Wonderful Camp for our 8 to 12 yr old granddaughters!…read more Highly recommend for a outdoor CT summer experience!

From the owner: Located in coastal Connecticut, on 740 wooded acres surrounding a mile long private lake, we are…read morethe country's oldest co-ed camp. Since 1886, we have provided a fun-filled, traditional summer camp with hands-on learning and fun in the great outdoors. Campers participate in well-rounded and adventurous programs that develop an appreciation for nature and celebrate the uniqueness of each individual. Activities include: swimming, sailing, ropes course, archery, arts & crafts, outdoor cooking, gardening, farming, sports, games, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, nature, wilderness skills, ceramics, woodworking, culinary arts, theater, gaga and more! The best thing about our camp is that you get to make your own schedule and pick the activities that you want to do!

Maple syrup day in the spring was quite fun! I loved the whole presentation and witnessing the…read moreshack pouring out steam, and leaving with syrup was so specially! I was disappointed they missed an opportunity to educate about the real environmental threat to sugar maples from climate change. Add this in and it would be a 5* experience

My children have been attending Bushy Hill's vacation days, summer camp, and workshops for years…read morenow. It's a wonderful opportunity for the kids to be outside all day, meet new friends, and learn about the environment. The Director, Phil, and his counselors are knowledgeable, dedicated, and so fun. My kids are thrilled when I drop them off and can't wait to tell me about every part of their day when I pick them up. And, boy, do they sleep well that night! I wouldn't hesitate to sign up for a grown up camp they might offer!

All four of my children went to Camp Hillcroft for years. The Buttinger family know their business…read moreand how to make each child's experience individualized and awesome. There is a huge range of activities offered. Certified swim instruction is included in the programming, which was really important for my family. My children made friendships that will last a life time. 5 stars isn't even enough!

Great all around day camp for campers of all ages. What I…read morefind fantastic is that the counselors for each group are hand selected, and are from countries from all around the world , and is a fantastic way to show kids that no matter where you come from, you can get along and have fun with people that you might not ordinarily have interactions with. In addition, Greg and Sally do a great job every year of showing all the campers about what it's like for kids and families all around the world who are not as lucky as they are. From an activities perspective, I don't think you'll find another camp with such diverse things for the kids to do, from zip lines and wall climbs, to archery and helping out with the animals.

5 star Check in! Very organized and very knowledgable about answering questions. Friendly staff and…read morevery helpful. Clean camp grounds. I feel very safe leaving my so. Here for 2 weeks!

This was a camp Been going for 5 years. They have a wonderful helpful staff. The male nurse josh is…read moreso wonderful he was so helpful to my children and he didn't mind being woken up in the middle of the night for a sick camper. My kids really enjoyed sailing and all the other activities they had to offer

We have participated in multiple shows, camps etc with the Art Barn. I can say that the staff here…read morereally are dedicated to their jobs. They work hard and do really well with the children. Its a good environment for the kids to spend time. Unfortunately, the casting directors play favorites. If the parents donate a lot of time and money, their kids get the good roles. They hold auditions but talent has little to do with who gets what part. The vocal coach is not very experienced or equitable. Some kids are only allowed 16 bars of audition material while other kids are allowed 32 or even a full song. Classically trained students typically do not get major roles, they are thrown into the ensemble. My daughter got so frustrated at all of the favoritism that she wants nothing to do with the organization in any way. Its sad but I am sure they have their reasons. This is a place to send your average child for a safe, fun day but its not going to assist in a professional career in musical theatre in any way. It does not have a good reputation among the industry professionals in Ct.

I have some good memories here as a freshman and sophomore in high school. I would go listen to…read morebands like Doublethink blast their songs and dance. This was one of the only things there was to do in Madison growing up. There is parking and it's located in the Town Campus, which is a beautiful place to walk around in the day before you listen to music in the evening. I think this place is one of the most underrated venues for performing artists and has potential to become one of the best venues for performing artists in the Madison/Guilford area with some better advertising. As of now it only caters to middle schoolers and high schoolers, but could also host older musicians my age and this would help it gain popularity among older crowds as well.

Came here for a weekend to chaperone a camp. The place is beautiful located right beside a lake and…read morehas several buildings for lodging, an outdoor stage/amphitheater, a dining hall, fire pit, classroom spaces, and a gym. The rooms are finished with bunk beds, the water was hot, and there were several sinks in the bathroom which was nice. I slept comfortable both nights so I have no complaints there. Aside from toilet paper you do have to bring your own toiletries and bedding, so as long as you come prepared it should be a good time. The staff was very nice and I really enjoyed interacting with them. The food was also good and they made sure to cook a variety of meals each day. The lodging areas and the whole place in general was very clean. There were a lot of nats when I was there (end of April) but it is the outdoors and I never saw a bug inside so the upkeep of the place was nicely maintained. Would definitely go back again.

Came here forever ago on a school trip. The grounds are nice, dorms are... dorms... It's an…read moreinteresting place. The staff however... Oh My. Hopefully in the years that I've visited they've revamped their team. Maybe they were all having a really bad day (for several days in a row). Maybe they aren't into school kids (even though it's called Nature's Classroom). I can't even put into words how rude they were. We were split into our assigned group throughout the weekend, and I was with a classmate who is on the spectrum. He's very sweet, so this was difficult, and I wish I spoke out more to support him. Our "leader" was incessantly cruel to him at our daily meal table. We were all playing a game at the table, and he had trouble keeping up. We supported him and encouraged him to keep trying. Instead of doing the same our "leader" (much older and should have known better) started to mock him like it was open season. He went as far as stopping the entire conversation to coldly say "____ can you please chew with your mouth closed. You are disturbing me." -- I have misophonia, and I can assure you, our sweet friend was not chewing with his mouth open nor was he eating loudly. It's a true pet peeve of mine. Another staffer shouted (yes, literally) when he was knocking his boot against a tree stump -- a nervous tick he has. I get it. Preserve nature. There was a way to handle this. This wasn't it. There were a few other instances, but these were the ones that left me speechless. Even as a high-schooler, I knew better than to act the way our elders were. Shame on Nature's Classroom for employing these people. I hope they do better in the future.

my kids had so fun here. and Kennelly loved it here my son goes there he said that he going to miss…read moreall the fun they had, LOVE YOU GIYS!

More people should do this! Project Oceanology gives hands-on boat outings geared towards families…read more These include lighthouse expeditions, oceanographic research cruises (summer), and seal watches (Feb/March). It is the only organization with permission to bring visitors to New London Ledge Lighthouse, which features incredible views from smack dab in the middle of Long Island Sound. Great fun for lighthouse aficionados and those who want to get out on the water! But be warned that other than the AMAZING views, there isn't much to actually see inside the house. If you're expecting a museum or activities for your kids, you might be disappointed and would be better off taking a science cruise. For the lighthouse trip, you will take a boat out to the 1909 working lighthouse and then be given a tour. Don't worry if boats make you nervous, this one is built to keep school kids safe and happy so you will feel very secure! The whole trip is about 2.5 hours and you spend 1.5 hours at the lighthouse. The architecture and history are really cool. The rest of the time you're cruising on Long Island Sound, which is a fun and relaxing activity in itself! The science expeditions are really Project O's forte. The super knowledgeable staff provide a hands-on experience you will love. You will be taught some basic marine science and geography of the area, then you take over as the scientists. Some of the activities include: collecting and testing water and mud samples at depth, visiting the captain to learn about navigation, and best of all: pulling in a trawl net full of Long Island Sound critters! If you are looking for a half-day activity that a gets you out on the water, familiarizes you with the area, is educational, and/or is just a little different than your usual tourist exercise: this is for you. You can certainly manage to stay clean and dry on these cruises but you will have much more fun if you go prepared to get wet and dirty! The boat's cabin is heated. However, you will want an extra layer of clothing for when you're outside. That's where all the good stuff happens. The price is very reasonable: just $19 for adults and $16 for kids. Make sure you call ahead... they will cancel the cruise if they don't get any reservations in advance and on popular days they can sell out! There is a very basic cafe for sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, drinks etc in the building but it's nothing to rave about. However, it's worth leaving a little extra time to wander around the immediate area. The building is located on the UConn - Avery Point campus which is beautiful and easy to walk. Project Oceanology also offers summer camps, scout programs, and birthday parties. I don't know why the website isn't listed here but there is lots more info at http://www.oceanology.org

Hidden Lake Farms was an amazing experience. It was the highlight of our summer. The ponies and…read morehorses were super gentle and kind. We would strongly recommend this camp to anyone who likes horses and ponies. To anyone who goes there keep an eye out for the ponies Pumpkin and Nellie Bell. Ella(age 9) and Layo(age 10)

I'd been looking for the right place to start riding again and Hidden Lake is it! Jackie and Edgar…read moretake such great care of the horses and create the most comfortable environment to learn in. I can't wait to go back with extra carrots for my new love, Remington