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.

Camp Glen Brook serves farm to table meals to their summer and winter camps, as well as school…read moreprograms. Chef Taylor makes the best bagels in New Hampshire and the brick oven pizza is amazing!

Three weeks of summer camp at Glen Brook and my daughter returned confident and ready to take on…read morethe new school year! No computers, no phones- instead she spent three weeks outside in nature. Sending her for a second summer, and she is already excited about being a counselor one day. Camp Glen Brook, you deserve these five stars!

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.

The gym rocks! Very helpful staff and great group of locals. Highly recommend checking it out!read more

Came here with a few coworkers and had a blast!…read more Although it's been decades since I've rock climbed, I wasn't too rusty.

I have taken 2 women's classes and I loved it so much. I can't believe I never used power tools…read moretill then. And then to know that classes and team builds help support this organization's mission to give girls, ages 8 to 13 the power within to work through problems. By building with power tools they find that strength. They are doing amazing work.

They are going such great things for girls and women! I came by for a visit and to do a little…read morelunch program during summer camp. The girls were hard-working and engaged and really really fun! I hope to try one of their adult classes when I get a chance.

Diane & her team did a great job of accomodating our family on Father's Day! Our father has some…read morephysical impairments, and Diane was friendly, prepared, courteous, and made sure that we had a great (and safe!) time! Her team did everything right to ensure that our paddles, life vests, and canoes were disinfected properly, too! Thanks for a great day! We'll be back!

We LOVE Nashoba Paddler. From camps for our kids, to a leisurely Sunday paddle, or a full-moon…read moretour, we've had only the best experiences here. Great boats, great river, great staff.

Since I've been wanting to get a little better at obstacle courses, I decided to check out a gym…read moredesigned just for that. Apparently, some of the customers/staff here have been shown on America's Ninja Warrior! Definitely adds to their credibility. Also, from their ONE session solely on how to control your balance, helped with an obstacle I had today at a race. I was able to walk across a beam without falling into the water. Honestly, their training works and I hope to learn more before my next race in August. Even though it doesn't look like much when you go inside, it's more than enough to get you by in the races. If anything, they do have OPEN gym days, where you can just come and goof off, but sign the waiver online before coming on in!

I feel lucky to have this obstacle gym so close to home! Both kids & adults can enjoy fitness…read moreobstacles in a judge-free environment. Half of the gym is set up for kids with smaller scale obstacles, the other half is larger scale intended for adults. However, both kids & adults are free to attempt any obstacle in either area. No lines, no "order" - just pick an obstacle & try it. Don't feel self conscious, because nobody cares if you fail & they sometimes cheer if you succeed! I have taken my 8 year old on 3 occasions now, and on the last trip decided to try some myself. Conquered the jumping spider wall, floating logs, bungee run & 8 ft warped wall. Anyone over 35 is not allowed to attempt the 12 or 14 foot warped walls; there have been a couple Achilles injuries. They offer memberships, classes, and drop in rates. Individuals are required to pay an annual $25 insurance fee; on your first visit this is all you have to pay. Bottom line, this place is FUN. And every ninja needs to practice :)

My daughter started as a camper there while in elementary school and loved every minute of it. She…read moreparticipated in their musical theatre camps over the years and now she is a camp counselor there and still loves it. There are so many of their former campers that became counselors there which truly adds to the family vibe, The owners truly care about all the campers and make it fun and inclusive for all. Tons of activities for the kids to participate in throughout the summer, including field trips to various local places. Your kids

My kids love Sandlot. There is always a variety of things to do to keep it interesting all summer…read morelong. The staff is amazing and caring. I've tried several camps, but my kids like this one the best by far. We will be returning next year!