My children went to YMCA Storer camp as kids and now their kids my grandkids are going every year…read more They love the counselors and the variety of activities! Even horseback riding !

This review is focused on the one-week "Ottawa" and "Pioneer" level camp options at Camp Storer…read more Our daughter has attended a one-week camp at Storer last year, and again this year. And, she attended the mid-winter reunion weekend this past December. My husband and I are very impressed with Camp Storer. My husband served as a counselor and then a division leader at a summer camp for eight years; he knows summer camps "behind the scenes" and is thoroughly satisfied with the quality of Camp Storer. The facilities are modern, clean, comfortable, and air-conditioned. The staff is well-trained, and there is the right ratio of staff-to-campers. In a cabin for 7-12 young girls, there are two fully-trained/experienced college-age counselors, and one "counselor-in-training" ("CITs" are high-school-aged teens who have been to Camp Storer numerous times as a camper, and are ready for the next level). Both summers, our daughter's counselors were college students. Numerous counselors are from countries around the world, which makes it a wonderful experience for the children. One Sunday in March, I called Camp Storer to leave a message for the staff regarding a question I had. To my surprise, the camp director answered the phone, then gladly spent about 20 minutes on the phone with me thoroughly addressing my question and providing me the information I needed ot make an informed decision regarding which session option to sign our daughter up for. Camp Storer is adjacent to Stony Lake; there are two levels of swimming test the children must pass. If they demonstrate adequate swim skills, they can play in the shallow area; if they demonstrate stronger swimming skills, they can play in the deep area. Counselors are always with them, and a life-guard is on-duty. Regarding safety, the staff also takes medication very seriously. There is a Health Officer on-site at all times; and a strong process in-place to ensure that children receive the medication (or have the right food to address allergy concerns). The camp also has horses. Children have the option to sign up for horse lessons (both western and english lessons are available). The children also have the option of a daily trail ride. Anything to do with horses is an additional fee. Our daughter has taken horse-riding lessons both years, and thoroughly enjoyed it. She is also taught to care for the horses, and treat them with kindness & respect. As Camp Storer is part of the YMCA, there is a daily chapel service. Our family is blended; we are both Jewish and Christian. Upon careful questioning, we were comfortable with our daughter going to Camp Storer as the brief chapel service is focused on God, not any one interpretation of God. Our daughter reports that the food is very tasty; certainly, from what my husband & I saw of the dining hall, the facilities are top-quality and very clean. And, she also reports that the cabins are kept clean during the week; the children have daily cleaning duties they must perform that help the cabin stay in tip-top condition. There are modern toilets, showers, and sinks in each cabin.

The Michindoh Conference Center is a great place to go. The…read morestaff is interested, engaged and professional. We recently went there with 100 fifth graders and the experience was wonderful. As Camp Leader Mr. Bear told us, the chaperones are what makes the experience so valuable. He sets the table and we throw the party. Michindoh offers a wide range of programs for the whole family. Programs include summer and winter youth and teen camps, youth leadership retreats, marriage enrichment retreats, and family retreats. If your desire is to run your own program, we have everything you need to develop an exciting and life-changing youth program, sports camp, adult retreat, or formal conference. With a capacity of over 750, Michindoh can serve a variety of group sizes, structures, and needs. There are 250 beautiful acres of rolling hills, wetlands, and a private spring-fed lake. Michindoh offers numerous recreational activities to entertain, develop, and challenge guests of all ages. Full buffet-style dining services are an exceptional aspect of the Michindoh experience. It is a pleasant, exhilarating place to go. Safe, well run, clean, orderly, fun, interesting, interactive.

I had an amazing time! Counselors and riding instructors were the nicest people! I WILL DEFINITELY…read morebe going back! I made lots of friends and great memories! If you're looking for a good camp I highly recommend Northfork!

Love Northfork so much best place to ride and bored your horse part of the family is the best thing…read moreto be in my life

My son was the first one to be at the summer camp and it is really fun you should take your kids…read morethere

Best camp ever. I attended for 12 years straight. Wonderful time to get to know other campers…read more Counselors are the best. Bill C.

My daughter had a great time at camp for high schoolers! They had a lot of fun but were also…read morepurposeful about teaching God's Word.

Me and my kids enjoyed seeing all the animals and all the staff was very knowledgeable about the…read moreanimals and they were very helpful with any questions or concerns we might have .

The Creature Conservancy is pretty awesome! I pass by it all the time but finally had a chance to…read morevisit during open hours on a Sunday. It was pretty delightful & the staff were super friendly and interacting with the animals. The CC was started 20 years ago with Al the Alligator! He was dropped off at the Vet clinic and they started CC all around him. Pretty awesome. It's not a massive space so it was perfect to get there at 3:30pm - in time for the 4pm show which is followed by an Al the Alligator feeding! We checked out all the habitats on the outside as well. Super cool experience - I'd love to come back for one of their turtle yoga, 18+ paint nights, etc. They always have pretty cool themed programming. Also follow their social media - they post the best content!

Giving you five stars so you can see this they have a lot of spiders people where banging on…read moreWindows in the middle of the night my daughter almost fell off the zipline very dangerous here a lot of spiders there was a wolf spider it was not a good review for all the money I spent do not recommend and there were bed bugs

Well maintained nature center with a variety of animals to see and learn about. Delightful self…read moreguided walking path. We spent about an hour and a half exploring.

I cannot say enough good things about Canterbury Creek Farm School. Our family is still new-ish to…read moreGrand Rapids -- we moved here two years ago from Chicago -- and Farm School quickly became like a second family to our 3.5yo son. Born a COVID baby, he has always loved to play independently, but struggled in group situations. The staff and owners are incredibly compassionate and caring -- encouraging our son to play with others, but at his own pace. He has completely come out of his shell over this school year. It has been a joy to see the daily updates on the Brightwheel app (which teachers update during the school day), so that even when I am at work, I can relish in the absolute joy of a time our son is having at school. Time spent outdoors and with the animals is not only great for our high energy boy to blow off steam, but teaches so many life skills (outside of a classroom) that are so necessary to early childhood development. Their approach to early childhood education is incredible -- keeps all the content fun for kids, but with incredible impact. To compare his self-portrait and handwritten name from the beginning to the end of the year is insane! His end of year book brought me to tears -- and made me feel even more blessed to be a part of the Canterbury Creek family. In fact, this morning on our way to drop off, he told me he was so sad that school was over and that he would miss it over the summer. Good thing we will be back for Summer Camp and next school year. I cannot wait to sign up my 2.5yo daughter next!

We love Canterbury Creek. Its so cool that the kids get a full education here not just for…read morethemselves but for the animals too, it' so important at an early age to make sure kids have respect for all lives and they do with their interaction, feeding and caring for the animals here. Totally unique school, wonderful education, loving and caring instructors and overall a great, first class school all the way around. Our 4 year old daugher was at preschool there and will go again for young fives next year. We will do two summer camps with her and 6 year old sister.

this one stinks and their teaching is horrible my child and me got our money taken by herread more

What a wonderful place! My daughter talks about it all year long! She attends summer camp and…read morecouldn't have more fun. She learns a lot too! The farm and barn are so big. You can tell they truly care about their horses and the people who come to ride. They make you feel like you're at home, it's like a big family. Everyone is so nice and they all know my daughter. I know we will continue to bring her to horse camp for years to come and soon enough look forward to riding lessons! Thank you MVF!

This campground is fantastic for the family camper or older couples going with friends. The…read morecampground offers many free amenities that you would normally pay for or have to bring yourself at most other campgrounds. This includes rental of volley balls, basketballs, soccer balls, ladder toss, and horseshoes. You do have to sign them out and include your lot number and they must be returned before the store closes but that is a small trade for a service that's not offered almost anywhere else. There is a small pond near the front store where you can use paddle boats at no cost and is stocked regularly with smaller fish, perfect for casual fishing. If you're a little more serious you can fish at the lake at the back of he campground and rent (for free) paddles to go out on the lake with the rowboats provided for you by the campground. There's a nice pool that's relative to the size of the campground thats kept cleanThere's a children's playscape that includes a set of swings, three slides, monkey bars, a merry go round. For the older kids there's tether ball and a beach volleyball court, all within a stones throw of many of the campsites. There's a game room that features many classic arcade games, ping pong, a billiards table, chess and checkers, various assorted board games, and a classic styles jukebox that manages to capture modern and classic music all in one. The activities director and the owners are all incredibly hands on at the camp and there's usually something always going on. Just over memorial weekend there was a game of BINGO on Saturday and Sunday, a free scavenger hunt around the campground, and an ice cream social for a dollar. My only qualms with the campground are the bathrooms but there is only so much a few people can do when it is the patrons who are ruining the bathrooms for themselves and everyone else. Overall, the campground is excellent and yes, there are rules, but these are rules that are not exceedingly hard to follow, nor easy to break. This is a quality campground and it's a great place that even if the features provided for you aren't enough, there's so much to do outside of the campground. Antiquities, flea markets, farmers markets, wineries, and a plethora of lakes and hiking trails available for those who look. Irish Hills Kampground is an amazing mix of old and new, rustic and modern, and the experience is most definitely what you make of it.

We came to visit our friends that were camping here, as we live locally. I had never heard of this…read morecampground before, but I'm glad I know about it now. The owners are super nice! There's plenty to do, there are nice shaded sites. It's really family friendly, so I'm definitely bringing my grandkids back here to camp!! If you like quiet, non-partying camping, just a relaxing atmosphere, this is the place!!!