I first heard about Camp No Counselors when I came across an article about them while scrolling…read morethrough Facebook in 2015. I had just started dating my boyfriend (now husband!) and suggested that we go. While it sounded like the coolest and most fun experience ever, I didn't know what to expect. What I experienced at camp was incredible - fun, friendship, laughter, and an amazing sense of happiness. It truly made me feel like I a kid again, but you know, with an open bar! At camp, you can do anything you want and be whoever you want to be. They have campfires, theme parties, a color war, talent shows, boating, waterskiing, capture the flag, and an epic game of Slip and Flip (for those of you who don't know what that is, it's a slip and slide to a game of flip cup), and while I was skeptical of slip and sliding as an adult, I've finally embraced it and can't wait to play again. We've been to camp for the past three years, and I must say, I love it even more every year. I'm able to completely de-stress, unplug, and unwind, all while spending time with old friends and making new ones! I'm booked for camp this year and I absolutely cannot wait! I couldn't recommend this camp enough.

I attended the Boston Camp No Counselor weekend this past labor day weekend at Camp Caribou…read more I'd been debating attending a CNC weekend since I found out about it around the time of its inception. This year, myself and 3 friends pulled the trigger. CNCs description sounded like something out of your wildest dream. Reliving your youth and camping days while mixing in all of the fun aspects of being an adult, while leaving the boring parts behind. If you were like me, you had doubts. How could it live up? Will it fall short of expectations? Will the cabins suck? Will one bad apple ruin the weekend? What if it rains? Is it worth the money? The following are my honest answers... Yes! It lived up. I was completely impressed with the cabins. Large, clean, individual beds- not bunks, private bathrooms inside as well as a cabin house with toilets and showers. As for the people... 120 people, drinking, partying, playing sports, beer pong... And not one fight all weekend. Shocker right? Everyone was friendly and approachable. We made friends fast. CNC did a great job vetting for this camp. The NonCounselors deserve a special shout out. Jacob our director put on a great show. You know when someone just does a job... And then when someone lives for the job? These people lived it. They truly made the camp a great experience with the right level of order while allowing us plenty of freedom. Well now, what if it rains?... Well, it did. Sunday during our color war. We did it anyways... No one had any complaints. Still a great time and Blue took home the gold! Is it worth the money?... The amount of food, booze, and monster energy drinks we consumed this weekend was worth it alone.... Id hate to see that bar tab. As for the experience... I finally found something that made me forget about work for 3 days... It was a rule. The activities were great, wakeboarding on the lake, and dominating at dodgeball made for an exceptional time. An impromptu games of Kings in the cabin was a great way to break the ice. No one was shy or reserved. We all chatted and it was truly like being a kid again, which is what you'd hope for. In conclusion, The people who already made up their mind to go didnt need to read my review. If you are someone on the fence... I hope our experience helps you to make the decision. We'll be going again. I miss it already. Thanks to the CNC staff again, the camp staff at camp Caribou, and all of the people we met. Camp No Counselors is awesome!

Seemed like a great STEM focused summer camp. But in reality it was a teenager babysitting my 8/9…read moreyear old while he played Minecraft indoors. I think the problem is the week long format, it's just not long enough for kids to get to know each other and engage with any meaningful activity. So "Game Design with Minecraft", which my son was really jazzed to dive into, was really just a mediocre first week of what should be a longer and more engaging program. Counselors seemed bright and friendly. Program seemed organized and well run. It just seems like their real hook is for parents eager to get their kids engaged with STEM stuff, not a way to expose kids to fun computer stuff in a meaningful way.

My 12 year just attended their 1 week camp . In his 3rd day, the counselor called 911 when my son…read morewas in a VR game they were building and said I want to kill my character to restart the game. The counselor never checked with the camp director or medical team and decided to call 911 on my son. I was never called . My son called me on his cell phone as put the police officer on the phone who decided this was taken way out of context . My son was put in an ambulance by himself and had to deal with it all alone.. The camp director called me after my son went back to the classroom.. My son is traumatized and barely eats or sleeps. I talked to couple of people at the camp and it has been a week nobody even bother to follow up or put any effort to make it right . The worst camp ever ...

Our 7.5 year old daughter had the best first week of summer thanks to Diana's summer camp!!! Not…read moreonly do they do a lot of art, they also get plenty of outside time (when it's not 100+), do some unique classes (karate and yoga!), and put on an art show at the end of the week! During the heat wave when it wasn't safe for the kids to be outdoors, they all had an ice cream sundae party! The atmosphere is beautiful and calm. Overall, she can't wait to return!

Caring, creative, and thoughtful staff. The birthday part was unique and fun. All the kids had a…read moregreat time and my daughter was able to explore art with her favorite animated character. The staff will offer a one of a kind experience.

I love coming to this YMCA, sometimes parking is hard as it's either garage, or street parking to…read morepay. They do have some free 2 hour spots but sometimes it's impossible to find a place. It's right in the Charlestown Navy Yard which explains it. They have a lot of the YMCA staples--classes, indoor pool, gym, equipment, and sauna (mixed gender sauna). It is definitely older inside but feels like it's been renovated and newer equipment. I like their classes they offer and playing pickleball here.

Great place to workout with a variety of cardio and strength equipment. Machines, hand weights,…read moresmith machine. Mat areas for floor work. Cardio includes spin bikes, recumbent. Rowing, treadmills and more. All kept clean and in good condition. This Y offers a variety of activities for every stage of life from babies to mature adults building strength and stamina. A full schedule is on line. Strength training and water aerobics I can say have top notch instructors. Pool lanes have a schedule and a sauna on the pool level. I attend Fit for Life studio class, a strength class, and have taken shallow and deep water aerobics all very good classes and have seen a difference in my function, strength. Highly recommend instructors: Kathleen, Tracy,Gino & Francesca. Locker rooms are average and have what you need soap/shampoo, showers, lockers, dressing room. Bring your own lock. All the staff are the best! Patient and helpful. A great value for what you get!

An incredible experience for my daughter on the autism spectrum. I was hesitant to send my…read moredaughter to Steve and Kate's because of the unlimited choices provided to the children. Many of our sped children, including my own, thrive off of a predictable schedule. I intended to send her for the day to test out the environment. Imagine my shock surprise when she didn't want to leave. I received unprompted feedback about my kid's day and they kept an eye on her behavioral well being. I would send her back in a heartbeat. Tyler at the Somerville location is the best!

The camp is amazingly organized and accommodating for both parents and kids, hours and food…read moreprovided were a nice bonus, but I felt a little led astray. Didn't turn out the way I expected. With "freedom" for the kids... that means they really just choose whatever they want. I was so excited about the various offerings... but my child (about whom we're quite strict about input of screen time, etc) chose to play video and iPad games the entire time (multiple days) he was there. Perhaps I ought to have understood more clearly that Mario Kart and iPad games were going to be options. And taken that into consideration with my child's proclivities. He also had a hard time meeting other kids and making friends. Not usually difficult for him, but he said kids already had cliques and the older/bigger kids were condescending and mean. Oh well. We tried it because we needed to. Won't come again though.

It has all the basic equipment I could need, staff is friendly, and it's never busy! The only con…read moreis it's pretty ancient but it looks like they've slowly been replacing equipment with newer stuff and they have chalk which I appreciate when it gets hot in there. The basic plan is $35 a month which is probably fitting for the area and you get access to other YMCAs so can't really complain.

After nearly five years away, went back today due to having a medical appointment just five minutes…read morefrom here. Very glad to see all the improvements that they've done: 1. Cardio room: replaced crappy old stationary bikes with two almost-new Keiser spin bikes---these are free of silly frills/gimmicks unlike the big hulking Life Fitness, Precor, or Cybex bikes but provide unmatched ergonomics and authentic bike-feel, which is why they are used in spin classes everywhere. Forgot how nice and strong the AC is...sigh, if only the weight room had the same! 2. Weight room: instead of a random hodgepodge of ancient dumbbells, they finally got a full matched set of Perform Better (also the best in the business) rubber coated dumbbells, two excellent Matrix multi-position adjustable benches, a full Valor Fitness squat cage with deadlift platform & arms, a Smith machine with deadlift arms, and a smattering of kettlebells including 25# and 40# pairs, topping out with 55# and 70# singles...80-100# would have been better, but a 70# max KB isn't bad. Some new weightroom accessories I've never seen anywhere else: a Titan multi-grip Olympic barbell, a fat barbell and fat lat-pulldown straight bar, a pair of 6" wooden blocks with handles, and a number of other unusual but useful training tools if you're willing to dig a little and use your improvisatory imagination. Of course they've kept some of the old stuff, like about 4-5 pairs of truly old-school York dumbbells and a gazillion of old rusty all metal weight plates (most gyms now use rubber coated plates with built in hand openings for easy carrying), but hey, better to have an over-abundance of old weights than not enough of the new weights (as sometimes happens in the newer gyms). 3. Elkay filtered water fountains in cardio room and by basketball court...this is a life-saver, literally! You don't want folks getting dehydrated just because they don't like the taste of a crappy old water fountain or tap water through 100 year old rusty pipes. 4. The small indoor track above the basketball court is about the same, but I noticed they've made the best of it by adding a Concept 2 rower in one corner (next to a Wing Chun dummy, which I have NEVER seen in a gym before, wow), a Stairmaster next to the 80lb hanging bag (vinyl Everlast, not bad) in the opposite corner, and a carefully stabilized "Power Tower" in the 3rd available corner. Now that they have kettlebells, the track is perfect for doing weighted carries (Suitcase C, Farmer's C, Cross-body C, etc) which is an incredibly useful full-body and core-intensive exercise most people overlook. All in all, I'd say that this Y while small and still burdened with the ravages of age (the locker rooms and showers are just as decrepit as ever), it does have about 90% of everything essential you really need. The Fitness Director, or whoever manages the workout rooms, has clearly put a lot of attention and care to make the best of their clearly shoestring budget...and does know what they're doing, and does it well. Their opening hours are relatively decent compared to the Cambridge Y or especially the Charlestown Y. Unlike those two places they offer free parking...big plus in this area! I do wish they would get rid of the silly "Health Center" extra membership tier that allows access to their mediocre saunas and just get two really good saunas built into a small increase in membership fees. Their membership fees remain a good 25% or so lower than that of other local Ys, but considering how old and small the place is, that makes perfect sense. If I lived 2-3 blocks away like I used to, I would still come here if I didn't have a car, or whenever I didn't feel like driving 15-30 minutes to better/bigger Ys nearby.

My review is NOT about the YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON GYM. My review is about the YMCA OF GREATER…read moreBOSTON Residential program--Huntington House. IF ONLY the Housing section and VULNERABLE TENANTS were treated as wonderfully as the gym and gym members that would be nice. Tenants are watched like criminals from behind an ALWAYS CLOSED CRUZ MANAGEMENT COMPANY office door, but Huntington House is not a prison, jail, halfway house, shelter, recovery/treatment center, or the like. It is simply low-income/subsidized housing where tenants are treated very disrespectfully by the YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON'S agent CRUZ MANAGEMENT COMPANY. The building is treated just as poorly as tenants. Hallways and common areas are rarely swept or cleaned. Trash bins are often placed inside on the residential hallway on at least one floor, instead of outside of the entrance door to the residential floors. Exterminations are rare and many tenants would probably describe their units as uninhabitable. Complaints, maintenance requests are either ignored or, well, ignored! The general negligence in oversight by the YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON of CRUZ MANAGEMENT COMPANY "property managers" is nonexistent EVEN when YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON officials are apprised of problems and, in my situation, even after multiple legal actions. AND I COULD GO ON AND ON...AND ON!!!...AND ON!!!!! INSTEAD, I will refer you to my Substack account. There you can read my claims about the many violations of my state, federal, and constitutional rights by the YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON and CRUZ MANAGEMENT COMPANY since 2020 and YOU BE THE JUDGE in the comment section as to whether my rights were really violated. Search Still I Rise Above Hatred on Substack. MAYBE ONE DAY the YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON will use the many millions in donations per year to make living at the Huntington House as wonderful as exercising in the gym.

We love the community that we've built through the Y - because of the amazing Zumba instructors!!…read moreNot only are they so fun energetic and have great classes, but they're also very welcoming and we've developed friendships with the and some of the regular Zumba attendees. Special shoutout to Param and Agnes whose classes I never miss!! Fun music lots of variety and great energy! This Y is really great - such a large space lots of equipment, classes, even a full swimming pool with sauna and steam rooms. The staff are always friendly and good service ready to help with any questions! Great value with affordable monthly fees for an all round great experience!

This camp reflects very poorly on the school and its mission. This camp is a profit-focused…read moreoperation with high school and undergraduate students supervised by unprofessional recent college grads, some of whom are alumnae of the school. Instead of modeling the school's mission to "promote integrity, and kindness in diverse, curious, and motivated students" the counselors fostered an environment that felt extremely cliquey and exclusive. The social atmosphere often left some campers feeling isolated or unwelcome. There are far better camps in the area that are cheaper!

2021 REVIEW. PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP AND SEND YOU KIDS HERE. Note that this my experience for 2021…read moresummer camp. My child attended the summer camp and this place was filthy, filled with mosquitoes. My child and friends were bitten so badly. No complaints were received well and nothing was done about it. Moreover, the programs and the activities were so mediocre, I JUST DONT UNDERSTAND their ridiculous pricing. In the name of COVID, they cut down all activities but they were okay keeping the entire children in one room packed (which is what you get to see during pick up). Now the staffs who watched the children are some underaged kids. My 6 year old child told me about- how the "teenage boy and girl was kissing" and when "that teenager got time, all he did talk to this one girl". I was stunned. NEVER AGAIN to BB&N summer camp. Save yourself the grief and your child's precious summer experience.

Instructors are great... and very patient. Every day we go thru change things up. Great place for…read morethe kids to get their energy out safely.

My kid asked for a ninja party so I booked a party package. The workers are nice but they are…read moreunderstaffed and overwhelmed by back to back parties. The party the I ordered and confirmed over the phone was not what I received. Nowhere for guests to place presents so my kids presents got mixed with other parties and vice versa. I'm happy to discuss this with owner if he or she wants more details.