I recently was touring colleges with my daughter when it dawned on me how similar college touring was to visiting camps.  Seeing the inside of the buildings, touring the grounds and meeting with current students gave me a sense of calm when visualizing where my daughter may be living when she leaves home. I also had so much excitement at knowing that she will be experiencing unique opportunities and activities.

Camp visits give parents unique opportunities to see the facilities, meet the camp Directors and staff, while seeing current campers engaged in their activities. Each child, when thinking about attending a sleepaway camp, will have unique ideas about what is important to them. Perhaps it is necessary to have a riding stable, or a ropes course, or multiple athletic fields. Is it preferable to be on a lake, or to have a swimming pool at the camp?  What is the condition of the tennis courts? Are they clay or har-tru? Also important are the conditions of the bunks. How big are they? Are there bathrooms in the bunks? Is there a shower house? Each parent, and child, has a different order of importance regarding facilities of course, visiting a camp is not always possible, depending on schedules and timing. Many camp websites now have “virtual tours”, which are helpful or photos/maps of the camp layout.

With summer 2013 approaching quickly, now is the time to schedule tours if your child is thinking about camp for 2014.