she HAD TO go next year (she was sold -- and all three will be attending together for the 2022 summer). There was not a single complaint. Our kids are VERY different from each other, and they both found plenty of activities that they loved. For one, the highlight was the trapeze (she has actually continued with trapeze locally since getting home, after getting completely hooked on it at GT). The other was enamored with all the sports and competitions. He is also now on some sort of mission to do some crazy number of different activities over the course of what he presumes will be a long camp career, and thus earn some sort of reward involving a walking stick with bands of colored tape around it (yes, he is a little competitive). We have been nothing but impressed with this camp's administration, from our first interactions through to the last day pickup--these people are ON IT. This was especially appreciated last year since we were all freaking out about COVID going into the summer and we were putting a lot of faith in this camp. GT just consistently said the right things, with the right tone, at the right time to keep us at ease and confident that our kids would be in good hands. Then they delivered as promised. With all the chaos last year, these guys were like a model in organization, communication and responsible/rational behavior. We are super excited for our 9 year old to get to join her sister and brother this summer, and can't wait to see her come home a more mature, confident and independent version of herself -- just like her siblings did.

My Daughter has been going to Greenwood trails for 7 years now. I would recommend this camp to any…read moreand all that asks about it. My Daughter talks about going back to camp the minute she is picked up at the end of summer. The amount of activities they have for the children keeps them moving and their minds working all summer. I am saddened to see that a bad review was left for this camp. Owen and the staff have been nothing but extended family to all the campers that attend Greenwood trails. Thank you Owen and Staff for making memories that will last a lifetime for my daughter. I will also be sending my other daughter to Greenwood trails when she is old enough to attend.

Rundown, understaffed, and poorly run camp. Kids were packed into hot and dirty cabins and felt…read morelike their basic health and hygiene needs were not taken care of. My first time campers stuck it out for their whole two-week session, but 4 out of the other 12 girls in their cabin actually left early and the camp didn't seem to care. Interestingly, 3 out of the 4 who left were returning campers, and from what we understand, the camp has recently run into many financial difficulties and has cut back drastically on the quality of activities, facilities, and staff. So even those who may have enjoyed the camp in the past can no longer overlook the drastic decline. Activities were very basic with little to no instruction using rundown equipment / minimal materials. Cafeteria food was terrible, portion sizes were stingy, and the cafeteria often ran out of many food items. Hygiene essentials like soap and paper products were not refilled in a timely fashion. My girls' cabin went at least 3 days with no toilet paper, soap, and paper towels and so they had to walk to either the public bathroom or another cabin to use the bathroom (even late at night). Kids were required to shower in bathing suits bc the shower curtains were too flimsy and see-through to provide enough privacy and towels provided were not big enough to cover their bodies to and from the shower---so they said they never felt fully clean. There was a girl in their cabin that regularly stole things from other girls and the camp did not do much to discipline her or prevent her from continuing the behavior. There generally didn't seem to be much adult supervision and oversight. The kids seemed to mainly interact with teen counselors and it was very telling that even on pick-up and drop off days, we as parents did not get greeted or instructed on where to go by any kind of director or other adult. They allow the kids only a 5 min phone call each week, and though the kids are also allowed to write and receive both electronic and mailed letters, the camp loses track of a lot of mail and can fail to print electronic correspondences -- I know of at least 4 letters that the camp lost or did not print for my campers, who could have really benefitted from hearing from home during moments of homesickness. Two-week sessions are priced at $4800 per camper plus a sneaky $125 per kid non-refundable "canteen fee" which is supposedly for kids to purchase merchandise, but which the camp basically pockets since they do not make parents or kids well-aware that they need to use it or lose it. It really seems that the camp is trying to squeeze every cent out of families without any regard to quality of experience.

Where do I even begin about this camp?! My four summers at Chinqueka were no doubt the best of my…read morelife. As soon as I walked into the camp my first summer (2022), all the girls and counselors were so so welcoming. From singing dining hall songs to fun team activities (go Coyotes!), I've never felt more at home than I feel at Chinqueka. While the facilities are not perfect, it's as good as you can get with a sleepaway camp (there's 100+ girls and only a handful of facilities staff - what do you expect?). I've learned how to do so many things at camp (Ex. starting a campfire, leadership skills, archery, setting up a tent, canoeing, various swim strokes, etc.), and I genuinely don't think I would be the person I am today without this camp. If I could give this camp infinite stars, I would. If you're even slightly considering sending yourself or your child to any of the Ebner camps, please do so, as these will be the best summers of your life.