Camp Ramaquois — Local services in Town of Haverstraw

Sit down, grab a snack, and get ready to hear about the most hands down unbeatably best place you will ever find. I’ll start off saying that when I come here, I desperately long for Monday and absolutely DREAD Friday because of how amazing it is here. They have everything you need to have fun and more. You don’t even have to step on the bus to feel the love, the camp calls months in advance to make sure that everyone’s needs are fulfilled, in my case, I always get pasta for lunch since it is mainly my diet. When you get on the bus in the morning, the bus counselor(s) greet you openly with a smile and everyone on the bus gets along. When you arrive to your group, everyone is inclusive and instantly becomes great friends that you will know for years to come! I met my best friends here at this camp. Their 8 day schedule gives a diverse range of age-based activities. Ramaquois also has 9 pools, so campers get to swim 1-3 times a day. When there is a heatwave, there is a specialized schedule to keep everyone cool. There are no rainy days here, there is liquid fun, with another schedule for fun indoors to keep everyone safe. The three sides of camp, Boys side, Girls side, and Junior camp engage us campers to various activities and friendly rivalries. On the last day I always cry the bus ride home because I never want to leave, to the point that my eyes are still dry the next summer; which is why everyone keeps coming back. This is my 9th summer here, going into my 10th along with a large portion of my group, we know each other well and our previous counselors are friendly faces. When a camper attends for a certain amount of years, they get free merchandise from the camp such as beach chairs and shirts as a souvenir of their time and dedication. When a camper or staff member comes to Ramaquois for 6 or more years, they are inducted as a LEGEND, and get a brick on Legends Path with their name and chooses a word that suits them. Older campers are placed in Upper Camp, which provides more activities such as Bunt and Steal, the Boys softball league, and Snaps, which is a multi activity program for the girls with the same concept. For the 10th grade campers, they go into the Counselor Apprenticeship Program, or CAPs. They are part time counselors who work with groups, specialty, and events to transition into being a part of the staff. Every day is a special event for at least one age group, or division, to provide even more fun variation for campers to enjoy. The counselors see what each camper needs, and already know them before they step foot on camp to provide a safe, loving, and caring space for all. Campers are cared about so closely, the camp director, Jared, knows the name of all the 1000s of campers and staff at Ramaquois. Included with all of this is the fact that the camp is constantly expanding. Every year there are new buildings and activities to use for our enjoyment. It may seem overpriced or like I am exaggerating, but I am not. This is the best place for anyone to be, nothing will EVER convince me otherwise. Google only lets me put down 5/5 stars, but in reality it is significantly more . I would not be the same person I am today without Ramaquois. It’s more then a summer camp, more then a summer home, it is a higher state of being. Stop, drop, and (sc)roll to your computer and come to this camp...

Camp Ramaquois has been a part of my family’s life for the past 6 years. My boy-girl twins are 14 years old now and just about the only thing they have in common is their birthday. My son is an outgoing, sporty kid with endless energy while my daughter is more reticent, shy and expresses little interests in athletics. With very little exaggeration, the one thing my kids have in common (except for their birthday of course) is their love for Ramaquois. Their time at Ramaquois is the greatest 8 weeks of the year. They each are the happiest versions of themselves as they reunite with their friends and Counselors from the previous years. Ramaquois has all of the bells and whistles one would expect from an elite camp, from the aerial adventure park, fencing, woodworking, vast array of arts and just about every sport imaginable. But what makes Ramaquois unique is the culture that it cultivates. As other reviewers have expressed, Rama has an extremely high rate of returning staff which is truly a testament to the camp. Campers and staff members alike can not wait until summer is here and can return to camp. Rama promotes individuality and allows campers the opportunity to explore new things in a safe and fun environment. A few years ago, my son decided to go to sleep away camp because he felt that the hours at Ramaquois were not long enough and if he could go to a camp like Rama 24/7, then he would love it that much more. The next summer we sent him to a sports-centric camp and after 2 weeks, my husband and I agreed to pick him up and return him to Ramaquois because as he said, nothing compares to Ramaquois. The friendships he forged along with the activities they participated in was way better than his sleep away experience. Ramaquois is a general camp where the groups travel to each activity together. As they get older, campers have the opportunity to elect a daily option period of their own choosing. Having children with wildly different interests, I love that they are exposed to so many activities that they would normally choose not to participate in. It has opened their eyes to other interests and has taught them to be a team player where being the best at that activity has no value. The idea of having pure, unplugged fun is what camp is all about and Ramaquois excels at accomplishing this for each and...

This camp is an absolute dream. It’s as if you have stepped back in time to how things used to be ... should be.. class, respect, service - true old fashioned values, true old fashioned all American family business.

My son has jumped out of bed every morning to catch the bus for the last 4 summers and comes home happy, full and tired. This was a kid that cried everyday his first few years of school.

He loves the kids, the counselors, the activities... the trips, the entire camp! A camp paradise..there truly isn’t anything not to love.

He’s done and learned things that matter ... how to just play... make friends... make things with his hands out of wood... hit a ball... run around outside... be responsible... be independent... and NOT stare at a screen any of the day.

As a mom all of that means everything to me but Camp Ramaquois also makes MY summer awesome too. From the way they run the bus back and forth - door to door!!!! to the notes from home to the uniforms and so much more. But I have to say the towel service is one of my favorite things that truly illustrates how well thought out every detail is. What a simple pleasure to not have wet towels come home every day adding to my laundry!

We have sacrificed for a long time to send our kids to a great private school for many reasons including where it is we live... but I have said many times this private school could learn a lot about how to run things from Camp Ramaquois. They don’t even come close to treating us the way Ramaquois does as a family, as people.

I know when you read reviews people will take things “with a grain of salt” but I couldn’t have been more honest about how I feel about Camp Ramaquois and every single person I’ve ever dealt with from there has exceeded any expectations I could ever have had.

Finally, at Camp Ramaquois you truly get what you pay for (almost nonexistent these days no?) plus you get much much more, extended family and a summer home away from home.

Luc can’t wait to do it all again this summer! And next year he wants to be a counselor in training!

Post note: I didn’t even know that so many others had the same summer home sentiment in their reviews! See how true it is! Plus all those other great things parents said about this camp are also true for...