America’s Best Summer Camps 2024

Summer camp activities often become idyllic memories: canoeing, campfires and long hikes with scenic views. These experiences are formative for the children who can experience them.

The American Camp Association is a national organization serving the more than 15,000 year-round and summer camps in the U.S., which collectively welcome 26 million campers. Last year, the group released a study showing that 58 percent of youth said their time at summer camp "helped them appreciate the importance of being present in the moment." In today's fast-paced world, an opportunity to experience life away from omnipresent screens and endlessly updating timelines makes the experience of summer camp even more valuable.

With so many camps nationwide, though, parents have a challenging task in picking the right one for their children. Choosing a summer camp requires aligning its offerings with the personality and interests of the camper, as well as the safety and financial concerns of the parent. To help, Newsweek has partnered with data researcher Plant-A Insights Group to present the second annual ranking of America's Best Summer Camps.

The list presents the 500 best U.S. summer camps, split into 200 day camps and 300 overnight camps. The locations are ranked based on a survey of 30,000 parents conducted in 2023 and 2024 and nearly 700,000 social media reviews on Google and Facebook. Camps were rated on criteria like selection of offered activities, accessibility, staff-to-children ratio and camp safety.

This year's edition of America's Best Summer Camps offers the most far-reaching guidance on finding the right setting for your child's summer adventure.

Nancy Cooper Signature 5

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These rankings are intended to support parents as they research summer camp options for their children. They are informational, not prescriptive: Parents and guardians, who know their children so well, are the decision-makers.

America’s Best Summer Camps 2024 – Day Camps

Star Rating

Name

City

State

Affiliations

Gender

ACA Accreditation

★★★★★Adventure Center of Asheville Day CampAshevilleNorth CarolinaIndependent, For ProfitCoedAccredited Member★★★★Adventure ExperiencesAlmontColorado★★★★½Aloha Beach Camp MalibuCaliforniaIndependent, For ProfitCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Arcadia Nature CampEasthamptonMassachusettsAudubon SocietyCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Auburn YMCA Summer Day CampAuburnWashingtonYMCACoedAccredited Member★★★★★Bar 717 Ranch/Camp TrinityHayforkCaliforniaCoedAccredited Member★★★★★Bar T MountainsideUrbanaMarylandIndependent, For ProfitCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Bar-T Ranch Summer CampGaithersburgMarylandIndependent, For ProfitCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Bay View YMCA Summer CampWebsterNew YorkYMCACoedAccredited Member★★★★½Bear Glasgow YMCA Camp CasseyNewarkDelawareYMCAAccredited Member★★★★½Beth Sholom Day CampRoslyn HeightsNew YorkJewish, ConservativeCoedAccredited Member★★★★★Black Bear Lake Day CampMillstone TownshipNew JerseyIndependent, For ProfitCoedAccredited Member★★★★★Blue Hills Nature CampMiltonMassachusettsAudubon SocietyCoedAccredited Member★★★★★Blue Mountain Day Camp YMCANewtonNew JerseyYMCAAccredited Member★★★★Blue Star CampsHendersonvilleNorth CarolinaJewish, OtherCoedAccredited Member★★★★Breezemont Day CampArmonkNew YorkCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Brewster Day CampBrewsterMassachusettsIndependent, For ProfitCoedAccredited Member★★★★Broad Meadow Brook Nature CampWorcesterMassachusettsAudubon SocietyCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Broadmoor Nature CampNatickMassachusettsAudubon SocietyCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Cactus Day CampParadise ValleyArizonaIndependent, For ProfitCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Cali CampTopangaCaliforniaIndependent, For ProfitCoedAccredited Member★★★★Camarillo Family YMCA Day CampCamarilloCaliforniaYMCAAccredited Member★★★★½Camp Agnes S. McMillenHuntertownIndianaGirl Scouts of the USAOnly GirlsAccredited Member★★★★½Camp AmahamiDepositNew YorkGirl Scouts of the USAOnly Girls★★★★★Camp America Day CampChalfontPennsylvaniaIndependent, For ProfitCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Camp at the J CincinnatiOhioJewish Community CenterCoedAccredited Member★★★★Camp BrosiusElkhart LakeWisconsinCollege or UniversityCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Camp ButterworthMainevilleOhioOnly GirlsAccredited Member★★★★★Camp Centerland (JCCA)GetzvilleNew YorkJewish Community CenterCoedAccredited Member★★★★Camp Chase YMCABurlingtonConnecticutYMCACoed★★★★½Camp Chestnut RidgeEflandNorth CarolinaUnited MethodistCoedAccredited Member★★★★★Camp ChickamiWaylandMassachusettsYMCACoedAccredited Member★★★★camp claireLymeConnecticutIndependent, Not for ProfitCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Camp Dart-LoSpokaneWashingtonCamp FireCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Camp EdeyBayportNew YorkGirl Scouts of the USAOnly GirlsAccredited Member★★★★½Camp Endres Day CampGuthrieOklahomaDiabetes Education & Camping AssociationCoedAccredited Member★★★★Camp Ginger CascadesLenoirNorth CarolinaGirl Scouts of the USAOnly GirlsAccredited Member★★★★½Camp Hawthorne RidgeGirardPennsylvaniaOnly GirlsAccredited Member★★★★½Camp HollywoodlandHollywoodCaliforniaParks and RecreationOnly GirlsAccredited Member★★★★Camp IndependenceWebster GrovesMissouriHospital/Health/MedicalCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Camp JamesNewport BeachCaliforniaIndependent, For ProfitCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Camp Jaycee (JCCA)La JollaCaliforniaJewish Community CenterCoedAccredited Member★★★★Camp Kiwanis - Girl Scouts of Central IllinoisSpringfieldIllinoisGirl Scouts of the USAOnly GirlsAccredited Member★★★★Camp Lake LutherAngolaIndianaLutheran, ELCACoedAccredited Member★★★★Camp Little GiantMakandaIllinoisCollege or UniversityCoedAccredited Member★★★★★Camp LovewellNashuaNew HampshireAccredited Member★★★★Camp Manito-wish YMCABoulder JunctionWisconsinYMCACoed, Only Boys, Only GirlsAccredited Member★★★★½Camp NACNewtownPennsylvaniaIndependent, For ProfitCoedAccredited Member★★★★½Camp Oak Spring SomersetNew JerseyGirl Scouts of the USAOnly GirlsAccredited Member★★★★½Camp PlaylandNew CanaanConnecticutIndependent, For ProfitCoedAccredited Member

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LICENSING:

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METHODOLOGY

Summer camps are a quintessential American experience, providing children with a unique opportunity to explore new interests, forge lifelong friendships, and cultivate independence within a supportive and enjoyable setting. Newsweek and Plant-A Insights embarked on an exhaustive research program to unveil America's Best Summer Camps 2024, which offer a diverse range of activities as well as seasoned staff, and foster safe, inclusive atmospheres. Our meticulous evaluation identified camps with good staff-to-camper ratios and well-trained staff members who are passionate about nurturing children's growth and development.

The methodology for America's Best Summer Camps 2024 is combines a comprehensive, independent online survey with more than 15,000 parents who have either sent their child to a summer camp or are planning to do so in the future. The interviewed parents were asked to rate up to 10 camps that they are familiar with. The study is designed to be demographically representative, aligning with U.S. Census Data. In total, over 3,500 camps were evaluated and more than 134,000 camp reviews were collected between March and April 2024.

Additionally, more than 51,000 camp reviews collected from more than 15,000 parents from America's Best Summer Camps 2023 were integrated into the overall findings with a reduced weight.

The camp evaluation criteria are designed based on a peer-to-peer survey Plant-A conducted in 2023 with about 120 camp managers to validate the questionnaire for the parent survey regarding the relevance of the queried topics from a professional perspective. Plant-A extensively researched all camp reviews on the social media platforms Google and Facebook. In total, we collected more than 699,000 social media reviews from both platforms which were consolidated into a Social Media Score for each camp.

Plant-A researched and validated every single camp regarding the variety of programs, gender specification, address of the camps as well as if the camp is accredited by the American Camp Association (https://www.acacamps.org/).

Click here to request the detailed methodology document.

Plant-A Insights Group has a strict no-pay-to-play policy. All awards are based on independent research and unbiased data analysis. No applications.

Disclaimer:

This Ranking is based on primary and secondary market research and analysis of publicly available data or provided to Plant-A Insights Group LLC. Placement in the ranking is a positive recognition based on research of publicly available data sources at the time, the information provided in the validation survey and an extensive survey of parents in the U.S. The ranking is the result of a detailed research process which, due to the interval of data collection and analysis, is a reflection of data from the last 24 months. Furthermore, events following March 30, 2024, were not a subject of this ranking. Newsweek and Plant-A make no claim to the completeness of the companies examined. The information provided in this ranking should be considered in conjunction with other available information about Summer Camps or, if possible, accompanied by a visit to a facility. considered in conjunction with other available information. Plant-A nor any of its subsidiaries or their respective officers, directors, shareholders, employees or agents accept any responsibility or liability with respect to the use of or reliance on any information or analysis contained in this document. The quality of the camps that are not included in the ranking is not disputed. This work is copyright by Plant-A and may not be published, transmitted, broadcast, copied, reproduced or reprinted in whole or in part without the explicit written permission of Plant-A Insights Group LLC. Copyright © 2024 Plant-A Insights Group LLC. All rights reserved.