Comments from Adult participants

"NOT TO BE MISSED: Family Nature Camp and its leaders and organizers are unbelievable! My family is at COA each summer for Bar Harbor Brass Week and in 2008, my father-in-law and boys participated in many of the Nature Camp's excursions. They had a wonderful time (while my wife and I were working at our brass camp) and learned so many things! If you have ever been thinking of attending, don't wait—do it now! A great deal, too, and great food, people, location, etc. etc. etc.. Remember the Maine slogan..."the way life should be."  –M. Vaughn  

"The whole week exceeded expectations. It is a comfortable and beautiful setting, and the program was excellent."  –M. Fisher

"Had a great time at Family Nature camp with our two children. Super for families. So many fun things to do, great food, and we learned so much! One of our best vacations ever. We really enjoyed Diver Ed, learning about tidal pools, the bug seminar, and kayaking on the bay. And not having to prepare meals or make decisions about what restaurants to eat at each day of vacation was a wonderful blessing. I wish we lived closer!" –M. Hnath 

"It [Family Nature Camp] was great for family time and for learning. We are homeschoolers and this week was a year's worth of science! Our children are motivated to learn more about what they studied and that makes my job delightful!" –L. Pinkham 

"The food was reason enough to stay at COA. Great job!! The service all around was wonderful, the rooms ere comfortable, clean and quiet (at night). Thanks so much for a wonderful vacation, I'll be back!" –P. Mayer

"As a returning family, it's nice to have additional choices in the new activities offered after many years of coming to COA. We always find the program to be fresh and exciting. The staff is a big part of the success of the Family Camp weeks. Their love of the area and desire to share their experiences is truly felt and appreciated." –The Gumperts, Douglassville, PA

"We did not know what to expect. Every outing was very exciting and we were infused with knowledge and nature. We truly came for the experiences and not the free time but we were active and relaxed at the same time." –P. Wagner

"We hope to bring our grandchildren here in the not too distant future and will certainly let others know of this program. There are so many good things about the program in addition to the educational environment that makes this a good place for families." –L. and K. Feiler, St. Charles, IL

"I wish there were more of these programs [Family Nature Camps] around the world. I think COA should be a model for other colleges! This was a great way for me to bring my three kids on vacation alone and get professional development points." –K. Scibelli, Shrewsbury, MA

"This program would be a blessing to all homeschool families.....spend time with your kids and learn together, plus have fun!" –K. Steele

"After our fourth consecutive summer here, our expectations and experiences have not diminished. They only grow. We have formed friendships and this year planned our trip with 2 other families we met last summer during Family Week." –N. Katzenbach, Sparta, NJ

"Our girls enjoyed the tidal pool the best, we enjoyed the fact that the activities were well-organized but still low-key and flexible (and I enjoyed not cooking all week!)." –L. Reilly, Framingham, MA

Comments from kids and teens

"Family Nature Camp is fun! Excellent! You'll never want to leave." Shiloh, age 6

"It was lots of fund. I will tell [my friends] about climbing rocks at sunset on Cadillac Mountain." Sadie, age 6

"Diver Ed was hilarious, the bird walk was ear-opening, the tide pool walk was amazing!!! The beavers and whales (and all the other animals) were great, too! Since this was my first time here, I was just amazed with the whole camp environment. Thank you so much." David, age 16

"I came into this camp thinking it would be lame. I thought it would be a family camp with kiddy things to do, but it turned out to be the exact opposite. I enjoyed everything. All the staff was nice, the naturalists were great, the location was really beneficial. I live in a city so it's not often that I get to get that fresh, outdoorsy experience. It was relaxing to get away from city life but yet the activities were rigorous. I learned a lot coming here. Not just informative facts, I learned to look at my surroundings in new ways. Thank you." K. Eckenroth, age 17

"...Last summer I went to the Family Nature camp with my grandfather, Chuck Francis, and nine of my cousins and siblings. It was a blast.  Bar Harbor has to be one of the prettiest places on Earth. Everywhere I looked I fell in love with the scenery. The clear blue water, the old lighthouses, the lopsided mountains that came to be that shape because of glaciers...I was able to learn so much. We got to learn how to split granite, we learned about seals, fish, birds and many other animals. We went to the Whale museum and got to hang out with Diver Ed.  However, this camp was in no way summer school. We had the majority of our day to do whatever we wanted. We were able to go down town or just chill in our rooms. It was a really great time and I wish more people could go.  It's an experience like none other."  Ash, age 16

"In 2009 I had a wonderful opportunity to attend family nature camp with my 9 cousins and siblings and grandfather, Chuck Francis.  First of all let me say that I had an AMAZING time!! Some of the things that I liked most ... our freedom. I liked that during the day we could just hang out with our new friends or go outside and play. That was so much fun having the big field right outside our dorm. One time when it was raining we all rolled down a hill and got all muddy.
"The second thing I enjoyed the most was Diver Ed. He was just so funny!! I think it was just so cool that he brought up all those animals from the ocean floor. I kissed a crab and my cousin got thrown up on by a lobster. I didn't even know that they could throw up!  Thanks a bunch for a great summer!" Lillian, age 10

Read more about grandfather Chuck Francis and the 10 grandchildren he brought to Family Nature Camp...