Camp Emerson reviews

We have sent children to several camps and have never seen a more professionally managed operation. If you want your child to get personal attention and feel special, this is the place. The counselors are outstanding. Our children are counting the days to return.

Our daughter had her first camp experience this year at Camp Emerson and loved every minute. The range of activities was wonderful, and she tried so many new things. She got off the bus after her 3 1/2 week session and immediately began lobbying to attend the entire summer in '10. Her counselors were wonderful, and when we visited on Visiting Day that feeling was reinforced by every single counselor/staff member we met. We felt there was superb communication with the camp and with our daughter, based on the scheduled call days and the opportunity to visit on Visiting Day. The kids all seemed very well-rounded with many interests and it did not seem like a competitive situation. The setting/camp is beautiful, and the facilities are just right, in our opinion: cabins are a bit rustic(as they should be), Dining Hall is beautiful,with a beautiful pool and two lakes. She gained self-confidence and had a fabulous summer. What more could a child or parent want!

Highest ratings to Camp Emerson! My 10 year old son had his very first camp experience at Emerson in '08 and loved every minute! He can't wait to go back this coming summer. Some of the things he raved about: how nice and helpful the counselors were, great meals and snacks, and of course loads of activities to choose. The other thing that he mentions frequently is how nice the other kids were, and the great friends that he met from around the globe. As a parent, I was very impressed by the attentiveness the directors give to individual needs of the campers. I found them to be available and supportive every step of the way. My son grew so much at camp! He went from being a shy video gamer to an outgoing kid full of energy and enthusiasm for so many things besides gaming. He discovered talent in the arts and watersports, among other things. The camp facilities are wonderful. Modern enough to be comfortable, rustic enough to be camp. The menu is very kid friendly and well bal

I know that several people say that Emerson is bad. That's not true. I once went to Kohut and it stunk, so I was skeptical before going to Emerson. I had nothing to fear!I was homesick at first, but one of the owners was so nice (Marv) to go out to a store and buy me a Mets cap to remember about NYC (where I live). The counselors were very nice, and they give you personal attention. My counselors were Sam, Harry, and Brad, and they understood everything that was wrong, and they fixed it. I always get jittery before camp, and today is one day before camp starts, but writing this review makes me feel a lot better.

good camp..great counselors, from mostly the UK, austrailia, scottland. Bathrooms are dirty, and food is alright. Overall about a 3.5

My daughter is heading into her 5th year at Camp Emerson. It is an extraordinary place. It's a safe and loving environment with just enough structure to feel comfortable but all sorts of freedoms to feel creative and independent. I would recommend this camp to anyone. We love it. My daughter loves it!

I just finished my summers at Camp Emerson and I can honestly say that the memories I have will last me a life time. I often get very emotional when I think of all the great times I've spent at this camp and the amazing people I have met, and that I will not be able to spend my summers there again. The staff each year was extremely supportive and I felt very comfortable with them. I keep in touch with alot of my old counselors and I am actually visiting some of them this comming April in England! I have made some of the best friends I could ever imagine. The kids who go to Emerson are all compleatly down to earth and kind. Whenever I recall past summers I only have positive things to say. Anyone who is looking for a camp this is the best choice by far! I am going on a teen tour with friends that i made at Emerson this upcomming summer and i know it will never compare. =)

This is my daughter's 4th summer at Emerson and she is bringing her little sister this year. Emerson is a wonderful camp with all of the traditional camp activities and many intertesting and different activities. My daughter has loved the more creative activities like "junk art" and CSI:Hinsdale as well as tennis, swimming, theater and sailing. The staff has been warm and attentive and she keeps in touch with her counselors during the off season. It has been great to see so many staff members return from year to year. I think it is a tribute to the camp that so many staff members spend all of the college/post graduate/summer breaks over and over at camp. The facilities are good: the new dining room is beautiful and there is a heated pool. The bathrooms are not in the bunks but they are kept clean. This is not a country club but this is camp and it exactly what it should be! My daughter cannot wait to share her amazing camp experience with her siblings!!

THIS IS THE BEST CAMP EVER!!! i would right a long thing like sarah but i'm too lazy and i thing sarah basically said it all. SOOOOOO im just going to wrap it all up by saying I LOVE CAMP EMERSON!!!! IT DOESNT GET BETTER THAN THIS!!

BEWARE, I worked there and my child attended. Positive reviews are by employees (paid to say it's great) kids (out of school-having fun with friends-not noticing things parents care about) and deluded parents. The directors will tell you anything you want to hear, but they are full of baloney. Last summer, there was no nurse for a few days! Bathroom are dirty, but on visiting day everything looks great! It's all for show. The profit margin is huge, as the camp spends the mimimum on supplies, and your kids wait endlessly for a turn on one of TWO electric pottery wheels (for a class of 10 kids) or for a rare turn waterskiing. Of course, the camp directors' kids don't have to wait for anything! They'll even bump your kids out of starring roles in the plays in order to give them to their own kids. It's disgusting. The camp doesn't even feel campy. It's not woodsy and rustic. It's like an overmanicured suburban junior college. With huts for the kids to live in. Look elsewhere!

i think this is a very nice camp. i have gone there for 2 years :) some of the counselers might need some working on (i remember one guy who was a b****!) but a lot of the kids are ok.

Emerson was a great camp to work at and the campers are wonderful which is why your children should go! the activities are fun and the campers keep returning - if your child is abusive, violent, into clicks, **** or over competitive then the camp is not for you. IF your child is creative, caring, believes in helping others and enjoys being involved in everything then this is a great place to spend 5 summers and the campers bond so well. After the final year they all do teen tours together as they can't dream to be apart. The staff watch over the kids and are involved in making the summers great.

Our son attended camp for the first time this summer and he had a fantastic time. He has already asked if he can return next summer ( He is 10 years old)After reading the previous review I asked him if he had to clean bathrooms,laughingly he said "No way" We attended camp on visiting day and found the bathrooms to be clean,the bunks were old but freshly painted and neat,the dining hall is brand new, and was cleaner than some restaurants Ive been too . So overall Camp Emerson has been a very good experience for our family.

im a camper and i just got back from my second year at emerson. The bathroom's arnt that dirty plus no one I know ever complained about them the activity's are really good also the owners are creative so we do original and fun activity's. Instead of having things all camp's have we have that plus more. We really good art's, theatre, athletic's and thing's like computer's robotic's and some really fun stuff almost no camps have. the lake is really clean not polluted the worst thing at the camp is probally the health center wich is still pretty good for a camp. I'd say about 7% percent of the people at camp dont come back next year beacuse they liked it so much so 93% f the campers each year like it. Theyre always adding new activity's and making them as fun as they can.

Used to be good, but ever since the directors had kids they took away all the good programs and let their 5 year old kids make all the choices about what activities to have.

This is a camp i have worked at for a few years the kids love it, and they are not needed to clean the bathrooms but are responsible for messing them up.... with 200 Campers there will always be someone who feels they didnt get there own way, but the directors do attend very weel to the campers needs, its a camp for kids who like all sorts fo activities and they have great campers, this is the reason i returned to work there. they have so many staff to cover the campers which is a good thing, while its fun this is NOT your out of control campers camp... I put the money at a three since I dont pay to go- but campers keep returning to it must be good value! this is a camp your kids will select and stay at for many year!

A Camper's Review: IN my opinion, this camp was really fun when I was younger, but now i'm 14 and after my experience over the summer, I feel that this camp was way to structured for me. I feel that my age group was was to over supervised. Heck, they didn't even let boys sit next to girls when we took a trip to the movies. They're all afraid that were going to start getting freaky with each other when all we really want to do is socialize and have fun. Also, the facilities at this camp such as the cabains and bathrooms are disgusting! A kid in my bunk had to go get a tetanus shot after cutting his foot on a rusty nail that was sticking out of a pice of plywood on the floor. The bathrooms are also INFESTED with bugs, ticks, and other things you wouldn't want to see in a bathroom, sutch as**** in the shower. The reason that the bathrooms are so dirty is that the camp leaves cleaning the responsibility of the campers, which also have to maintain the bunk. I hope this helps!

My children had a fabulous summer. Both were young, and a bit tentative about camp, but both thrived. There were 3 bunk counselors for only 8 campers for both of their cabins! And all the counselors were 21 years and older (no jcs or cits). My son loved the individual attention. And my daughter just loved her counselors. Both loved the activities and the ability to choose. The directors and staff were always available to help. Both of my children made friends, learned skills, gained confidence and had fun! We looked at a lot of camps before choosing Emerson. Emerson offers a lot of sports, but it is not a camp for ultra jocks. I would highly recommend the camp, especially for a non-competitive child or a child who might be a bit nervous about camp.

I have a boy and a girl and they both love this camp. The personal attention from the staff and directors made a real difference in their success. I felt so comfortable leaving them for their first experience.

I loved camp emerson. The best summer's of my life were spent there. The counselors were amazing and I met mmy best friends. =]

Very poor communication between camp and parents. The camp facilities are not very nice. The director does not return phone calls once camp is in session. Prior to camp, the director will tell you anything you want to here. She will tell you that all bunk placement requests were honored and when you arrive at camp, you find out that it is not true. There is very little bunk supervision. The camp's prices have increased over ($800 for 3 1/2 weeks) in three years. There is not much value in the extremely high price they charge. They no longer offer early enrollment discounts.

Wonderful camp. Lots of personal attention. The owners/directors are extremely responsive to the children's individual needs. Very expensive, but my children, who have gone there for years, love it.