About Camp Gnarly NYC
Camp Gnarly NYC offers a unique, child-led summer camp experience with a strong emphasis on diverse, adventurous activities and exceptional staff responsiveness. Founded by a parent and an enthusiastic educator, the camp prioritizes personalized experiences, swift feedback resolution, and a wide array of choices from rock climbing and paddle boarding to daily swim instruction and special Friday excursions, all while being a more affordable option.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Parents seeking a summer camp with a diverse array of unique, adventurous, and hands-on activities beyond traditional camp offerings.Children who thrive in a child-led environment and enjoy the autonomy of choosing their own daily experiences.Families looking for excellent value, as the camp is noted as 'considerably less expensive' than competitors.Parents who highly value open communication and a camp leadership that is responsive and quick to act on feedback.Children who would benefit from consistent swim instruction as part of their summer program.
Why families love it
- Child-led, self-directed daily activities with electives and special programming where children choose their experiences.
- Diverse and unique adventure activities including rock climbing, parkour, horse back riding, paddle boarding, and fishing.
- Weekly swim instruction (4 days a week mentioned in one review).
- Friday outdoor excursions culminating in fun treats like bouncy houses, snow cones, and cotton candy.
- Door-to-door transportation is offered, and initial kinks were quickly resolved by responsive founders.
- Seamless registration process.
Insider tips
- If using transportation, communicate any issues promptly to the founders (Carol and Gabrielle), as they are highly responsive and quick to resolve problems.
- Encourage children to actively participate in choosing their activities, as the camp operates on a child-led model with a wide range of electives.
- Leverage the flexible pick-up/drop-off times and extended hours if your family requires this convenience.
- Be prepared for your children to express a strong desire to return to Camp Gnarly for future summers.
Good to know before you go
- Parents who prefer a highly rigid, pre-set activity schedule with minimal child input may find the child-led approach less suitable.
- Do not assume door-to-door transportation will be entirely flawless from day one, though any initial issues are shown to be quickly and effectively addressed.
- Transportation experienced issues during Week 1 (parents should be aware this might occur, but it was resolved by Week 2 after parent feedback).
- Crowds
- Reviews do not indicate any issues with overcrowding. The focus on individualized attention, child-led activities, and attentive counselors suggests a manageable camper-to-staff ratio.
- Value
- The camp is described as 'considerably less expensive than other camps' while providing a full, eventful day of play, unique activities, swim instruction, flexible logistics, and responsive leadership. This suggests a high value proposition for the cost. Specific pricing details are not mentioned in the reviews.
- Food
- The camp provides treats like snow cones and cotton candy on Fridays during outdoor excursions. The reviews do not specify a policy regarding outside food or other meal provisions.
- Accessibility
- No specific accessibility accommodations (e.g., wheelchair access, sensory-friendly options) are mentioned in the reviews.
- Safety
- Staff are consistently described as professional, knowledgeable, kind, loving, and caring, actively prioritizing and ensuring children's safety.
What parents say
"I remember the first time I reached out to Carol and Gabrielle the two founders of Camp Gnarly. I was immediately impressed by their unique offerings. Carol a parent, who relates to the concerns and challenges of finding the right summer camp for your child. Gabrielle an enthusiastic spirit with a zeal for creating memorable experiences. They offered all the things, a full eventful day of play, door to door transportation and weekly swim instruction. Our family signed up for all 6 weeks. Now, I’d be remiss not to mention some of the challenges. Transportation was a bust week one, I spoke with "
3 years ago
"This was my daughter’s 1st day camp experience and she had an amazing time. Registration was seamless and all of the staff were professional, knowledgeable, and kind. The activities offered by the camp were unique and fun. She made so many new friends. In her words, “ This is the best camp ever and I’m coming back next year.” To all of the staff at Camp Gnarly, thank you for all of your hard work, dedication, and for keeping my daughter safe. This was such a memorable summer. I look forward to seeing you all next summer!"
a year ago
"After trying a few different summer camps, we have finally found the best one after spending one summer at Camp Gnarly. The ability to pick up and drop off children in the morning or afternoon, the extended hours, and the excellent counselors were all very welcomed. The abundance of wonderful activities your child can select from during the camp, though, is its best feature. They put a lot of effort into customizing your visit for your child (s). Additionally, it is considerably less expensive than other camps we had looked into. They had outings on Fridays and swam four days a week, which I f"
2 years ago
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
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