Plan Your 2018 Maine Camp Tours for Summer 2019!

There’s no place to spend a summer like camp in Maine! But with so many top-notch camps in camps in “Vacationland” to choose from, it can be hard to decide just which Maine Camp Experience (MCE) camp is right for your child or children. If you’re considering sending your child to camp for Summer 2019, now is a great time to plan ahead so you can confidently choose the right camp for them – and remember, even if you’re not sure your child is ready, a lot of growth and maturity happens in one year, so it can be extremely helpful to plan with this in mind. The best way to get a real sense of a summer camp’s culture is to see a day in action, so be sure to plan your Summer 2018 tours so you can make the right decision when it comes to choosing an MCE camp for Summer 2019! When deciding to book camp tours, it’s important to whittle down the list before arriving in Maine. Seeing camps is incredibly exciting, but it can also be exhausting! If you have too many camps on the agenda, it can be easy to become worn down, and to lose track of the particulars of different camps – at a certain point, they start to blend together! If you have a sense of what type of programming you’re looking for, whether you want a co-ed or single sex camp, how long a session you’d like, and what activities are most important to your child, you can efficiently enjoy your tours without scrambling from place to place. Plus, by doing your research ahead of time, you’ll be able to spend less time on logistics, and can dedicate your tours to really taking in the culture and feel of the camp.  Usually seeing between 2-4 camps will give you a good feel for which camp is best, and seeing no more than two per day works best. Different camps will have different methods of conducting tours – some will have campers leading tours, while other tours will be led by directors. Some might have separate tours for kids and parents, while some keep families together. In any case, it’s always a good bet to come wearing a comfortable pair of shoes, and with a water bottle, hat, and raincoat. The fun at camp doesn’t stop for the weather, and neither should your tour – by coming prepared, you can avoid any discomfort and stay focused on the important things, like camp songs and fun activities! Some camps also offer weekend-long tour events that include an overnight stay for prospective campers. These provide great opportunities for your camper to be exposed to camp life – and to make some new friends. Who knows, two prospective campers might even end up in the same cabin in future summers! Of course, while tours are great for both children and parents to get a sense of camp life, a trip to Maine is also always an incredible time to experience a little vacationing! If you’re planning to send your child or children to an MCE camp, chances are you’ll be making the trip to Maine at least once a year for drop-off, pick-up, or Visiting Days. Enjoy a meal in downtown Portland or cozy Camden, plan a hike in Acadia National Park, or take in the quaint scenes of Boothbay or Bar Harbor. After all, Maine is Vacationland, so you might as well vacation!  A few great resources for travel planning include Visit Portland, Maine Office of Tourism, and Maine’s MidCoast.  Maine Camp Experience is an association of incredible overnight camps – and thousands of children make a summer home in these wonderful communities each summer. So be sure you pick the right one – book your 2018 camp tours now, and get a taste of what future summers have to offer. We’ll see you in Maine! — Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools

You can share your own Maine camps memories & expressions of gratitude on our Memories of Camp section of our  website.

Looking for the perfect Maine camp for your child?  Try out our helpful tool where you can select a camp by choosing: type of camp (girls, boys or coed) and session length (1-8 weeks).  It helps to narrow down a few camps to a manageable list that includes rates.  Then you can research these camps in more depth.

Next, be sure to  to discuss these camps as well as for free, year-round advice and assistance on choosing a great Maine summer camp for your child.