There's only ONE review for Camp Letts?? How can that be???…read more
Okay, a little bit of background, here: I have been going to Camp Letts for over forty years (coincidentally, my age is a little over forty years). For once, I'm gonna have to write a relatively irony-free Yelp review.
Letts is a YMCA mixed-use facility situated in a wooded peninsula, on the Rhode river (which feeds right into the Bay). That means you drive a mile and a half down a beautiful forest road to get there, and at the end you're surrounded on three sides by the tidewater shoreline of the Bay.
Mixed-use means there's a variety of reasons you might show up there. Mostly, it's:
- a summer camp. Woo hoo, summer camp!
- a conference center (church/synagogue groups, and retreats for local businesses)
- a special events venue (weddings, bar mitzvahs, etc.)
- a family camp. They hold this every Memorial and Labor Day weekend.
In my years there, I've experienced all of these facets of Camp: I went there as a summer camper, have been on a religious retreat there when I was a kid, saw my sister get Bat Mitzvahed there, and perhaps most importantly (for me), gone for family camp every year since I was a wee babe. It's great for all these events.
Why five stars? Because there's something here for everybody. That means for every purpose you might need (Getting married? check. Sending a kid to summer camp? check), as well as the range of activities, and the range WITHIN those activities. For example, the waterfront is a big part of what make Camp great - but not everybody feels like sailing or water skiing. No problem - you can also just hop in a canoe, and paddle your way around the coves and islands of the river. The staff is professional, and they make sure you're experience is as good as possible. The food is taken care of by their excellent staff. Accommodations are mostly in cabins, which are relatively gussied-up (carpeting, bathrooms, and electricity); there is also the econolodge-like Letts Lodge, "rustic" cabins (no interior bathrooms or carpeting), and yurts.
But really, I'm gonna push for Family Camp, here. Twice a year, you can get away for a weekend, to a place where - like Cheers - everybody knows your name. It's relaxing, there's all kinds of activities - from nature walks and tennis to sailing and archery. You can even just relax on a rocking chair overlooking the water and read or knit.
I've been going here forever, and hope I'm always able to. I fly back east from California every year, just to grab a weekend here. It's a big part of growing up for me and for many others. You can't do better than going to Camp.
