New England, which covers over six states, presents a perfect opportunity to spend time outdoors with its numerous beautiful outdoor landscapes.
The wide variety of outdoor land to explore in New England makes some of these day and overnight camps a fantastic place to have fun while learning important outdoor skills.
If you’re worried that your child will get bored by repetitive activities during the summer, then look for camps with programs that offer different activity clusters and allow kids to choose how to spend a part of their day.
Campers can meet other kids who share their interests while also being challenged to try new things.
1. Camp Cody
Camp Cody is a lakeside summer camp located in New Hampshire, specifically in the town of Freedom — just two hours away from Boston and five hours away from New York. It offers full summer and half-summer programs and one-week adventure trips for children ages 7-17.
Camp Cody is one of the few that customizes the programs for your child’s age and personality. Before camp starts, counselors will arrange a home visit to know your child’s interests and background. That helps them create a schedule that builds on what the child likes while introducing new challenges and skills.
Young campers away from home for the first time get more support from counselors, while older kids are taught to be more independent and can choose from specific electives.
The older campers are also encouraged to take leadership roles and act as Big Sisters/Brothers to the younger kids. Camp Cody believes this is a way of building character and compassion—which is a huge part of its mission.
2. Camp Robin Hood
Camp Robinhood is an overnight camp for children ages 7-16. Its campus is 180 acres and is located near White Mountain National Forest in Freedom, NH. It offers a boy and girls camp that sit on the opposite ends of each other.
There are numerous traditional camp activities for kids to experience. They can sign up for team sports like basketball, baseball, and ice hockey. Waterfront activities include boating, tubing, canoeing, sailing, and much more. Each day consists of five different activities, where three activities are chosen by the camper based on their specific interests.
There are two camp sessions you can sign up children for, with one lasting an entire month and the other lasting around a month and a half. It’s a fantastic place for active campers who enjoy sports or hiking and exploring the outdoors.
3. Camp North Star Maine
Camp North Star Maine is a premier overnight camp for kids ages 7-17 located in Poland, Maine. It offers an unlimited amount of fun activities in their two to seven-week camp sessions that cover different grade levels.
Boys and girls can enjoy fun activities like rock climbing, rope courses, mountain biking, archery, and more. With facilities close to the water, campers can also partake in waterskiing, paddleboarding, sailing, and much more. Athletic campers will enjoy sports like tennis, basketball, and baseball.
It’s a technology free-camp, so kids stay away from any sort of mobile device. Instead, they can focus on their interpersonal skills and opportunities to build up their leadership skills. Camp North Star Maine’s mission is to provide campers with a welcoming environment to form new friendships and instill essential life values like respect and independence.
4. Camp Quinebarge
Camp Quinebarge is a leading overnight camp for kids ages 6-16 in Moultonborough, NH. With it’s idyllic campus in Lakes Region that’s surrounded by mountains and forests, it’s the perfect place for campers to explore nature and go on thrilling adventures.
Children can choose from fun camp activities like horseback riding, archery, zip lining, basketball, soccer, fencing, hiking, arts and crafts, and many other options. The camp also holds unique events for campers to participate in like a carnival and Olympic games. Parents can select from 2, 4, 6, and 8 week sessions for their boys and girls that start at different times in the summer months.
The mission of the camp is to increase a camper’s self-esteem, self-confidence, teach them new skills, and help them build friendships all while enjoying the summer of their lives. Camp Quinebarge offers a secure and inclusive environment for campers of all backgrounds to develop and grow as individuals.
5. Camp Emerson
Since it opened in 1968, Camp Emerson has had nearly 1.5 million participants. It’s located in the Berkshire Mountains, Massachusetts, with 170 acres of campgrounds, including two lakes and a heated pool.
But the magic is in what the kids do while they’re there. Camp Emerson has 50 different activities, covering athletics, water sports, and performing arts. They also have a program that introduces kids to science and engineering concepts in fun ways like building rockets and derby cars, examining crime scenes, and testing science myths and facts.
Every two weeks, kids design their schedule and pick six activities they want to join. So whether your children like sciences, sports or the arts, they can find what they like and make friends with people who share those similar interests.
Camp Emerson is also known for 27 years of food allergy expertise in a dedicated kitchen with registered dietitian preparing individualized meal plans.
6. Camp Watitoh
Camp Watitoh is a co-ed summer camp—located at the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts, next to the crystal clear Center Lake — offers one unforgettable, fun-filled summer vacation.
Kids spend half a day enjoying water activities at the lake like sailing, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, waterskiing. In the afternoon, they select from different activities. The camp has a full suite of sports like baseball, basketball, field hockey, golf, tennis, lacrosse, and so much more. You can also enroll your child in horseback riding classes, though that requires additional fees.
The camp also has “Adventure” activities, from archery lessons to a unique obstacle course that includes a giant swing and a climbing wall. The artistically inclined can join theater, dance, woodshop, crafts, photography, guitar, cooking, and more.
The camp also organizes day trips to attend cultural events in the area, from concerts to museum visits or hiking up the scenic Mt. Greylock. Their mission is to give each child an unforgettable summer with rewarding experiences, so they can come home with amazing stories and form friendships that will last for years.
Check out these recommendations on camp trunks and duffel bags for kids.
7. Kingswood Camp for Boys
Kingswood Camp for Boys is a family-run summer camp that creates a “home away from home” for boys ages 8 to 16 years old. This overnight camp is located in New Hampshire’s White Mountains by the pristine waters of Lake Tartleton and surrounded by protected forest land, it creates the perfect setting for campers to explore nature and discover new skills.
This sleepaway camp has a strong focus on sports and has newly renovated facilities too. Kids can play baseball, soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, tetherball, and more. It even has an archery and rifle range.
Kingswood likes to call itself “The Camp of 100 Games” since it has invented new games like Javelin Ball or Gatorball and even their version of Quidditch. Kids will never run out of things to do and will get plenty of exercise at the same time.
Of course, the lakeside camp has no shortage of water activities. Campers learn canoeing, kayaking, kneeboarding, paddleboarding, fishing, water polo, and so much more. Kingswood is the perfect camp for active young boys who love playing games and sports. They’ll develop their athletic abilities and develop essential values like discipline and teamwork.
8. Everwood Day Camp
Everwood is a 70-acre summer camp by Lake Massapoag in Sharon, Massachusetts. While it’s smaller than other camps, it still has all the activities you want your child to enjoy, like arts and crafts, water sports, theater, music, and tournaments that teach teamwork and sportsmanship.
The overnight camp philosophy is built around Five Star Points, which reflect the emotional and social skills they want your child to learn during their stay. This includes independence, integrity, friendship, teamwork, and inspiration. This day camp is a good option for kids ages 4 to 15 years old and is led by experienced camp directors.
Whether it’s a pottery class or ziplining between the towering pine trees, each activity is designed to bring out or enhance one of those traits. This New England summer camp provides diverse traditional camp activities to encourage kids to develop their interests and learn new things. They’re given room to explore, experiment, and express who they are.
9. Maplewood Day Camp
Conveniently located in South Easton, Massachusetts, Maplewood is a day camp and enrichment center that provides fun, structured activities for children from pre-schoolers to seventh grade. It has weekend programs during the school year and special summer programs that run for about five days.
The programs include an academic program that has individual and group tutoring and sports workshops. But that doesn’t mean your child won’t have fun! Camp sessions always include fun activities like yoga, spikeball, boating, and other games.
One interesting feature of Maplewood Day Camp is its Campanion Camper Photo App. It has a stream of all the photos taken at camp and uses face finder technology, so you’re tagged whenever your child is in a picture. It’s suitable for kids ages 4 to 14.
10. Camp Nashoba North
Camp Nashoba North is a Maine co-ed summer camp for boys and girls ages 7 to 17 years old. Located right next to Crescent Lake, kids can spend hours doing fun water activities like swimming, sailing, waterskiing, wakeboarding, and more.
There’s no lack of things to do on land, either. Kids can choose from a wide array of sports such as basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, field hockey, volleyball, archery, and ultimate frisbee. They can even go rock climbing and hiking in the wilderness. With over 95 acres of open field and pine forests, there’s plenty of room to explore!
The well-rounded camp program also puts equal emphasis on the arts, which can develop kids’ creativity, self esteem and self-expression. They have music and art studios where they can learn an instrument or join pottery and woodworking.
More New England guides: Vermont, Connecticut & Rhode Island