Scouting is in my blood- I love nature, kids almost always love me & I am not afraid to get dirty!…read moreI am a new volunteer to this council and this was my first time at one of our local camps, located in Orange Park, this camp had to be here long before any of the neighborhoods! Great waterfront access & there is a pool. A climbing tower! I didn't explore too much- there was a leader training I was popping in to show my support for a friend who was teaching the course. She was set up in campsite 8 and unfortunately the campsites need some serious maintenance- poison ivy is overgrown in most of the sites! Fire pits have not been raked and cleaned. In my old council, our Order of the Arrow helped the Camp Rangers every year to clean up and do service around the camps. I have no idea if that is done here, but it needs some tlc. I can't wait to see more of this camp!

I lived next door for years but today was my first experience at the Boy Scout owned facility…read more Founded in the early 1920's the large parcel of land has 8 huge campsites and several halls. It has a sparling blue pool that is next to the beautiful waterfront area and dock. I saw a a chery area and even a climbing wall. The place was well kept up and the restrooms were clean. Great place for fun activities. For the kids and family.

Best learning center in town. Love the caring and friendly atmosphere and especially the quality…read morelearning experience. My granddaughter loves to go every morning! She is thriving here!

Smitty's Camp ROCKS! Daily my 7 year old would excitedly regale me of her day and all of the games…read moreor camp songs she learned. She even taught a few of those games to her parents! I particularly loved the "Bazooka Joe Bubble Gum" song she'd perform and sing. Smitty's is an "old school" summer camp. The kids get to swim TWICE a day! There's a nice pool as well as HUGE inflatable water slides! I typically sent my daughter in shorts, a bathing suit, and a long sleeve rash guard that would double as sun protection since they are outside ALL DAY! They also get to kayak, canoe, and go fishing! I love that even the little ones build confidence in learning all these new skills. My impatient daughter has *yet* to catch a fish but is wistful for that day to come. Every week is a new theme and they do games and crafts to compliment the weeks theme. My daughters favorite was Holiday Hullabaloo. "Monday is Christmas, Tuesday is Valentine's Day, Wednesday is Easter, and Thursday is HALLOWEEN!" My daughter joyfully informed me. The Minute-To-Win-It theme was also a hit. In between games there is also a playground and also a covered patio area where they can do crafts or read books. I have seen the older kids playing kickball on the baseball field in the mornings too. On rainy days they go inside and watch movies. Smitty's has such a FUN Summer Camp culture! I wish I had been able to attend something like this when I was younger myself. The main improvement Smittys needs is their front-of-house administration. Getting any resolution over the phone has been very difficult for me be it an emailed receipt or even a confirmation if could make a reservation for camp. You really have to go IN PERSON to get anything done unfortunately. TIPS: - Wednesday is Ice cream truck day so pack your little one some cash if they want some! - There is no on site food preparation for lunch BUT there is a water refill station as well as a Camp Store for snacks. - My daughter would carry a pound of sand home in her shoes so we had a rule that she would leave the shoes OUTSIDE! - Pack extra sunscreen for your child to apply after swimming or when needed. - They upload photos at the end of the week of all the fun the kids had to both their website and Facebook!

This place is fantastic! It's way, way off the main street! You literally go down a dirt drive (…read morewhich was very well maintained) maybe 2 miles back then reach just a gorgeous natural area right on the water! Beautiful trees and water! It's nice and clean and seems to be very well taken care of, I think you can camp here also.

My spouse found this spot for us to take our dogs, and I'm so, so glad he did…read more Expect lots of elbow room to explore as well as Spanish moss on the trees. It's a magical spot to picnic and get your steps in.

Took the whole family riding on Wednesday (03/23) and had an amazing time. The entire ranch crew…read morewere so patient and awesome with my kids taking the time to teach them so much including feeding, watering and brushing the horses in addition to riding them. My wife and two older kids went on a trail ride while my two younger kids rode in the arena and were given instructions to know how to control the horses and give them commands. Special thanks to Beth, Brenda and Cathy for a memorable experience that has my kids already planning our next trip to the area and a stop at the Blue Moon Ranch.

I've known the owners for a long time. If you're looking to ride or learn how to ride this is the…read moreplace for you. Trail rides, lessons, parties, you name it they do it. They also take trips to go scalloping.

I have nothing but WONDERFUL things to say about this place. Previously my boys attended A Child's…read moreGarden and their director was an absolute TROLL. Melanie, the director of School Kidz Hang Out is the kindest person. All of the staff at this place seems to genuinely care. My oldest son has severe behavioral issues (ODD oppositional defiant disorder) that make him a real challenge. Since my son has began attending this daycare and early learning center he's made leaps and bounds. I can't say enough great things about Melanie and her staff. Thank you so much for the spectacular job you do!!

From the owner: We are very proud of our staff's accomplishment of consecutive years of perfect Kindergarten…read moreReadiness Rates and our implementation of our Hands on Approach to learning. We keep the children challenged by changing out our manipulatives or increasing the difficulty monthly. All VPK and Preschool children receive breakfast and lunch daily. Full time care is available for working parents.

I went to Diamond D. For a school field trip it was nice and the kids had fun. This place is good…read morefor small kids.

From the time I called and spoke to Jewel and booked my 1 hour ride I had a great experience! Jewel…read morewas so very helpful with the booking process and directions. When I arrived I met her along with Sierra who then took myself and 4 other guests on the ride, beautiful location and very informative relaxing ride with my horse Mr Linx. Thank you for a great trip and lovely experience from this gal from Va.

What a great time we had! Mom and I had been planning a trip to Do Art for years. Finally we made…read moreit and we had a great time. This is a great place for artists at any level. My mom is a whiz at drawing and painting and I'm below a novice. Two year olds draw better than I do. There was a lot of pre-made ceramics to choose from; which was a lot of fun to browse through before settling on the right piece. The staff were really helpful. They explained different techniques - 3 coats of paint will give you a more solid color, don't paint light over dark - to help us get started. Our table was well grounded, not wobbly. This is important when you are painting delicate fine lines on your piece. The paint brushes were well used which could make it hard to paint the more delicate things. Lots of paint colors and ceramic pieces to choose from. The pricewas $9 lab fee that includes the cost of paint, firing, brushes, pencils and other goodies. Then you purchase ceramic you are painting. Prices for ceramic pieces cover a wide range. My small candy dish with lid cost $11.50 and mom's vase/paint brush holder was $10. But we had unlimited use of the studio and paints. We had our own table. 5 stars for the studio, very clean and people friendly. 5 stars for variety and price. 4 stars for staff. The more mature staff were always available and walking the floor to make sure everybody was helped and having a good time. At the staff change a younger group of staff came in. While friendly it was a bit harder to figure out who was staff and who wasn't when we checked out. I ended up approaching a nice college aged woman to ask her if she worked there. Her purse was on one of the tables and she was totally engrossed in painting a piece. She did work there and we were able to check out. Our pieces will be ready in a week. 3 stars for not having a better system for tracking ready to pick up items, items that have been fired and ready to go home. No labeling system. Just walk in and say I'm picking up a tea cup and the staff says is this it and you say yea or nay. They might have a pefrect system but I did worry about not getting my mom's vase returned. We will see on Friday. Overall it was a wonderful experience and I had a great time hanging out with my mom and watching her work her amazing artistic magic on that vase.

I love Do Art. I have been coming here since I was a little girl in elementary school (I am now in…read moremy third year of college). The old place was really cool because in the summer they had camps where you could make all your pieces and work on the potters wheels. It was a really good outlet for all of my creative energy, and it still is. I came here tonight with one of my girlfriends, and we had a really nice time just being mellow and painting. The ceramics to choose from was a bit lacking-they did not have what I was looking for, but I settled for a medium size box and a large square serving platter. Unlike their old place, they have a ton of paints and I didn't have to fight with people to get the color I wanted (this actually used to be a huge pain because you'd have to go around to every table to see who had the bottle of paint you were looking for), but now they have three bottles of every color available which is great. The studio is clean and I definitely give them props for their music choice- all the songs reminded me of my middle school days listening to Simple Plan and Bowling for Soup; it was almost nostalgic. The only complaint I really have is that the staff is not very friendly. When I first walked in, an older lady sitting at a table peered at me over her glasses and asked what I needed. My friend walked in after me and had a similar experience. That old lady needs to go or change her attitude. The other woman who came in later was super nice, however. All in all, it was a fun experience and I will be back. I hope next time that there will be more choices of ceramics to pick from!

I am a Y'er. I have held a First Coast membership for years…read more As this is not my go to location I do visit for special events. Thy have a great gymnasium for basketball and other like activities. There outdoor area is clean and sufficient size. Everyone is friendly and the location is great for the neighborhood.

This is a very nice YMCA on the Northwest side of town. Zumbathon keeps me coming here. This was…read moremy 2nd Zumbathon for Breast Cancer Awareness held every year in October. They bring in many Zumba teachers for the two hour event. This year we had 18 Zumba instructors. It's a wonderful event and for just $10 you get a great workout while supporting a worthy cause. A win-win. There must have been 200 people attending. You can workout at your own pace at these events. There's free snacks while working out so no one passes out. Plenty of water, sherbet & fruit. This event is held in October. If interested check out the Y for these events advertised around September. Maybe I'll see you there.

Great I kept hearing weird noises and seeing some weird guy but good overall and everyone was…read moresaying don't come on Friday the 13th idk why

Best area summer camp!…read more Camp Crystal, run by the Alachua County School Board, gives Alachua County kids the opportunity to attend a semi local sleep away camp. Area parents will love the shortness of the sessions (Sunday- Friday for one week campers, or Sunday- the following Friday for two week campers.), the short drive there (30-55 minutes depending where you live in Gainesville), and the lower cost (under $600 a child.) Kids will love the beautiful grounds, fun atmosphere, and the awesome classes (kayaking, paddle boarding, water sports, wake boarding, art, frisbee, newspaper, soccer, lacrosse, yoga, and so much more!) Because it is such a desirable summer camp, registration is not easy. Those who have attended a session can continue attending that session without much effort (with just a commitment and later payment) vs others (first time registrants or those looking to change sessions) who must be online at a precise moment and move quickly to try and snag the few available spots. Registering for the first time can be a stressful hassle, but it's absolutely worth it! Once your kids have attended this camp, you 100% understand why everyone is so desperate to have their kids attend. My daughter just completed her fifth year, while my son just completed his second year. Both absolutely loved it! My husband and I enjoyed the short week of no kids life, but loved being able to see and hear how they are doing through the Camp Minder email system, and the photos published nightly. Camp Crystal is truly the perfect taste of sleep away camp for us lucky enough to live in Alachua County!