Camp Stewart For Boys

★Mandy Fults

I would have given Camp Stewart five stars prior to this past summer, but unfortunately our experience in June changed everything. Shortly after arriving at camp, my son wrote home saying he was unhappy and being bullied by his cabin mates. This was completely out of character for him, as he had always enjoyed camp in previous years. I immediately emailed Meredith to ask if she could check on him, especially since the photos being posted showed him looking sad and withdrawn. I never received a response. Over the course of his stay, his letters did not improve, and the photos continued to show him isolated and unhappy. When we picked him up, he told us he had been relentlessly bullied—both verbally and physically—and that he had reported it multiple times to his cabin counselor and to Meredith, with no resolution. I followed up with another email detailing what he experienced and letting them know he would not be returning. Again, I received no response. This email was sent just a few days before the devastating flooding tragedy, so I understood and did not expect a response in the immediate aftermath. However, in January, I reached out again to see if there was any possibility of him returning, depending on whether the same campers would be attending. Once again, I received no reply—until I copied one of the male directors. Only then did I finally get a response. During a subsequent phone call, I was shocked by the camp’s reaction. They did not acknowledge any issue with failing to respond to multiple emails about a child’s well-being. They also felt their handling of the bullying situation was appropriate and stated they would not do anything differently. At that point, I decided I could not send my younger son to Camp Stewart either (we were still planning to send him) nor his friend we were trying to recruit to attend. As a parent, bullying is one of my top safety concerns when choosing a sleepaway camp, and this experience left me with no confidence in the camp’s ability to address it. We truly wanted to continue being part of the Camp Stewart community, which makes this outcome especially disappointing. Unfortunately, based on our experience, I cannot recommend it to other families.

★★★★★Derek McIntyre

We read a lot of reviews before sending our 9 year old, and honestly the no phone calls part had me really uncomfortable. After taking a tour and talking to the staff, we signed up for a two week session. Fast forward several months and we couldn’t be happier with the experience, and we immediately booked another two weeks for this year. Our son had a blast, learned a ton, made friends, became more dedicated and persistent, he did better in school this year, and is like a new kid. He’ll go back again this summer and we couldn’t be more excited for him. This place is amazing.

★★★★★Katie Schmidth

Hands down the most amazing camp! My son went at 7 y/o for a month last year..which may seem young, but trust me when I say it was the best decision we made for our son for summer 2022! He’s more confident, and even though he’s always been outgoing, there’s just that spark of independence and self-confidence that we noticed the second we picked him up! Counselors A+++, staff was wonderful and felt like family for him. He just left father-son-weekend and we’re practically packed already for July! Best boys camp ever!

★★★★★Chip Mahaney

I went to Camp Stewart for four summers, 1972-1975. I sent my son for three summers, 2004-2006. I'm looking forward to sending the next generation there too! The facilities, outdoor and indoor, are first-rate for a camp. The family that has owned the camp for more than 50 years goes out of its way to make each camper's experience special and memorable. The Hill Country setting is perfect for adventure and learning and fellowship.

★★★★★Matt Carner

Just returned home from visiting CS for the father/son weekend. My son and I are new to the camp and we had a great time. The accommodations were comfortable and clean. The food is all made at camp and very well done. The amount of activities available to us was far more than we could have participated in. Great selection of things to do and they have all of the gear you need. We are definitely planning on sending our 8 year old for his first sleep away camp next summer.