Home

 › 

Family Activities

 › 

Family Life

 › 

The 11 Best Camps In The Northeast

Happy family - mother with baby girl dive underwater with fun in sea pool. Healthy lifestyle, active parent, people water sport outdoor adventure, swimming lessons on beach summer holidays with child

The 11 Best Camps In The Northeast

The Northeast is world famous for its exceptional natural beauty, large beaches, and wonderful remnants from the past to fire your imagination. It is a historically and culturally significant part of the United States. The northeast of the United States experiences less harsh weather, and summers from June through September are pleasant and warm. This makes it ideal for a few weeks of camping, socializing, and teaching your kids new life skills. Campers can meet other children with similar interests while also being challenged to try new things.

If your children enjoy natural beauty, seeing whales, and eating fresh lobster, a summer camp in the northeast is the perfect treat for them! Let's look at some of the best camps in the Northeast of the United States.

Girl playing tennis
Sports camps are an excellent avenue for your child to increase their skills and passions.

©Bonsales/Shutterstock.com

1. Maplewood Summer Camp

Maplewood Summer Camp, conveniently in South Easton, Massachusetts, is a day camp and enrichment center. It offers exciting and educational activities for children of ages 3 to 7. During the academic year, it conducts weekend activities and special summer programs that last around five days.

One of the programs is an academic program with individual and group tutoring, as well as sports workshops. That doesn't mean your child won't have a good time! Sailing, spike ball, yoga, and many other games are always present in the camp's programs.  

The Campanion Camper Photo App is an intriguing element of Maplewood Day Camp. It features a feed of all the images taken at camp and uses face finder technology to tag you whenever your child appears in a shot. It is appropriate for children of ages 4 to 14 and is an awesome way to share your child’s memories, away from home, in real-time. How cool is that? 

2. Camp Emerson

Camp Emerson is a historic summer camp in western Massachusetts' Berkshire Mountains. The camp has been open since 1968 and provides a variety of activities for participants of ages 7 to 15.

The program at Camp Emerson works to give kids a fun and engaging experience while also encouraging personal growth and development. This coed summer camp takes pride in its personnel and its concept of treating each child as a unique individual while providing structure and guidance. Sports, arts and crafts, theater, dance, music, adventure activities, and many other activities are available at the camp.

Their distinctive Step Beyond curriculum is a collection of camper-born activities, hands-on programming for children seeking intellectual stimulation and challenge. The camp is also working toward sustainability. They do this by introducing a number of green measures such as using solar power to heat their pool and reducing trash through composting and recycling.

Camp Emerson enjoys accreditation by the American Camp Association and has a strong safety record. It is also the first food allergy expert camp. They are free of sesame, shellfish, tree nuts, and peanuts, and are suitable for any child with EoE, Celiac disease, and food allergies.

3. Kingswood Camp for Boys

Kingswood Camp for Boys is a family-run summer camp. It provides a “home away from home” environment for boys of ages 8 to 16. This overnight camp is nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, just near the pure waters of Lake Tarleton and surrounded by a protected forest area. This makes it the ideal place for campers to explore nature and learn new skills.

This sleepaway camp emphasizes sports and has recently refurbished its facilities. Tetherball, golf, basketball, tennis, soccer, baseball, and other sports are available for children. There's even a rifle range and archery.

Kingswood refers to itself as “The Camp of 100 Games”. This is because it has devised new activities such as Gatorball and Javelin Ball, as well as its own version of Quidditch. Your kids will always be constructively busy and will receive plenty of exercise at the same time.

Of course, there are plenty of aquatic activities at the lakeside camp. Some of those taught to campers include water polo, fishing, paddleboarding, kneeboarding, kayaking, canoeing, and other activities. Kingswood is ideal for active young boys who enjoy playing sports and games. They will improve their athletic ability while also learning important qualities such as collaboration and discipline.

Portrait of 6 years old boy wearing helmet and climbing. Child in abstacle course in adventure playground.
Obstacles courses can be a great way activity at camp to get your child adventuring.

©iStock.com/galitskaya

4. Camp Walt Whitman

Camp Walt Whitman takes its ideology and name from the popular American poet. Community is what distinguishes the Camp Walt Whitman experience; every child has the opportunity to experience inclusion and equality.

The emphasis at Camp Walt Whitman is on balance. They provide a little bit of everything and prefer participation to competition. Nonetheless, the activities include tried and true favorites such as watersports, outdoor adventure, athletics, and the arts.

Camp Whitman's community is unparalleled, and it is supported by a set of core values. They include teamwork, equal respect for girls and boys, encouraging friendship, and nurturing personal growth. This allows each child to grow completely and to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

Enrollment is open to all children over the age of 2. Options include a seven-day Pioneer Camp for first-timers, a three-week half-session, and a four-week half-session. Camp Walt Whitman's major product is the whole summer session, which allows every child to get the most out of their summer camp experience.

5. Brant Lake Dance Camp

Do you have a girlchild that enjoys dancing? Enroll them at the Brant Lake Dance Camp, a sleepaway camp in upstate New York's Adirondack Mountains. It provides world-class instruction in a variety of dance genres, including ballet, modern, tap, jazz, and hip-hop. Aside from dance, girls will have the opportunity to participate in field excursions, aquatic activities, and arts and crafts, among other sports. Brant Lake Dance Camp also offers theater, music, and visual arts workshops.

The camp is well-known for its outstanding dance program, which is led by experienced choreographers and dancers. Brant Lake Dance Camp provides a loving and secure atmosphere for young dancers to flourish and learn.

The camp came to be in 1981 and has since grown to become one of the most prestigious dance camps in the United States. It features a broad group of dancers of all ability levels and attracts campers from all over the world.

6. Camp Robinhood

Camp Robinhood is a residential summer program for children ages 7 to 16. Its 180-acre campus is in Freedom, New Hampshire, near the White Mountain National Forest. It has a boy's and a girl's camp on opposing ends of the property.

Here, kids can participate in a variety of classic camp activities. They can participate in team sports such as ice hockey, baseball, and basketball, as well as water-based activities such as sailing, canoeing, tubing, and boating, among others. Each day includes five different activities, three of which are of a camper's choosing according to their unique interests.

You can sign up your child for one of two camp sessions: one that lasts an entire month and one that lasts around a month and a half. It's an excellent location for active campers who enjoy sports, hiking, and enjoying the outdoors.

7. Camp Wa-Klo

Located in Dublin, New Hampshire, Camp Wa-Klo offers a progressive program for girls that guides its campers through an adventure, spanning between six and eight years. Its sessions are divided into distinct age groups, with activities tailored to their needs, so no two years are the same.  

Cabins sleep eight campers and are equipped with toilets, running water, and power, and showers are standard in most newer cabins. Camp life is completely disconnected from electronics. New campers are always partnered with returning campers and allocated a Camp Mom to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and at home.

Camp Wa-Klo has approximately 30 activities for young kids to participate in. Traditional sports and camp activities, as well as pet care for animal lovers, are available. Cricket, touch rugby, mountain biking, fencing, field hockey, and Lacrosse, are all unique sports that campers can expect to participate in.

Campers interested in water recreation activities can take lifeguard classes, or go sailing, rowing, windsurfing, and wakeboarding. Creative arts enthusiasts can look forward to arts and crafts, theater, dance, and theater, among others. So much fun to choose from!

Portrait of little swimmers sitting at poolside
Swim camps can give your child confidence in the water and skills to be a great swimmer!

©iStock.com/Wavebreakmedia

 8. Mass Audubon's Wildwood Overnight Camp

Mass Audubon's Wildwood Overnight Camp is a summer camp in Rindge, New Hampshire that offers a variety of environmental and outdoor education activities for teenagers and young kids. The camp is run by Mass Audubon, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of animals and natural environments in Massachusetts.

The American Camp Association has accredited Wildwood Overnight Camp, which has been in existence since 1950. The camp is dedicated to environmental stewardship and offers participants with the skills and knowledge they need to become conservation activists in their communities. The camp provides educational sessions on a variety of topics, including sustainability, conservation, and ecology. Wildwood also includes a farm program where campers learn about sustainable animal care and agriculture.

Wildwood is an outdoor adventure camp. Daily activities there will include swimming, arts and crafts, improv, sailing, and archery, paddleboarding. Your little one can expect wildlife observation, rock climbing, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, and general wetland exploration. Each evening features skits, songs, and campfires, as well as games involving the entire camp. Furthermore, a unique overnight camping excursion for those attending a two-week program helps build camaraderie and strengthens campers' connection to the outdoors.

The camp sits on 2,000 acres of protected wetlands and woodlands, allowing children to explore and learn about the natural world. Wildwood has a swimming pond, an outdoor amphitheater, a dining hall, rustic cottages, and other amenities, suited to the comfort of your young one.

9. Camp Cody

Camp Cody is a lakeside summer camp in New Hampshire, specifically Freedom, which is only five hours from New York and two hours from Boston. It provides half and full summer programs, as well as one-week adventure trips, for children ages 7 to 17.  

Camp Cody is one of the few that tailors its programs to the personality and age of your child. Counselors will organize a home visit before camp to learn about your child's history and interests.  This allows them to develop a timetable that incorporates what they enjoy, while also introducing new skills and challenges for them.

Young campers who are away from home for the first time receive more support from counselors. Older children receive training on how to be more autonomous and can select from a variety of electives.

The camp encourages older campers to take on leadership roles and serve as Big Sisters/Big Brothers to the younger campers. Camp Cody feels that this is a good approach to developing compassion and character, which is an important component of its mission.

10. Camp Ballibay

Camp Ballibay is a specialized Fine & Performing Arts Camp “for creative children and different thinkers.” They provide a safe, tolerant, and diverse environment for children to discover and develop their hidden skills. “It's the Journey, not the Product,” according to the Ballibay concept.

Ballibay, which was founded in 1964, provides 2 to 4-week classes for children aged 8 to 16. The camp lies on a vast 174-acre campus of creative facilities and tranquil forests, approximately three and a half hours from New York City.

Ballibay's professional multi-national faculty guides the children in a variety of creative disciplines such as dance, digital media, visual arts, rock music, and theater.

Within each field, a variety of tracks are available, including musicals, cinematography, guitar lessons, jazz, photography, pottery, and more. Campers will select their own activities from a daily itinerary designed just for them.

Campers can also participate in a huge water sports program, which is available at both their own on-campus lake and on-site swimming pool. In addition to the ever-popular horseback riding, qualifying campers can even go on trail rides.

Their love of cuisine is something that truly distinguishes Camp Ballibay from the rest. They are very proud of their locally sourced meals, which are created from scratch by their own best chefs. The kitchen offers a delectable variety of healthy foods sourced from their own gardens and local farms in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Ballibay recognizes the significance of food in the overall experience of camp.

11. Lake Greeley Camp

Lake Greeley Camp is a family-owned, overnight summer camp run by the Buynak Family. They have been providing fun-filled, fascinating, and exciting summers for girls and boys aged 6 to 15 for over 50 years. Its daily program, which includes over 60 activities, is designed to give campers the opportunity to learn new skills. It also refines existing ones from activity professionals in a no-pressure, supportive environment.

The camp is located in the eastern reaches of Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains and provides a nurturing environment for its guests. Here, campers are supported and encouraged to make their own decisions and be involved and active in the summer camp program, developing self-esteem, confidence, and independence.

The camp encourages children who spend the summer on campus to be as involved and active as possible. They can do this by participating in a variety of activities and attending evening activities such as talent shows, skits, and dances. Instructors consider growing socially with all of the staff and campers a milestone!

Lake Greeley Camp is accredited by the American Camp Association. It combines staff experience, programs, and facilities, programs to provide a summer camp where children can flourish, learn and grow.

To top