YMCA Camp Abe Lincoln

★Angel Young

The lady never gets back to you. I reached out numerous times no response. Sent a text it says it was read no response. Who would wanna do business with someone who ignores and answers when they feel. Unprofessional if you don’t wanna answer calls about the camp why are u a director or whatever you are. Happily taking my son elsewhere.

★★★Tanya

Knowing this could be different dynamics & also heavily dependent on the child's personality. My son is 10yrs old. The feed back I got from my child is never again for the overnight camp & not even interested in the day camp. This was not the first overnight camp he has attended. It was his first time at this camp. It wasn't all bad. The counselors we met upon arrival were way too casual & unorganized for the average parent. Dog groomers are more engaged when accepting your dog on their watch for a couple of hours than these counselors were for taking in a child. Throw away the general itinerary provided. The theme & itinerary are just for looks on papier. That is not the product you are buying. Alot of "hanging out/in cabin time" According to my child & from what we saw it was just a daycare with an inground pool instead of an inflateable. The adults ensured nobody was broken or bullied into tears, but there was no actual team building etc. So unless your child is extremely independent & outgoing or high energy that you just looking for respite, this sort of approach to camp may not be worth it for your family. Their approach takes alot for granted & treats the kids as if this is a norm for them, so they don't share alot of info or tell/help/prep them put on bug spray etc. or teach them how to be at their camp. Of course my child, inspite of having brought bug spray & pants etc, went hiking in the woods ill prepared & wound up with bites all over his head and body. Nobody told him how to prep for that activity nor gave him enough time & he didn't know enough about their camp to ask. Was so loud when we went to pick up our kid & that was just the counselors.I will share my child is on the spectrum. He is an internalizer not a behavioural lash out or heavy meltdown sort. He doesn't require strict schedule adherence, but does appreciate information when in a new environment so he can make good choices & likes adults who can control themselves and situations without yelling in frustration or being obnoxious. To him there is a difference in yelling to be heard & yelling cuz you didn't set boundaries & allowed it to evolve into chaos & frustration is in the yelling. Extremely loud & alot of frustrated yelling coming from adults or authority figures may be nothing to some kids, for my kid it makes him anxious. The counselor, Goose, was appropriate & professional at both the greeting & pick up. He did give us the usual "your kid was a pleasure to be around, helped clean up, et didn't cause too much trouble ...." speech & managed to keep a straight face inspite of how obnoxious & loud his coworkers were being on the other side of the door, where my kid just left. We could hear that counselor when we drove up so I can only imagine my kid stuck in the same room. The director we spoke with over the phone before camp was very approachable & professional. I don't know how other days would have been. I can only speak on our limited experience & child's personality/perception. He said "It was too chaotic & I have had better circumstantial bonding experiences at the local trampoline park." His words, not mine. "It wasn't the worse experience of my life, I did try french fries for the first time & ziplining, but the atmosphere was way chaotic and unorganized, I felt like I was being babysat, not at a camp." He is willing to return to previous camps or try new ones, but has zero interest in attending this one again. This review is just based on my child's experience & perception he shared. If your child is not quick to make buddies, requires incontrol adults, or on the spectrum etc it may still be a great fit, you may just need to prep/role play more & don't expect the counselors to responsibly inform or teach the kids about when or where to put on bug spray, change to more appropriate clothing for the activity about to engage in etc. Have to run your kid through every possible scenario pre camp because they will not teach them how to navigate their product. They will not inform you if your child visited nurse or was treated w/otc.

★BlueTooth Junky

My son recently stayed for a 3 day, 2 night camp. The check in was less than reassuring, considering these are the people caring for your child for next few days. As the web page stated, I was also expecting a sit down of some sort that allegedly every campers family has when dropping off. That obviously must have been a typo or something o.o . Fast forward 2 days for pick up and I went right back to where we dropped him off as nothing stated to expect anything different, only to be told, and I quote " You pick your kid up at the cabins.... do you remember where the cabins are? " Well of course I don't remember where the cabins are because nobody showed us anything or barely spoke when dropping him off!!!! " Oh, well they're right by the pool"..... as if that was any more clearer. That's the drop off/pick up portion of this review. Now for the other complaints in the form of questions. Why would the web page state to bring pants for horseback riding, if the kid isnt going to go horseback riding? He didn't even get close enough to pet a horse. Why would you offer bug spray or the option to bring your own, if the counselors weren't going to actively at least remind the kids they're going through the woods and it might be a good time to apply some? My kid took his own and still came back ridiculously bitten up. The fault must obviously belong to the kid right? My kid did enjoy zip lining and always enjoys swimming so theres that. For 300 dollars though,we could have found that and more elswhere for much less. Overall, this just seems like glorified daycare with mediocre staffing at best. This could be a really great place but something needs to change and probably at a higher level. This place needs someone who can, and who will, put the right people in the right positions to make it more welcoming for one, and more engaging for the kids most of all. Also, a side note, Any adult review on here that starts out, " This a place where kids can make life long friendships...." is obviously a paid promoter or staff or something.

★★★★★Jon Mckinney

Camp Abe Lincoln is an amazing place where lifelong friendships are made. It's so much more than that, though. Kids learn about caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility all while learning new and challenging skills that help them grow into fine young people. The staff are extremely well trained to ensure the campers have a safe and fun time they'll remember for a long time. Multiple zip lines, an Alpine Climbing Tower, a gorgeous pool, horses, hiking trials, mountain bikes, a lake for canoeing, a kangaroo jumping pad, nightly activities like talent shows, capture the flag, and sing-alongs, and the food is pretty good, too! Newer cabins have bathrooms and showers, too.

★★★★★Nikki Jackson

This camp brought back good memories for me when I took my children for a day event a few weeks ago. They really enjoyed it. The staff were friendly and very active with every child there. There was a variety of things to do. This was indeed a good experience for all the children involved who have never been to camp