This is my first experience looking for a summer camp for my son. I toured the facility and…read moreinstantly fell in love. I was skeptical about the staffing, but I knew my son would have a blast. Fast forward to his first day, and I was impressed by the organization and details. The check-in process was smooth. We pulled up by the gym, walked him inside, and they scanned the QR code to see what meal I ordered for him. Then he was off to have fun. It's always fun to see what he did throughout the day from baking,sewing,water play,playing soccer and the list goes on. This is truly the best summer camp experience in town. I hope they continue every year because I would always send him. The price was worth it, and it was the longest summer program in town. We had peace of mind sending him every day, thanks to Nick, the director, and his team, who did an amazing job at keeping the kids safe and busy. The staff selection was amazing. You can tell they're passionate about what they're doing. My son and family have nothing but great things to say about Steve and Kate's. I know my son will tell all his classmates about how much fun he had over the summer and show off his AMAZING Mooseband collection.

I would have to agree with the first reviewer that it seems there is not enough staff, or the staff…read moreare not always able to rein in the kids. While our kids had a great time, they were frequently "written up" for misbehaving, which led them to make us sit home from camp on multiple occasions. While our kids aren't perfect, they have no history of ongoing behavioral issues, so I wonder what is happening behind the scenes. Unfortunately, our kids also loved the punshment "days off" camp because that meant they play on the iPad all day while mom and dad worked (finding out at 6pm the day before not enough time to come up with alternate child care plans). So the punishment was not effective despite us giving them the talk multiple times. There were many moments of frustration and dysfunction during the summer, despite the kids saying they had a blast. The best days included water play and other pre-arranged activities. The kids love the director, Nick. I would maybe try it again, but also open to other options next year.

My son was in the play "The looking Glass". Not only was I impressed with the amazing skills they…read moreare teaching these kids, but eveyone who attended had nothing but nice things to say. If you are looking for something different that will keep them busy, grow their character and confidence look no further than Mudlark. I live 30 minutes away from this location, and with that being said, I would never try another theater company for my kids. Mudlark does amazing things.

The kids at Mudlark Theater Company are amazing! Their passion for what they are doing is evident…read morein their work, and they are always so excited at the end of each show. If you have kids (elementary through high school) and live in or near Evanston, this is definitely a program you should check out. I think they do 4-5 shows a year now (2 in the fall/winter, 2 in the spring and 1 in the summer). Anyone can audition, and scholarships are available. Even if your child isn't interested in acting, they can be on crew. And if you don't have kids, their plays are still worth seeing. As I overheard someone say last night: "This is the best children's theater I have ever seen." Last weekend was This Is Just To Say, and I was moved by the performances. Yesterday was the opening night of Sleepy Hollow and, which runs for 2 more nights (Dec. 11 and 12). Check their web site for details. NOTE: THE ADDRESS LISTED IS WRONG. That is the rehearsal space. Performances take place at the McGaw YMCA Children's Center Auditorium at 1420 Maple Avenue (Lake & Maple). See their web site for details: www.mudlarktheater.org

Terrible customer service! Will not refund or exchange even under extenuating circumstances. Will…read morenot use them ever again! Thieves took $155.00 from me!

I've been wanting to take an improv class for years and so glad I did my first one through Piven!…read moreFirst of all, Gillian is SO helpful and accommodating throughout the registration process and with anything administrative. I emailed more than I would have liked having to attend class late or even miss a class and Gilian and team were so understanding. I took Adult Improvisation Games Risk Taking with Jen and it was such fun! There was a mix of advanced students and beginners like myself, and everyone was extremely respectful and kind and created a safe space to experiment and not feel embarrassed as someone who had no idea what they were doing. Classes are a mix of games, as in the title, and exercises "performed" by small groups. Whenever I was watching the other groups I felt like I was watching a professional comedy show! Classes flew by. I would recommend to anyone looking for a fun breakup of the work week or to advance their improv skills!

My child was dismissed from Camp Galileo without a clear explanation, and the camp was unable to…read moreprovide any written documentation of the incident or the reasoning behind their decision. The only statement offered was the vague legal phrase, "we feel we can't keep him safe." Although they refunded the remaining two weeks, the lack of transparency was deeply concerning. Their behavioral policies feel intentionally vague, and the communication I received did not reflect the professionalism or accountability I expect from an organization working with children. I also left with serious doubts about how the camp is structured. The "directors" appear to be flown in from elsewhere to set up the program, and the local counselors they hire seem to vary widely in experience and skill. Some were fine, but others were confusing or inconsistent, and overall I did not see evidence of strong training in child development or education. We've been fortunate in the past to work with excellent professionals at our local YMCA and city parks and recreation camps, where expectations are clear, staff are well‑trained, and programs are licensed and overseen by state or municipal agencies. In the future, I will ask harder questions about privately owned corporate camps that are not licensed by any state entity. While my child enjoyed the building projects, Camp Galileo ultimately felt like a for‑profit program with an identity crisis and insufficient clarity around its policies and staffing. I would encourage other parents to ask detailed questions about policies, documentation, staff qualifications, and oversight before enrolling.

We highly recommend Digital Adventures with its wonderful programs, and especially the teacher…read moreMr.Jim. The classroom is engineered to be easily adopted by young kids set in a play-based environment. My 4-year-old boy can easily adapt to the new learning. Mr. Jim and the founder/staff are nice, patient and great. We are impressed by the program as the parents. It was not just us, our kid loves and rates DA the best among all his other STEM enrichments by comparison. We have also helped spread the word to our parent communities. Overall, very good program, and excellent business!

My son really enjoyed this class.. we are staying for another class now! (2hours)…read moreHighly recommend this place.. very friendly.. clean.. just positive vibes!!Love it!

Took my 7 year old son here for an 8 year old bday party- really cool idea for a unique bday…read moreparty. They played Minecraft , and were guided by a couple of staff members . The kids all loved and talked about all they played even after they were done. Plus- they do camps and coding classes. Neat/unique!

iD Tech doesn't even deserve ONE star. I would like to caution any parent considering sending their…read morekid here. My 16 year old son attended the Northwestern iDTech summer camp and he had such a bad experience on the first day that he refused to go back. Here is the list he provided me (and this wasn't even the entire list): --Mixing younger and older kids made it hard to learn, 16 y/os and 8 y/os, and even younger possibly, should not be in the same camp doing the same things together. --Director and instructors treat you like you're 8 y/o. --No lecture or real teaching, just an online course that could literally be found online for free or less than 50 bucks (definitely not worth 1500 dollars). --My instructor has no idea what she was doing and didn't know what she was talking about. For $1500 dollars this is unacceptable. --Tries to look through the code that I literally copy and pasted from their online course because its broken for 15-20 minutes and she can't figure out the issue. --Doing weird chants and stuff to get our attention. Again I'm not 8 y/o. --No Google or Disney employees teaching as the website made it seem, they were just college students. --Instructors are not giving any useful information or knowledge as the website makes it seem, they'd rather just help you figure out whatever it is on the online course that you can't figure out yourself. --Website leads you to believe that your instructor or director will be a highly qualified and intelligent individual when in reality they are a poorly trained and unprepared college student who is simply there to supervise you and try to help out with whatever they can. --The classroom is full of many students ranging in age which is definitely not appropriate due to different maturity levels. (Younger kids being crazy while older kids are just annoyed by their loud antics) --The website's exact words are "unmatched expertise" - just a lie. Working to solve a simple code error for 15-20 minutes and ultimately not finding a solution is definitely not my definition of unmatched expertise. --Website's exact words are "Personality that brings out the absolute best in your child." Whereas my instructor seemed shy and definitely didn't have any "special personality traits" --Overall the website is extremely misleading and ultimately leads you to believe this is a much higher quality education experience when in reality its college students providing childcare for 8 hours. --College kids running this thing all have fake names (I'm not 5 years old, I don't need to call my instructor "Frodo" when I know he has a real name). So I tried to get a full refund and had multiple calls with different people. The last conversation I had was with a Derek, a Lead Program Specialist. He told me what my refund would be; I found it unsatisfactory so I asked to speak to his boss and he said "Oh, we're not holding any further conversations regarding this matter." This is how they steal from you. I'm fairly certain at this point that iDTech is a giant money grab, made for parents who can afford $1500 for a week of babysitting and don't care what their kids are doing as long as someone else is watching them.

My son has attended iD Tech Camp at Northwestern for the past six years. He has enjoyed at…read moreimmensely. He began attending when he was in middle school, and he will attend this summer before entering his senior year in high school. The counselors are all knowledgeable and share my son's passion for computer game design. He also enjoys spending a couple of weeks each summer with other people his age that have interests similar to his. Since we live close by, we began with the day camp only, but he enjoys the camaraderie of the counselors and other campers so much that he nows go for overnight and stays for one weekend as well.

We hosted a birthday party workshop here today for our 9 year old . The facility and instructors…read morewere A plus and it was a top notch experience. My daughter was given a choice of 3 of 6 activities for her 90 minute party ( no food portion for the party which was great with us due to covid). She picked trapeze, balance ball, and silks. The instructors were attentive, patient, encouraging and got all of our guests happily engaged. It was a fantastic party and I highly recommend this place as a birthday venue. If we lived closer we'd consider classes there as well!

I went to cam0 here it was very fun and my best friend goes to classes here and it seems they are…read morefun

My husband and I had our wedding at The Woman's Club of Evanston in October 2025, and we truly…read morecannot recommend this venue enough. The space is gorgeous on its own -- not a blank slate at all -- so we didn't need nearly as many decorations or flowers as we did at other venues we considered. Our guests raved all day about how beautiful and unique the building was. One of the biggest advantages is that the entire venue is yours for the day. There are no other weddings or events happening at the same time, which makes everything feel calm, special, and centered on your celebration. We had a Sunday brunch wedding, held our ceremony downstairs (very cozy and intimate), and our reception upstairs in the ballroom. The flow between spaces was seamless, and the ballroom floor is amazing for dancing. The sound system was excellent -- speeches and music were crystal clear. Gretchen was wonderful to work with throughout the planning process. She provided vendor recommendations, kept us on track to meet deadlines, and answered all of our questions. We used J&L Catering for our food and Schaffer's for alcohol, and both were excellent and the liquor from Schaffer's was a significant cost savings. Another huge bonus: so many essentials are included with the rental, such as tables, chairs, silverware, and plates. At other venues, those items can be surprisingly expensive to source. Logistically, this location is hard to beat. There are several hotels and great restaurants within walking distance, making it incredibly easy for our out-of-town guests to enjoy an entire weekend in Evanston. Our local guests appreciated that parking is free in Evanston on Sundays and close to the venue. There are also plenty of bathrooms on the same floors where all the events take place -- a small detail that makes a big difference for guest comfort. Finally, it felt meaningful to support a historic building and philanthropic organization rather than a large hotel chain. Overall, we highly recommend The Woman's Club of Evanston as a premier wedding venue in the greater Chicagoland area. We couldn't imagine having celebrated anywhere else.

A perfect wedding venue. I fell in love with the Women's Club of Evanston the moment I walked in…read morefor a tour. It is a gorgeous old mansion with deep roots; the manager (Gretchen) is kind, reliable, and so easy to work with; the preferred caterer we used (Catering by Michaels) was raved about by our guests; and the gift of bringing your own alcohol was huge. Our guests kept commenting on the uniqueness of the space, how great it was to have a pianist playing during our cocktail hour on the first floor, and how joyful and bright the ballroom looked. It was honestly beyond anything I imagined. A few extra things of note - our guests stayed at the Graduate Evanston which is barely a block away (no shuttles needed!); there is a huge parking garage across the street so nobody was looking for parking; and have I mentioned how beautiful the space is? I wish I had a reason to throw a huge event again - I would go back to the Women's Club every time. Huge thank you to Gretchen and her team!