I LOVE this place!!! It is truly one of my favorite places on earth... and I am rather picky about what i like so that is saying a lot!!! I have attended there family camp just about every summer since i was 4 years old while i grew up... and although I have not been able to go for a while now that I am out of the house and on my own, Emandal is never far from my mind! The family owned and run farm is named after the founders Emma and Al (Em-and-al) and once you go you will be hooked! They all truly make you feel welcome and part of the family... they also attract people from all over the world making for a rather diverse mix of staff and customers. There are several different weeks to chose from for family camp, I would suggest trying a few different weeks to find the group you best fit in with (each week has a core group of repeat attendees). They have the best, freshest food you will ever have, in fact I believe that one has never truly had good food unless they have eaten here! Most meals are had at the dining hall except for 4, breakfast up at the cabins (pancakes with fresh farm made berry syrups, eggs and breakfast meats), BBQ dinner at coopers cove( if possible swim to the cove and have someone meet you there with fresh clothes and towels and walk back... soo much fun) pizza on the lawn (fresh pizza of all kinds cooked in there outdoor wood burning brick oven) and last but not least the packed lunch day (so you can have a day where you don't have to get out of the river till dinner) though out the week you can always find fresh breads, pies, cookies and hand churned (the old fashion way) ice creams. also the fresh farm made jams and syrups you get to eat all week can be bought to take home as gifts (that's what my family always did... our friends would get mad if we didn't bring them some). the food is soooooo good its what inspired me to become a pastry chef... but enough about the food you get it, its amazing! The farm is a working farm... they still have crops and animals to tend to, as a guest you can decide wether you would like to experience the farm life, spend all day at the river or lounge around reading, playing games, or doing art projects (I would suggest dabbling in all, the are so many wonderful experiences to be had), just try not to miss the meals. if you wake up early you can help milk the cows, (a must do, at least once in your life), between breakfast and lunch there is usually cookie making for the kids (and who ever else wants to help) the cookies are for after lunch desert, shortly after lunch is the egg gathering and slop for the pigs... all really fun, especially for the little ones and for those of us who aren't afraid to get dirty and a while before dinner if you so chose you can help churn the fresh ice cream! also there are times when you can go and assist the gardeners in harvesting if the want the help... (i have learned a lot from doing this over the years) and other than spending the day at the river my favorite thing to do is go to the kitchen ask them to bake pies for everyone for desert with the pitchers of freshly picked berrys that me and the other kids spent all day picking! and if all that is not enough for you the large property has a lake, is on th Eel river and has tons of hiking trails and sights to explore... if relaxing is your thing each cabin has its own hammock and those old round chairs that are all over are really really comfy... plus the serene scenery cant be beat! Its true that there is no cell service or TVs but in my mind isn't that the purpose of getting away from it all... and if you really need the phone there is one in the office (its a good idea to bring a calling card if you would like to use it)the lack of all thet hassle of the outside world realy brings familys together... i think a large part of who i am is thanks to all my time spent at Emandal and the relationships i have formed with Tami and her family, the staff and my fellow repeat costumers... (RIP Clive, we all love you!) I strongly recommend that you go, your bound to have a good time! im sorry for rambling, i just LOVE this place soooo much, just be happy i don't have the time to tell you all that i know and all my childhood story's (my friends get there ears yapped off a lot about this place)... places like this are sadly a dieing breed and i hope and pray that Emandal will still be around so one day when i have kids they can grow up with the same experiences... and hopefully i will be able to make it up to camp next summer! i hope some of this was helpful to you ;D read more