Camp Hanover
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Camp Hanover distinguishes itself as a faith-based summer camp deeply committed to fostering an inclusive, welcoming, and respectful environment. Its unique value proposition lies in its strong emphasis on Christian values, character development, and creating a community where children feel loved and supported, often making lasting memories centered on positive relationships rather than just activities. While the execution of scheduled activities can be inconsistent for some, the core mission of fostering spiritual and personal growth consistently shines through, earning strong endorsement from long-term attendees and an expert camp director.
Key Highlights
- ✓Profoundly welcoming and inclusive environment where staff actively respects, encourages, and treats every participant with dignity.
- ✓Strong integration of Christian values, emphasizing 'Love one another' and personal spiritual growth (loving God, others, and self).
- ✓Children form strong, positive relationships and cherish memories focused on people and community.
- ✓Validated by long-term patrons and an expert camp director who consistently praises the camp's ability to 'knock it out of the park'.
- ✓Demonstrates a commitment to accessibility by hosting events for organizations like the Autism Society.
Standout Features
- ⭐Staff's dedicated approach to making everyone feel welcomed, respected, and encouraged.
- ⭐Strong emphasis on character development and spiritual learning (loving God, others, self).
- ⭐A consistent and deep focus on building a loving and inclusive community.
- ⭐Responsive Day Camp director willing to listen and attempt to make changes when issues are raised.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →If specific activities (e.g., mudslide, archery) are a priority for your child, proactively confirm their inclusion in the schedule and be prepared to communicate with the director if expectations are not met.
- →For the 'Hallowed Harvest' event, manage expectations regarding walk duration (it may be shorter than advertised) and decorations (primarily plastic).
- →Prioritize Camp Hanover if you seek a camp focused on values, community, and personal growth over a packed schedule of unique physical activities.
- →Parents should be aware that children might focus more on the relational aspect of camp rather than taking home physical crafts or mementos.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Inconsistent and potentially unstructured activity scheduling, leading to too much downtime or walking between activities for some campers.
- ⚠Specific advertised activities (e.g., mudslide) may not be offered or accessible as expected, or only become available after parental intervention (e.g., archery).
- ⚠Counselors sometimes make activity decisions based on what's easiest, rather than a planned schedule.
- ⚠One instance of a finished craft product not coming home.
- ⚠The 'Hallowed Harvest' event was criticized for being short (15 min vs. advertised 30-45 min), using plastic decorations instead of carved pumpkins, and being poor value for its $30 cost.
Price & Value
For the summer camp, one parent stated it was 'definitely not worth the money we paid' due to lack of structured activities and unmet expectations, suggesting the value is highly dependent on individual expectations for activity levels vs. spiritual/communal experience. For the 'Hallowed Harvest' event, a specific price of $30 for a 15-minute walk was cited as 'not worth the money at all'.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •Strong commitment to inclusivity, explicitly welcoming and including 'EVERYONE'.
- •Hosts events for the Autism Society, indicating an understanding and capacity for accommodating individuals with special needs, particularly those on the autism spectrum.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •Not mentioned in reviews.
🚗Parking Info
- •Not mentioned in reviews.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Not mentioned in reviews.
🛡️Safety Features
- •General sense of safety and welcome emphasized by staff, making people feel 'safe and welcomed'. No specific physical safety measures (e.g., gates, security, first aid stations) were detailed in reviews.
⏰When to Avoid
- • If your primary expectation is a highly structured, non-stop schedule of unique or physically challenging activities without any downtime.
- • If you expect every single advertised activity to be delivered without deviation or requiring parental follow-up.
- • The 'Hallowed Harvest' event if your children are over 4 years old or if you expect authentic, carved pumpkin displays and a longer experience (it's $30 for a 15-minute walk with plastic decorations).
Pricing/Package/Events
Events & Schedule
Special Events(Last 2 months - Next 6 months)
#GreatCampGive
October 1
Donation-based (fundraising event)
Annual fundraising event for Camp Hanover.
Hanover Christmas
December 12 & 13
Not specified
Special event at Camp Hanover.
Fun Day
April or May
Not specified
Special event at Camp Hanover (mentioned as a volunteer opportunity).
🍎Food Policy
- • Savory/hearty meals provided for group retreats.
- • After-school program includes snack.
- • Kitchen staff (Cindy Banks) known for homemade, from-scratch meals ('Cindy’s rolls').
🛡️Safety Policy
- • Accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA) for over 60 years, meeting or exceeding industry standards for safe operation and program quality.
- • Staff undergo rigorous screening: face-to-face interviews, background checks, personal reference verification.
- • Staff complete a minimum of 12 days of orientation and training.
- • All staff are trained in CPR and First Aid.
- • Volunteer drivers are required to provide a copy of their driving record (from DMV).
- • Some volunteer positions may require background screening.
- • Volunteers under the age of 18 require adult supervision.
📅Booking Policy
- • Summer Camp 2025 registration opened Wednesday, January 15, at 1:15 p.m. Eastern.
- • Early registration for 2024 returning campers was available (contact camp for details).
🚗Parking Information
- • On-site parking available, with event volunteers assisting in directing cars.
What People Say
What's Great
- Fun and entertaining activities (mentioned in 3 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Mike Burcher
a year agoCamp Hanover does an amazing job of living out Jesus' commandment: "Love one another as I have loved you." This camp and its staff truly welcome and include EVERYONE who participates in their programs and use their facilities. The motto "Things are different here" pervades the camp, because EVERYONE is respected, encouraged and treated with dignity, quite a contrast from what some call "the real world." How much better our world would be if everyone treated others with dignity and respect. I am so thankful that my children have Camp Hanover memories, and that I have been privileged to serve as a volunteer.
Pamela Rogers
3 years agoI really wanted this to be a great experience for my kids but it just wasn’t. They spent too much time walking and transitioning between activities or just hanging out and doing things we could have done at home with them. Despite what the website says, they only did a few fun actual camp experiences. My boys never got to do the mudslide and only got to do archery on the last day because we called and talked to the director. They played one field game and did one craft the whole week (the finished craft product never even came home with my daughter). The Day Camp director listened well to us and did try to make changes, like get archery added to their schedule. But the counselors seemed to make decisions about activities based on what was easiest and didn’t have much structured or planned activities. And in the end it was definitely not worth the money we paid. Will stick to vacation Bible schools and Hanover parks and rec camps in the future.
Clayton Rascoe
2 years agoWe have been sending our girls to Camp Hanover for years. The welcome the receive as beloved children of God is absolutely incredible. Of course they love the activities and all the things they do at camp, but what they remember, what they talked about are the people. I am a camp director at another camp in Virginia, so if you guess that I would be pretty picky about where my kids go to camp, you would be right. And Camp Hanover knocks it out of the park. Every. Single. Time. The lessons they learn about loving God, others, and themselves are something I am forever grateful for.
Rachael Garza
3 years agoWent for the hallowed harvest. It definitely was not worth the drive there or the money at all. Maybe for children 4 and under it would he fun but anything over that wouldn't be worth it. Spent $30 for a 15 min walk. On their website it says it's a 30 to 45 minute walk through. I thought we would at least see some cool carved pumpkins but they were all made of plastic.
Chloe Spenser
11 months agoThey are hosting an autisim society event and that is kind. Also want to give 5 stars for all the bigots in these comments. Keep doing what you are doing by making people feel safe and welcomed.