Camp Towanda reviews

I finished my 6th summer and plan on returning for at least 5 more. This is my summer home that I know I will eventually have to leave. I want everyone to know that I don't want to. Mitch and Stephanie, the counselors, and my fellow campers are all family. Just because camp wasn't right for your son or daughter, doesn't mean that that the camp is bad. I can't imagine what I would do with out camp. I have so much pride in this that I will sign my name. Club and Dorm 2013 forever. ~Jake "Jiller" Miller

All the negative comments about Mitch and Stephanie are true. And he has the staff scared of him. They also don't let the kids pick their own activities...it's always about what Mitch wants.

I worked there last year and some of this is true and some of it isn't. I don't recall many children being sent home. Truthfully it was the counselors in fear of being sent home. But really the only reasons someone gets sent home is if they behave unprofessionally (counselors)or bully other children(campers). The age range at camp is about 6-16. Remember when you were that young. Remember the rivalry and cliques, naturally it happens here too. But after years of attending camp with the same group, in the end they come together. One big problem is the behavior of campers. Many come from wealthy family, which is no crime, but they have a sense of entitlement, believing it's okay to be disrespectful towards the counselors. Please teach your kids to listen, not talk back. It's possible to have a good time at camp and not be buttheads to the counselors. They forget we're there to keep them safe and happy, but happy only comes if they listen. No wonder the staff can't wait for time off.

I started at this camp from the youngest age and went for 5 years. At the time I went, I did not fit into the typical camp towanda mold, and so I did not really make any friends. Now, I would say I fit into the mold, but only after obsessing over becoming like any girl who went to towanda. It was an emotionally scarring experience. I definitely do not recommend this camp because anyone who doesn't fit in won't be accepted. Going to a new camp was the best experience I could've made.

Our family has been a part of Camp Towanda for over 16 years and we know camp well. Throughout our long relationship with Towanda we have had the pleasure of watching our children blossom. They started as young campers and stayed until they were counselors. The experiences they had and the knowledge they gained throughout the years, helped them become the people they are. We thank Mitch and Stephanie for helping to raise our kids. They’ve learned to live and work with others, they’ve gained self-confidence, they’ve learned values that we know are important, they’ve made life-long friends and of course, they’ve gained a great appreciation for classic rock.

I worked at Camp this past summer.My kids have been going to Towanda for 7 & 5 years-they love it. I have friends who work at other camps &told me nightmare stories.The single best decision I made for my kids is send them to Towanda. I learned at Camp that every decision made by Mitch & Stephanie was based on making the campers happy & keeping them safe.No amount of emails or letters can describe the Towanda experience. Everywhere you turn there r happy, laughing, cheering kids.On a rare occasion a camper might be upset, the staff are all over it. I was impressed with how Mitch & Stephanie knew of every issue & made sure it was resolved. It’s unrealistic to believe that issues don’t arise, but it’s how the issues are dealt with that is important.We want the best for our kids. I watched as campers lived out the best time of their lives.I have seen my kids learn respect, sportsmanship, empathy, compassion & camaraderie. I believe that they have become better people because of camp.

I attended Towanda for 9 years (starting at 7 years old) as did my brother and sister. I have to say that camp has really taught me so much especially now being in college. The staff really cares about the campers and go an extra mile to make you smile. It has helped my adjustment to college and taught me life lessons that I wouldn't have learned without the help of the people who are campers and staff. CT helped me develop in a special way. This is truly a special place. I have recently been able to have a special connection with some older campers at college that I would not have normally connected with. As I never spoke to this camper prior to school, we have connected here at school having something in common growing up. It's nice to have a familiar face from camp here. I can't say my friends have this special connection from their camp as I do. This is most definitely the best place to spend a summer as I will be returning to my "home" as a counselor this summer.

Simply said, this is the best check we write every year. Even in this time of calculated spending, Mitch & Stephanie deliver on every level... they love what they do, our kids love them and they are professional, respectful and on top of their game. The negative reviews on this website must be from disgruntled parents who have different values and are "never wrong" and staff that were dismissed.

It is obvious that the owners of Camp Towanda, Mitch and Stephanie Reiter, love what they do. They run a camp that, we're sure, is like no other. An excellent staff, terrific activities, lots of traditions, and an atmosphere of love and respect that is shared by both campers and staff. Your kids will be extremely safe at Towanda, because that is high on Mitch and Stephanie's priority list. Trust us...they will become Towanda "addicts" and will be counting the days until they return to Towanda each summer. Our kids have memories and friends that will last a lifetime, thanks to their many summers at Towanda. This camp is a treasure!!

My two girls have gone to Towanda for 12 summers (collectively). One has been there for 8 summers and will go back in 2010 as a counselor. The other has been there for 4 and will likely be there for another 7. They love the place. Their most enduring friendships are their Towanda friends. Weekend "after camp" sleepovers are a custom and a norm, notwithstanding the distances that separate them from their friends. Mitch and Stephanie are hands on, compassionate owners who have the saftey of your children at heart. They do have rules. And many over indulgent parents may not enjoy all of the rules, but when the kids come home from camp, they reaffirm that they had the best summer of their lives. Mitch's daily emails about what is going on at camp are informative and appreciated. While you will never please everyone all of the time, Towanda is, on balance, a wonderful, loving, nurturing environment that builds lasting friendships and lifelong memories. It is a 2nd home to my kids.

Okay,I've read all the reviews. Now I am going to give you mine. I am the parent of a 2009 new Towanda camper. My daughter is a very shy nine year old and my wife and I were very concerned about how she would do. She did awesome!She did awesome because Mitch has created a very safe and nurturing environment. He takes the time to not only learn about every camper but also about the parents. Does he have rules? Yes! Too many? Maybe. But I want you, as a parent, to imagine having the responsibility to care for about four hundred children 24 hours a day, seven days a week for seven weeks. Could you handle this kind of responsibility? Now add in swine flu, non-stop rain, and a recession. Really... could you handle this responsibility? Well Mitch handled it really well. His communication was almost daily and usually written in the middle of the night while I was fast asleep knowing my daughter was having fun in a "Mitch Safe" environment. Summation... Great Camp!I totally recommend the camp!

My kids have been going to camp Towanda for 5 and 3 years respectively. Each summer my kids tell me; this is their best summer ever. The staff is remarkably well trained. Both my boys keep in touch with most of their counselors during the school year. They have been developing independence in a safe environment that gives them room to grow, learn and make mistakes. They see their bunkmates often. Mitch is a hands on director who has a set of rules that are clearly published in a parent’s guide. I like the fact that there is a structure in place with consequences so that my child is protected while at camp. My kids have had nothing but fun and have very high marks for Mitch. Mitch give the kids increasing privileges as they get older and my kids look forward to becoming upper campers. Towanda is what I wanted for my kids and honestly, after touring several camps Towanda was their first choice as well. Cannot stress enough how happy I have been with Camp Towanda.

I have 3 children at CT for past 5 years. I started to sense something bothering me about Mitch and Stephanie in year 2.Mitch is very cynical with parents.He would be well advised to lose the cynicism in his emails to parents. If he has some "problem" parents than he should deal with them individually and not subject the rest of his customer base to obnoxious lectures. Stephanie seems to be assigned the task of overseeing "problem" children. She is not the woman for the job. First, she is far from a "people person". She has very poor social and communication skills particularly when dealing with sensitive matters, such as someone's child. One minute she can be calm and sensible; next minute she is screaming with anger. Not exactly the person to oversee children's problems and supervise staff. I have such mixed emotions about sending my children back there. They seem to love it but with such serious concerns about how the owners handle problems, I have lost trust. Any other views?

Camp Towanda is my second home. Ever since I came for my first summer I have never felt the same. When I go there I feel like a new person I have made the best of friends, who I will never forget because they are like my sisters. If anyone didn't like the camp its because they are not fit out for sleep away. If you look in the dictionary of amazing camps, Camp Towanda would be right there no doubt about it. This camp has changed my life for ever. Whenever i am in camp atmosphere i feel like a whole new person and that I can do anything, and when i leave all i do is cry because there is no place better than CAMP TOWANDA!!!, and if u decide you do not want to go to this camp you have major problems

Trust me when I say they can NOT handle properly any problems which may arise. The kids can become emotionally scarred by the pretentious cold attitute of the owner who clearly does not have the best interests of your child at heart. Beware!

The negative comments regarding the owners (Mitch and Stefanie) are unfortunately true. It is all about Mitch and not about the children. The children are only there as his puppets to march to his drum beat and fulfill his egotistical and controlling needs. When you send your children to camp at such a young age,the camp owners and staff are really the surrogate parents. Mitch and Stefanie do not have an emotional bone in their body and in a very short time can inflict great damage to the self esteem of a young child. There are a lot of great camps out there that are managed not only as a business but also as a safe and nourishing environment for the social development of children and young adults. Under its original ownership, Towanda was such a camp. But not under the directorship of Mitch and Stefanie. Unfortunately, they lead will fear rather than their hearts.

Towanda is the best camp in the world. this will be my third year and my bros 5th the worst thing about camp is leaving. I love towanda, and will go back until i am an ex camper. My family and i love towanda

I am 11 years old and i went to Towanda for the first time this summer. It wasn't a very good experience, like I always imagined. The girls in my bunk didn't like me, because they said I was a baby and couldn't go to camp earlier, even though it was only their 2nd or 3rd year, so I really didn't come that late. They didn't want to be friends with me because they all had their friends already. The counselors didn't even try to help me when I was sad! I felt like nobody cared about me. Besides that, the food wasn't very good. I am not going back next summer, because I am trying a new camp! I didn't like Towanda!!

CT was my home, when I didn't know a home. The Boys HC, and Asst. HC are the two corner stones on what is left of a great camp. I operations man. seemed to usually have his hands tied, due to the ever intolerable owner/director, and his wife. The kids there are for the most part fantastic, and there is an attempted air of greater family. I made many a good friend, and good business connections through this camp. !Parents! be wary of what you see on the tours, and what you hear from the Owner. Ask yourself, who puts the "center" of camp, by a cess pool?

I joined this camp when i was 15, the oldest age for campers and i made several new friends almost instantly. Everyone at this camp is close and I loved it there

Camp Towanda is a woderful place for the right child. If your child falls in with a good group of kids and has no issues with the transition, things will be fine. The issue of concern is if your child has difficulty fitting in or if a sibling down the road has an issue of any kind, there will be little support from the owners/directors of the camp. Mitch and Stephanie purport to be your child's summer parents and that Camp Towanda is a family. In fact, when my child had an issue we encountered a lack of accessibility of the owners who had refused to return phone calls (they have underlings take care of the unpleasantries). Please be careful when making a decision about where to send your kids for the next 6 or 7 summers. Make sure that the camp will meet the needs of all of your childeren. With all of the wonderful camps in the area, I would strongly consider sending your kids elsewhere.

My three kids have been going to Towanda for a collective 14 summers. From a parent's perspective, all I can say is my kids live, eat and breath this camp. They count the days until the next summer is set to begin. Yes, my kids tend to fit into the "mold" and are very self sufficient. But I would have to say that if your kid is not self sufficient or is otherwise concerned about going away, this Camp is probably not the place. Tidbits of what I have heard from other parents whose kids were not comfortable at the camp verify that if you are not a cookie cutter, problem free kid, then expect no coddling or extra attention. I would also note that Mitch is a control freak and that he is, for the most part, putting on a false fase when he smiles and tells you everything is "great." If my kids didn't love the place so much, I would have pulled them out years ago. He is basically a "my way or the highway" type of person, and after 14 summers I still can't figure out what his wife does

This will be my third summer as a counselor at Towanda. I am returning because I care about the kids and it's truly a really fun place! Some of my co-staff members felt restricted, like they were treated like children and that they didn't get enough time off, but I like to think that the camp would not be as safe, nurturing or well-run without the strict rules and policies. I would not be able to run a camp better than Mitch and Stephanie. They love what they do and they truly care for the campers (AND staff) as if they were their own children. Don't work here if you want to make a lot of money, have a lazy summer, or if you can't handle the regular frustrations of working with children. The campers all seem to get a lot out of it. Overall, Towanda is a great place!

Camp is my life. Born and raised, literally, at Towanda i was its child. if it wasnt for camp i dont know where i would be today. it has allowed me to keep the childside of me alive. It is the perfect place for a kid to grow up; under the bright, blue, scattered clouds, sun shining day with great friends and experiences awaiting you. Mitch, does a fabulous job, if not the best job at keeping people, happy, safe, entertained and welcome 24/7. if you think about it, he is really watching over 400 kids. if you asked me, tyou gotta be a little insane to do that. All you others who cant see the good, respectful and selfless person he is all the time, then i feel sorry for you. however, camp,let alone towanda, is not for some people. and i m sorry if ur first n last was with towanda but do got disrespecting it. just move on with your life. Camp gives kids a world of good.

i think this camp is honestly fantastic. i have many friends who go there and they all say how fun it is. if it can satisfy them and make them happy then im sure it is a wonderful place worth trying. I would send my children there and reccommend it to my friends children

I have lived through some intolerable times, but working at Towanda was one of the worst experiences of my entire life! Time off was scarce. Staff would have been so much more effective and energized if they had additional time off. The kids had been together for years so they were impossibly cliquie; new girls or awkward girls had the worst time. I've been a teacher now for 8 years and to this day I have yet to see a more bratty, disrespectful group of kids. The pay was miserable. I actually went into debt working there. I'm sorry to say, but I completely agree with every one of the poor reviews on this site. I wouldn't send my child here. Mitch is a great salesman and I'm sure he would be a successful politician.

This camp is great for the kids...not the staff. The reason the staff seems to care alot about their time off is because they are treated like second class citizens. The camp is run very well and the supervision is amazing. The kids all seemed to have a great time and i was lucky enough to be in a cabin with some of the most fun kids on the planet. I guess going in you should realize that you're not going to make alot of money and you will be in misery at times but over all is rewarding. I'm going back to work at a different camp this year because towanda was not a good fight for me. I had an amazing experiance with the campers and the staff (made some of the best friends i'll ever have).

camp towanda is amazing, it's going to be my dom summer this year. and i am so sad that my summers at ct will be over soon. i've had soo many amazing experiences at towanda that i will never forget. ive met my bestfriends/sisters there, and will never lose touch with them. all you people saying bs about mitch. you dont know anything. he is he nicest most caring person ever. all he wants to do is comfort homesick campers and make sure the parents are well-informed. i love camptowanda, it is my second home. it has taught me so many life lessons, that i know my friends at other camps dont learn. towanda is the best, no matter how you put it.

Camp Towanda is my summer home. People saying horrible things about it just well is definitely not true what so ever. It is an amazing place to be at. This will be my 7th summer and i know for a fact it is going to be amazing. I have a whole other family there who i anxiously wait to see every summer. The free spirited kids and traditions that stay alive is what makes Camp Towanda, Towanda. Mitch and Stephanie are kind and care a lot about all the campers. They remember everyones names. Can you remeber 400 names? i definitely can't but Mitch and Stephanie can. They make a huge effort to get to know each and every camper. I honestly don't know what life would have been like for me if i never came to this camp. Life would have been very different for me and i am so glad i entered the Camp Towanda family. It was the best choice i ever made. Towanda is simply amazing.

Mitch does not only care about his money. If you are so concerned about the money, why would you send your child to this camp? NORMAL people pay money to have their child go to have an AMAZING time at a place where activities are great and where the traditions have been kept for a long time. Money is a big issue. You are sending you child away for 7 weeks. there are so many counselors. How do you think mitch is going to pay them more when there are so many of them to pay? I think that parents should be great full that mitch puts smiles on all of the campers faces each and every summer. If any one disagrees, then why don't you try doing mitche's job? he is responsible for 400 kids, and all you guys do is complain! think about it. you probably send your kid away for the summer not only for them to have a good time, but for you to have a "relaxing/kid free summer", and mitch is the one taking care of them all. so i think that Camp Towanda is an amazing camp. People should be great full.

I grew up at camp for 9 years and to be honest it has been nothing but the best years of my life. I was a camper for 7 years and a counselor for 2 years and I just love this place! I met some of my best friends at Towanda and they can't be replaced at all. I love all the activities and things that are offered. This place is absoultley amazinng and I couldn't imagine my life without it.

Camp Towanda is an amazing camp for a child who is caring, friendly and looking to have a wonderful summer for themselves and their camp mates. The entire staff encourages everyone to create a sense of community and that is why so many kids and counselors become lifelong friends. This is not the place for children who put their own needs above anyone elses, or parents who think their child is better than any other child. If you are looking for high-tech or flashy, Towanda is not for you. If you are looking for a camp with old-fashioned values and a strong leadership, you will love Towanda. The athletic activities are designed to celebrate the participation of athletes and non-athletes and the camp finds ways to make every child "shine". The years my son has spent at Townada have been amazing; he waits all year for the day when he can get back on the bus. Each summer is 'the best summer of his life"!

this camp is the best camp on earth. i have gone for six years going to my seventh and i would spend my summer no where else.

I went to this camp and it totally sucked. All we did was play the same games every single day for 7 weeks. BORING

anybody have a time machine? it's been our family camp for 3 generations, and to this day the memories,(rules and all)ramain happy and as loving as ever.still talk to my best friend fron almost 50years ago. it's a place of pure joy. i've never met anyone who went there who didn'y feel that way.

great place..tons of parent communication throughout the summer...rules which are enforced...tons of fun..great music played all the time...great lake...people are warm and know how to have fun...no japs

I did not choose to send my child to military camp, I wanted to see my children have a warm, happy, experience with activities that we could not provide. Instead, my chiidren feared Mitch and Stephanie did not step out of the garden. Dont forget to send your child with something they need, Mitch will go thru the roof if you send it to them. We as the partents never got the warm fuzzy feeling that were sending our children to a "second home". As it turned out that is not the experience they had either. Look into other camps that are not in it just for money and control (Mitch is a total control freak).

My husband went to CT and both my sons are campers there now. We have always had a positive experience with the camp and the owners. My boys love it and my husband still talks about how amazing it was. My kids are lucky to go there.

Always thought Towanda was a good camp. But, once you get older you learn it is not that great. There are many rules to this camp, and the kids are brats. As a staff member this camp is not at all reasonable. The staff get paid below minimum wage and have a curfew at 12. From a parents point of view it seems great. But, they don't see the real Towanda. Before visiting day they make all the campers work on cleaning everything up like there is no tomorrow. First they have to clean up every piece of paper, even if its a scrap and then they make the bunks super duper clean so you have to pick up every piece of dust. Also counselors will destroy your stuff if it's not clean enough. But, once the parents leave the camp is a mess again. The owners are very involved, but quite annoying. And I heard they transfered this camp into a uniform camp!! I repeat they turned it into a uniform camp!! Which is not summer fun to kids!

This camp, there are no words to exactly describe my feelings for it. I love it more than anyone could ever know. It is only my 3rd year but i feel as though I have been going there my entire life. Camp Towanda has changed my life in so many ways, I feel like I belong there. I reccomend this camp to anyone and everyone who is looking for excitement and the feeling of home. I love everyone I met at my camp, I will never forget them.

boy are the owners a bunch of jerks. when the Nordans used to own it, they kept it on the smaller, more manageable side. now they have like 450 campers. all the owners care about is money. such BS. the owner talks on the PA all day long. he loves to hear himself speak. and his wife, she does nothing but the garden club. she's very witchlike. campers have fun there, but the whole thing is just too pretentious and moneyhungry. its a business not a warm place, which is what i want for my 4 kids.

Mitch and Stephanie are some of the most nuturing, nice people around. Some people may say that he doesen't provide individual attention but he does the best he can. The two great Head Councelors, Bob and Linda are quite responcible and will handle any and every problem. Bob has taught me so many things about camp and about life. He is a great guy. Camp Towanda is the best camp and I dread to think that next August I will be too old to go there as a camper anymore. To parents, don't hesitate to send your kid. It will be the best summer of his life and he or she will be begging to go back. To campers, enjoy your time at Camp. Because before you know it, you'll walk into the Club or Dorm. You'll have the best summer of your life one last time and then you'll have to say goodbye to camp. Just enjoy your time and treasure every moment with your friends. C2K7! C.L.U.B. YOU KNOW WHO YOU WANT TO BE...THE CLUB, THE CLUB, YOU WISH YOU WERE THE CLUB!

Camp towanda has honestly taught me so much about life. From making friendships that will last a lifetime, to loosening up and having fun, camp towanda is a perfect enviornment for anybody. seriously, if you say one negative comment about my summer home, it really hurts me. the only place i could look forward to 10 months of the year. i cant beleive im nearing my last summer ever but I LOVE DORM 2007!!! WOOOOOOOO

Camp Towanda is my home. Its the only place that I long to go back to when I am at home. My life would just not be the sam without it. I don't know if its the people who work there, my friends, or just the enviornment. Those three ingredients are what build Camp Towanda. From the moment you get there in June if you are a new camper, you are accepted into a the growing Camp Towanda family. You will feel accepted every single day of the summer. The emotion of camp brings tears to my eyes, its a place that is supposed to make you happy, but it is a place where you need someones shoulder to cry on. Wheather you are competing in an intercamp game or olympics there will always be someone to lean on. At camp there are so many people who I can say are my role models some are staff members but most are my camp friends and the dorm and club. I have been at camp since I was a little girl. Its really all I know. It is going to be the hardest place to leave since I am nearing my dorm summer. <3333

camp towanda. is actully the most amazing thing i have ever expereinced in my life i made the most amazing friends that i can tell will last me forever i think to my self everyday and cry wishing i was there not home camp is the most amazing thing i have in my life nd i would do anything 2 b thr right now i wouldnt give camp up for anything in the world i try to explain what camp does to me but its actully impossible because its unexplainable and camp changed my life forever towanda will b with me forever nd i wouldnt trade anything in the world for my camp expereince idk who i would be without towanda. and seriously all the bad comments about towanda r b.s. mitch?! are u kidding he is the most amazing guy in the world all he does is care about his campers. he knows everyones name nd he loves camp. camp changed my life and i love it more then anything in the world i love my seniors of 2006 and dorm 2007 will be amazingg. camp is my lie nd i love it more then u do. love always stefanie

this is deffinitally the best camp ever. no camp can get better than this one. amazing staff and campers. top notch

camp towanda is the most amazing place in the world. its actually my home and anyone and everyone that goes there has the best summer of their life. its actually my obsession and i would die without it! i love camp towanda so much and my 29 sisters <3

Have been going to this camp for 5 years. The director is strict; the camp is very well run with great supervison. All the kids have a great time and lots of fun!

We have had a very good experience at Camp Towanda. The camp is also very concerned with the safety and well being of all the children, which in my opinion, is one of the most important criteria when choosing a camp.