Our two daughters have been attending Wa-Klo for three years, and I cannot recommend it highly…read moreenough. Their time at camp is perhaps their favorite time of the year. They experience so much growth while they are there, forming friendships and exploring activities that they don't usually have the opportunity to try in their everyday lives. They stretch their abilities, have fun, and also learn how to be considerate individuals who look out for one another. The environment is incredibly supportive and caring, and the break from screens provides a much-needed reset. They talk about camp all year long. Choosing Wa-Klo was one of the best decisions we made for them!

As a former Camper who attended three summers at Camp Wa-klo, for four weeks each, I can say I…read moreloved my sleep-away camp experience! A typical weekday would be waking up to revelry, circling the flag pole to welcome the day, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Roy-Kit, singing many fun camp songs, cleaning the cabin, having inspection, attending 5 activities throughout the week (soccer, lacrosse, tennis, archery, horseback riding, fitness, gymnastics, theatre, dancing, sailing, windsurfing, swimming... to name a few) with one rest period in between to hang out with friends, write letters, take a nap, etc. Outside of the weeks' activities I thoroughly enjoyed our evening and weekend gatherings. When you first attend camp you are placed on either the White or Green Team tribe and throughout your camp experience there are various all-camp competition events, movie nights, drama performances, dances, and council fires where staff and counselors award achievements associated with weekly activities, tribe success and much more. You also have opportunities to go off-site as a group to hike Mt. Monadnock, grab ice cream from Kimball Farm, go water rafting, visit Six Flags, attend the Jaffrey Fair, etc. I also really liked the camp uniform. The green and white apparel made it easy for all the girls to feel comfortable in what they wore. There were some civies days, and an all-white closing ceremony (so I would still pack other outfits) but the main area to show off one's personality was in the cabin by decorating around your bed, shelves, and trunk. I have only GREAT camp memories and would continue sharing... Instead, I invite you to sign up and experience a summer for yourself!

Spent four years as a camper and one as a member of their AIDES program. Excellent place for boys…read moreto develop their character, make lifelong friends, and create incredible memories.

tldr: great views of nature, friendly staff, and good accommodations…read more Came here with a group of peers for a bonding overnight stay in late fall. Food was good and accommodated dietary restrictions, and sleeping accommodation provided a bathroom and mattress but no sheets (we brought sleeping bags and pillows). Everyone really enjoyed the big swing and Alpine tower activity. Our group was large enough that they split us up to do each activity - my group enjoyed the firestarting/survival shelter activity but not as much as the swing/tower. The swing is doable for anyone, and you can decide how high you are pulled up before swinging. The tower is challenging and only one or two of our 15-person mini-group was able to reach the top. Plan to wear clothes that you can move around a lot, and walk in the woods in. They did not have a large indoor meeting to sit 30-40 people, but we were able to fit in a room off the main cafeteria, with some people sitting on tables/the floor. The campfire at night was set up ahead of time for us, and they included materials for s'mores. The guide was sure we'd have enough supplies but we ended up running out of some parts (they're called s'mores for a reason!). The staff there ran a cultural sensitivity activity for us, which we enjoyed with everyone in our large group.

You cannot find a better, well rounded day camp in the area. The kids experience horse riding…read morelessons, arts & crafts, nature, theater dance & music, sports, archery, rocketry, Project SOAR (climbing, repelling, zip lining, etc), swimming lessons & free swim and LOTS more. This is a family run camp with a significant number of repeat staff and campers. The 2-week sessions give the campers a chance to become comfortable and competent. Many campers attend multiple sessions & I believe this is because the staff truly enjoys their work and the campers. It is such an awesome place, if only I was young again....

From the owner: Metrowest Premier Summer Day Camp for Children ages 4-12.read more

It was excellent working as one of the staff there and i will always miss it. Thank you and have a…read moregreat day.

Our kids have been coming to this camp for a few years now and they love it. It is a…read morenon-denominational Christian camp that runs all summer long. They have many fun activities for the kids to do and a pool that the kids really enjoy. Every week has a different theme and the crafts and games are centered on that theme. They have Wacky Wednesday where the the kids dress up in accordance with the theme of the week. Other activities include drama, archery, drama and character building. As I said before, this is a Christian camp and there is some learning of scripture, but they accept all faiths. The counselors are wonderful. There is also an over day option on Thursdays that for a little extra money the kids make s'mores by the campfire, do skits and have extra swim time. Over day ends at 8 pm. The camp also posts pictures and videos daily on Facebook so you can see what the kids have been up to all day. I highly recommend this camp. Our children are happy and safe. It's a wonderful way to pass a summer!

This center served as my home base for a series of hiking adventures on and around Mount Monadnock…read morein June. I was assigned a lakefront cottage that was extremely spacious and quite comfortable. There are more modern, and more fully outfitted, condos but I enjoyed the scenic view and quite setting of my cottage. Pilgrim Pines is a venue that hosts a variety of visitors. There are summer camps, conferences and, likely, retreats but my visit was with a group of hikers and artists who stayed on property from Sunday through Friday. Meals are held in the main dining room and are served buffet-style which made it easy to enjoy what I wanted and to the leave the rest for others. Guests are expected to place dirty dishes and glassware in a bin which makes for a quick and easy clean up. There is a 2 1/2 mile loop around the lake that can be enjoyed during a leisurely walk or a more ambitious run. There are also trails and dirt roads/paths nearby for additional outdoor excursions. The water was a little too cold for my tastes but the lake seemed to be inviting and would certainly provide a smooth place to canoe. There is a small store on property with hours that vary according to need. It offered a lovely selection of toys for children, sweet treats, Christmas ornaments and other holiday decor, jewelry, original paintings and some items representative of the region. Definitely worth checking out if you can manage to be around when staff opens it up for business. Every staff member I encountered added to the overall enjoyable experience of staying here. It was always easy to strike up a conversation or ask for any assistance. A lovely chapel on property did double duty as a morning yoga studio and an evening presentation spot for guest speakers. The real highlight of the stay, particularly after an exhausting day hike, was the shower. It had great water pressure and hot water that helped to make the muscles feel much better. Due to the religious affiliations of this property alcohol is off limits. Guests are welcome to enjoy the books, games, puzzles and even the TV found in the main lodge but for me the chance to enjoy the outdoors or just curl up with a book in my little lakeside nook was all I needed!

Great getaway every year with our family!! My wife has been coming here her whole life and now our…read morekids love coming to the pines too.

Great non-profit camp for kids 8-17 interested in LARP, gaming and meeting others with similar…read moreinterests. Heroes (campers) spend their days adventuring and exploring the grounds, making choices that will impact the story moving forward. It's an inclusive community for those wanting to get outdoors and bring the stories of literature, history, and myth to life (while swinging a foam sword). I've worked there several summers. It's home to many campers and staff, finding the magic of The Story School calls them back to answer the call of adventure! They also offer scholarships, sibling discounts, and multi-session discounts to make camp accessible. They are also hugely focused on inclusion within the LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent communities. I wish we could host camp all year!

From the owner: The Story School is an interactive, immersive, and inclusive nonprofit summer camp for heroes ages…read more8-18. Campers are transformed into heroes at this overnight eduLARP camp. Stories from history, mythology, and literature come to life in an engaging plot that reacts to the choices of the campers. Level up your character by solving STEAM puzzles, navigating moral challenges, battling monsters with foam swords, and making lifelong friends. In-person camp is a two-week overnight adventure. The Story School also offers online roleplaying adventures, D&D games for all ages, and birthday adventures to top it off. What adventure interests you? Contact us today!

Our daughter has done this as a week-long day camp (at Bement Summer Camp) twice now. Each year was…read moresimilar but the daily activities changed. Regardless, she LOVES this program! Plenty to challenge older / more experienced kids, but also moving at a pace the younger crowd can keep up with. Last year, her favorites were kayaking and caving. This year, raft-building and caving. She starts each day excited for a new adventure, and comes home worn out and so full of stories. The guides have all been fantastic - knowledgeable about the trails, history, and environmental topics; good at setting expectations about the day's activities and rules; and great with kids of varying abilities. Caving may be the best thing about this program. Our family hikes & paddles regularly, but caving is best done with a guide who's done the cave before and can set expectations realistically. When our daughter comes back from the caving days, her clothes are wet and filthy, she tells stories about impossibly narrow and tight passages, and she grins the whole time. It's such a great experience and has really expanded her enjoyment of our outdoor adventures. My only request is that the guides would give parents a list of where they went, complete with recommended parking and recommended routes - so we can try these things too! Well, except the caving. I'd want a guide for that!

We brought my son's 6th Grade class here for an adventure and no one left disappointed. You could…read moresee quite a few of the class were tentative as they entered the cave but once they got inside all of there faces lit up as they began to explore. Our guides were Anna and Benjamin and both were great with the kids. They told us stories and taught us all some facts about how the caves were formed, what was down there, and how they would look in the future. We explored some of the larger areas of the cave and also some of the tighter passages. It was peaceful, challenging, meditative, and fun. It's also worth noting the care Anna and Benjamin took to make sure that everyone had a pleasurable and safe experience. They were supportive to push us to get a little outside of our comfort zones but were equally supportive and attentive if someone felt they had reached their limit. It's been two days and the class is still talking about the trip. I plan to get as many of the kids and parents together to do this again some time in the near future. I do not have enough words to express the gratitude I feel for this experience.

I recently attended a wedding at Camp Marshall and what a unique, rustic venue it was! The…read moreceremony, cocktail hour, and reception were held on the grounds across various settings with plenty of parking for guests. The ceremony occurred in a large open field with deep bench seating arranged in a way that made it very easy to view the exchange of vows. A well-manicured lawn and forested backdrop helped set the stage for this country chic, burlap, and lace-themed wedding. A couple of steps up to the lawn itself hid the bride well-enough for the big reveal as she walked arm and arm to the altar. Following the ceremony, guests filtered over to the main barn area of the camp. Not sure who is in charge of signage (the camp or the couple) but a few more/larger signs might have made it easier to determine exactly which barn/outbuilding we were supposed to relocate to. Drive slow because "holy potholes, Batman!". Depending on the car, you could really scrape up your undercarriage on the roads through camp. Hadn't thought about the offroading needs of my car when deciding on a vehicle to bring. In any case, the guests did find their way to the reception area and were greeted by the warmly lit, rustic interior of the Camp Marshall barn. Very large space for tables, chairs, buffet, DJ/dance floor, and bar area. Large barn doors acted as an effective method of temperature control for the fall-like evening. High ceilings made for a dramatic setting. Exposed wood combined with string lighting and flowers was an aesthetic success. (To top it all off, I hear this was an affordable venue to rent out!) Sounds like a winning combination! Looking for a rustic-themed wedding? This may be your venue! From the website, it looks like there are a number of ceremony locations to choose from on the grounds.

Camp Marshall has really gone down hill in the past few years, as other reviewers have correctly…read morestated. Our daughter has attended camp for the past 8 years but this will be her last. Chronic staffing shortages plague the camp. Counselors are all new and are only there for a summer job so their interest in and commitment to the job is not genuine and their attitude and care and concern for the campers is lacking. Many of the counselors are not much older than our daughter. I get that staffing shortages are a problem everywhere, especially at summer camps. But camp management and the Board of Directors really need to step up recruitment efforts to get some quality staff. The last straw was being informed by our daughter that a long time director left, and when I inquired about this to a member of camp management, the response was vague which has me even more concerned. This director was well liked by campers and was very responsive to my complaints and with an issue our daughter had. I get that I'm not entitled to know exactly why a member of the management team left but to not have some sort of announcement is really unprofessional and not transparent at all.

This camp is awesome. All of my children went there from 1998 to 2023. They are all black and/or…read moreLatino. One of my children is gay. They all loved it and benefited from the learning experiences tremendously. They are accommodating for children's individual needs and are very multicultural, with much of the staff being from overseas. My husband and I are a gay interracial couple and all our experiences as parents were positive as well. My kids all went to scout camps in the area, too, and preferred 4H Camp by far. When I taught in Pepperell, it had a better reputation than any camps around and I had many students who went there year after year. We are looking forward to sending my grandchildren to camp this summer, 2025!

my child goes by them but this camp wont go by pronouns and my kid had an awful time. they also…read morelied to me saying that they were happy but when they came home they were crying and had a ear infection and had hives down there back and my kid told me they were forced to go out into a tornado because they got stung by a bee and had to go to the nurse and my kid hates summer camps now. Never ever ever go here

My child's first experience at this camp and let me just say beyond disappointed and extremely…read moreconcerned. My child is young and numerous times hurt himself, and no counselors were anywhere nearby him I didn't know until I actually picked him up that he was injured. No calls were returned by Tiffany Joslyn, the Director. Beyond disappointing still waiting on a call from the CEO Mike Lachance have heard zilch. He never came home with any artwork, etc. I was told he would do archery, arts and crafts, woodwork, etc. nothing zilch nada! I don't understand what actually goes on at camp Sergeant? I will never send my child here again. Thank God he is OK and he didn't drift off into the lake as he was never watched.

I would not recommend this camp to anyone; especially if you have a child who requires a little…read moreextra help. I reached out to the Camp Director multiple times with questions and concerns since this was our very first experience with Summer Camp. All of my messages were completely ignored. My son is 6 and told us multiple times about the other kids being mean and calling him names. He was sent home for "kicking" another child when he was on the monkey bars and the other kid stood in his way and refused to move despite being asked nicely multiple times. They have a 1 to 15 counselor to camper ratio. Absolutely horrible staff that is not equipped to handle anything. My son was actually traumatized by his experience there.