Cub Creek Science and Animal Camp

★Keith Stacy

If you are considering sending your child to this camp, please read this carefully. Our child attended in June 2025 and experienced a week of persistent bullying from other campers in his cabin. The behavior included name-calling, intimidation, being excluded from activities, and physical aggression. He was mocked for walking slower than other campers, called stupid and uneducated, and repeatedly singled out by the group. Other campers threw objects at him, poured water on his bed, and pushed him into a wall hard enough to leave a bruise. He was also kicked during the week and repeatedly threatened that if he reported what was happening, things would only get worse. Some campers even told him that if he returned the following year they would make the experience miserable for him. At one point he was pressured to do humiliating things in front of other kids while being threatened if he refused. Most of this happened inside the cabin, which is supposed to be the supervised safe space for campers. When he reported some of the behavior, nothing meaningful appeared to happen. After camp ended, we attempted multiple times to communicate with management and ownership to discuss what occurred. Despite repeated outreach, we received little response beyond a brief apology and no indication that meaningful steps were taken. Based on our experience and the impact this experience has continued to have on our child, we would strongly encourage parents to look at other camp options.

★★★★★Jodi Davis

My kids LOVE Cub Creek! Both of my daughters will be returning again this summer- year 4 for my teen and year 3 for her younger sister. This camp is legit summer camp- gravel roads, bugs, fur, feathers, dirt, sweat, AND FUN!! They love earning beads for activities and being able to show off their growing collection year after year. They always enjoy the counselors and EVEN RAVE ABOUT THE FOOD. What?!?!? It's still months away before they go this year and they are already both telling me how excited they are to go back to Cub Creek.

★★★★★Melissa Brennan

I was honestly nervous to send my kids to this camp based on some of the reviews I read. My kids, 9 and 11, attended cub creek and they had an absolute blast. They got to try new things, learn about different animals. It sounded like it was a great mix of fun and learning. I got three hand written letters from my daughter and I was able to communicate back to her and it was kind of fun. My kids are very independent and thrive in an environment that allows for some freedom of choice. I believe this camp did hit the balance between enough structure to keep the kids busy and engaged but also enough free time and choice of activity to allow the kids to feel like they had some control over their experience. Sleeping cabins were very nice. The staff I met were engaging and helpful. I could see if you have a kid that needs more support how this camp could be challenging but the growth I saw in both of my kids was tremendous. We will be returning.

★★★★★Jay David

First camp away for our 12-year old and she absolutely loved it! I was honestly surprised, since she can be hard to please — but she went on and on about how nice the counselors were, how fun the activities were, and the friends she made. It sounds like they did a great job making her feel welcome and included, especially going down there without knowing anyone already. We will be sending her back next year.

★★★★Laciebug WasHere

We traveled very far to go here (drove from California) and though my 10 year old got home sick every night, she still had a great time overall and I enjoyed that I got stay around Rolla camping so she knew we weren't far. I agree with her 4 star rating. She would give 5 except for her only complaints of the home sickness, extra loud singing, and loud hand dryers instead of towels to dry your hands. She knows she's noise sensitive so most kids won't have trouble with that. As a parent of a younger child who wants to be a vet, it wasn't easy to find options in her age group for camps so this was a fun opportunity she hopes to do again. I am glad I had the ability to drive there and make a family trip out of the experience. Dropping her off and seeing where she would be was a bit chaotic, but they handle it very well. My shy kid got to come out of her shell and meet so many other kids who share her passion for animals. The classes and activities available were awesome and though it stormed a bit while we were there, we loved it and she was safe and occupied. It was only at lights out that she had any issue with missing home. Between the learning, playing, and visiting the camp store, the week went fast and having her give us the tour on pick up day was pretty great. Besides the creatures she got to encounter, earning beads for different tasks was one of her favorite things.