Adventure Day Camp
Adventure Day Camp is a traditional day camp for children ages 3-15 years old. In a low pressure, relaxed atmosphere, children gain confidence and skills in a wide range of camp activities, including arts, sports, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, tennis, horseback riding, archery, climbing, drama, music, hiking, overnight camping, and much more! Children are assigned to small groups with one adult Group Leader and one assistant. For children ages 3 & 4 that are not quite ready for the complete experience of Adventure Day Camp, we offer a preschool program. We offer transportation serving: Moraga, Orinda, Lafayette, Oakland, Piedmont, Berkeley, Livermore & the 680 Corridor from Martinez to Pleasanton.
My kid enjoyed Monkey Business and Steve and Kate's. Those are usually based at an elementary school. Trackers and Avid are great for getting kids outside and active, all day.
Adventure Day Camp is in Moraga, but they have a bus that will pick up from Rockridge Bart - nice variety of activities. Their sessions are multiple weeks, offer sibling discounts. The last week they also do a one-night campout at Chabot which was a great experience for my son when he was younger.
My son is now too old for these camps, but he attended both and liked them. My son went to Adventure Day Camp for 4 summers, and 1 summer at Roughing It. I just couldn't justify paying so much more for my child to go to Roughing It again. Both camps have transportation from the East Bay. At Roughing It, children are outdoors, all day, at the Lafayette Reservoir. They take kids to nearby places for swimming, horseback riding, etc. They do the same at Adventure Day Camp. Adventure Day Camp rents out elementary schools, so kids do have the option to do inside activities in air conditioned rooms to get a break from the heat. Nice option, as summers in Lamorinda can be brutal! I remember that ADC separates children by gender, but don't know if that is still their policy. Also unique to ADC is that they have a one-night campout in Chabot Regional Park, which was a fantastic experience for my son. Both are solid, old-fashioned day camps where kids get a ton of outdoor time away from screens.
Our family loves Adventure Day Camp. It's in Moraga, but they have a bus service that picks up and drops off in Montclair. It's not as much about outdoor education per se as it is just about having a lot of fun outside all summer. They do have some hikes, as well as arts and crafts, swimming, horse riding, boating, archery, and so on. In non-Covid years they also do a campout, though I'm not sure they'll be doing that this summer (they didn't in 2020 or 2021).
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Summer Camp with Consistent Counselors
Dec 2014
I am looking for day camps in summer 2015 for my rising second grader, who is immature but smart, where the lead counselor/teacher will be consistent week to week. He does much better with being able to form and sustain a relationship over a few weeks, rather than the instructor switching with the material/activity. Could be half-day or full-day. Berkeley to Richmond area (Oakland's a little too far for the commute). He's open to lots of different activities, from sports to academics and everything in between. Thanks for any suggestions!
My kids go to Adventure Day Camp for just that reason! Consistent counselors! Well, that was the initial reason and then we all fell in love and have hardly done anything else for the past 5 summers. They have 3 session which are each 3 weeks long (my kids usually go to 2 of the sessions) and the staff for the session is consistent and there is a good attempt to make the staff for the age group consistent for the summer, though that doesn't always happen.
The camp is in Walnut Creek, but there IS A BUS which picks up and drops off at your door or a local spot (like a Safeway or something). I'm not sure where you live, but they cover much of Berkeley, Oakland and other parts of the East Bay.
The camp is amazing in it's variety. It sits in 7 Hills School within Heather Farms and they are able to use all the Heather Farms offers (swimming 4 times a week, horseback riding, scooter/skateboarding, kayaking, canoeing, art, etc) and they go on a overnight on the Thursday night of Week 2.
My kids LOVE it and I LOVE it. They still get so excited and the oldest has gone 5 summers already :0). Huge ADC fans!!!
March 2013
Re: Camp for visiting 10 year old boys from Shanghai?
How long will the boys be here? If long enough, I'd highly recommend Adventure Day Camp in Walnut Creek. They have a bus service and will pick up from and return the kids to your house each day. They are a quintessential ''summer camp'' with all the things offered that one thinks of when thinking of camp...sports, skits, horses, sailing, crafts, swimming, performances, silly dress up days, tie dye, an overnight camp out, etc. The sessions are 3 weeks long and the kids get really close to the other kids in their group as well as their counselor and bus drivers. My kids LOVE it and will be there for two full sessions each. Happy ACD parent
Feb 2013
Re: Camp for 1st grader that lasts more than 2 weeks
For our family, we have found it VERY stressful to change camps each week (even when staying with same camp, they usually change the kids there and often who the leader is for an age group every week)...so we did just what you are doing and looked for camps with longer sessions.
The one we LOVE is Adventure Day Camp (ADC) in Walnut Creek (we live in Oakland). The sessions are three weeks each; they have three sessions per summer. My oldest son has been to two sessions (or 6 weeks) each summer for the past three summers and LOVES it. He has found that there are many, many kids who come for multiple sessions each summer...so he has been with a fairly stable group of kids for the past 3 summers. My younger son went to two sessions last summer as well and LOVED it too.
ADC has buses to pick up the kids and take them to camp and bring them home...so don't rule them out if you are not in Walnut Creek (as noted, we are in Oakland). My kids have made great friends with kids of all ages on the bus each summer.
This is an old timey camp where the kids swim, play, try archery, ride horses, make lanyards and god's eyes, etc. They even have a camp out on the 2nd Thursday of each session. Kevin, the owner, is also very flexible if you can make 2 weeks of a session instead of 3 (as for us this summer when our school is letting out mid-week the first week of the first session). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! A huge fan of ADC
Jan 2012
Re: Summer camp recommendations for 2nd grader
My oldest son is now in 2nd grade, so has been through 2 summers of full time camps (we both work, too). What we learned the first summer is that going to different camps each week (or even the same camp, but the kids change each week) was really tough on our son. Once we had this ''aha!,'' I then really thought about it and realized how much I would hate to have something totally new every week...no chance to relax and feel comfortable.
Luckily, that first summer, we had sent him to one camp which had 3 week long sessions...AND he loved it. That is Adventure Day Camp (ADC) in Walnut Creek. Before you dismiss it as being too far away and in Walnut Creek, THE BEST part about it as a working parent is that they have a BUS which can pick up and drop off your child AT YOUR HOUSE...so awesome!!!
That first summer, he loved it so much that I ended up rearranging the end of his summer and taking him out of two other camps so he could go back to ADC for a second session.
Last summer, I signed him up for the 1st and 3rd sessions...many of the kids were returning from the summer before and many were there for the same 2 sessions...great comfort level and friends...his only bummer was that the counselor changed between sessions (this didn't happen the first summer).
So anyway, I would highly recommend Adventure Day Camp...both of my kids will be there this summer...and even if you don't go there, I would discourage you from having a different camp every week. It even drove my husband and me nuts...trying to remember where we had to drive, what the ''rules'' were for each camp...what we had to pack in the backpack...do we sunscreen or do they, etc ADC Loyalist
August 2011
Just wanted to put in another good word for Adventure Day camp. I sent my 5 year old and 7 year old daughters to this camp for one session this summer and it was absolutely wonderful. The days are so thoughtfully and creatively planned, the spectrum of activities is amazingly huge (almost daily swimming, horseback riding, archery, rock climbing, arts and crafts, performing arts, cooking, sports, games, canoeing, hiking, mountain biking and sailing for the older kids), the sense of energy and comaradery among all the campers and counselors is palpable. Moreover, I have a child with a severe peanut allergy and they were incredibly responsive and worked with me to create a safe environment for my daughter. My daughters would get off the bus (at the end of my driveway!) at the end of each day excited, sweaty, tired and happy. This was our first year at this camp and we will certainly be back again. Highly recommended. Anne
Dec 2010
Any positive recommendations or anti-recommendations for Adventure Day Camp in Lafayette? We're thinking of sending our kids, who will be rising first graders this summer. Also, we live in Oakland and would use the bus service - any thoughts about that? Thanks! Lisa
We sent our K son last summer and used the bus service. I don't know how to adequately express how much our son LOVED ADC. He went for the 1st session and loved it so much, I changed around all the camps I had scheduled so he could go back for the 3rd session too. We long ago re-upped for this summer. Only question now is whether he goes for one session or two.
I was so worried the first day how he'd feel with all new kids and riding the bus for an hour... He leapt off the bus and danced to the door declaring it the BEST. Every day for 2 sessions got the same rave reviews.
He loved the variety of activities (inc. swimming nearly every day), his counselor, the camp out, the lip sync...you name it, he loved it (other camps were fine, but this one won our son's heart). Nikki
Hi there, My kids have been going to Adventure Day Camp since they were in kindergarten and love it! I have a son in 3rd grade and a daughter in 6th, and this is the only camp that they've chosen to return to year after year. My daughter is very outgoing and social but my son is more shy and doesn't adapt as quickly to new situations so we were a bit concerned about the transition from his small preschool to a big camp environment the summer before he moved to kindergarten. But the director Kevin and his staff are so amazing. They kept a close eye on him in the beginning and knew exactly what they needed to do to make him feel comfortable. I can't say enough wonderful things about this camp! We have never taken the bus, but have friends who have done that and have a great experience with it. Hope this helps... Adventure Day Camp Family
March 2010
Re: Day camp near Walnut Creek for picky 6th grader
I suggest you check out Adventure Day Camp in Walnut Creek. My 15-year-old daughter has been going there for years and loves it. She now is a counselor-in-training there. Fun and age-appropriate groups include ones for teens, who get to horseback ride, canoe, swim, play games, do art projects, and so on. Yes, there are groups for younger kids, but she would be in a small group with kids her age. Go to adventuredaycamp.com for further details. If your daughter might like to talk to mine, email me at the address below. nancy
Feb 2008
Re: Walnut Creek daycamps for 5th grade girl
Hi - you said you're considering Adventure Day Camp because your daughter's friend has had a good experience there, but she isn't going for the session you are looking at. Although it is nice to have pre-made friends at camp, I would definitely still recommend ADC. My son has gone there since kindergarten, and every year has been great. Some sessions he had friends attending with him, and others he didn't. Sometimes the sessions where he needed to make new friends were the best, in fact. Now, he is a third grade boy, not a fifth grade girl, but I can also tell you that I am flying my 12 yo niece out from Maryland this summer to stay with us and attend ADC. She won't have any friends there but I have talked to Kevin, the director, and I'm confident that my niece will have a great three weeks -it is simply a wonderful environment. My advice is to talk to Kevin and tell him your concerns. He has had experience with this situation, I am sure, and will have excellent insights. Fran - an Adventure Day fan
Jan 2007
Re:Summer Day Camp for 13 year old boy
Take look at Adventure Day Camp which is right in your neck of the woods in Walnut Creek. They have programs for kids through 9th grade. My son will be going there for the third year this summer. He's younger than yours but he really enjoys the tremendous variety of activities. Older kids get to sail, kayak, horseback ride, etc. Fran
March 2006
I need help finding a camp for my 9 yr old daughter. She's very active, but not interested in team sports. She's gone to KCC (Kensington Community Center Camp) which has a lot of fun and interesting activities, but more often than not she didn't participate. (The camp seemed to have some structure in place, but the staff didn't seem skilled enough to encourage and entice all the kids to participate. I know my child was a hard sell, but that was their job.) Rather than participate she'd find one or a few other children to play with and they'd come up with their own games. That wouldn't be all that bad except she was often attracted to kids I'd prefer her to steer clear of, and the activities tended to be devious rather than benign. She loves acting, but claims to be too shy to do any sort of theatre camp. If she could get past the shyness I think she'd have a blast. Ultimatley, I'm looking for a camp that has a group of kids assigned to a counselor and the group does activities together. I want to avoid the free-for-all type of situations that come with unstructured camp programs. Recommendations please? annonymous
This camp should work great for an active kid of any age! Our 8 year-old daughter has had an awesome summer camp experience two years in a row at ADVENTURE DAY CAMP http://www.adventuredaycamp.com This is BY FAR her favorite camp. We know older kids that also say ''It rocks''. They are placed in same sex, same age groups of 10-12 with a counselor they stay with the whole time. There is lots of interaction between the groups as well. The counselors are extremely well trained and the activities are varied and fun. They include: swimming, horseback riding, canoeing and kayaking, hiking, sports, performance arts and a talent show, carnival, and an optional overnight campout. They have 1, 2, and 3 week options. One of the best things about 3 weeks at the same camp is that kids get into the routine and can feel comfortable. By the way, we live in Oakland, the camp is in Walnut Creek and we were worried about the distance, but the bus ride is part of the \x93adventure\x94 to our daughter. Truly an unforgettable experience - this is the stuff childhood memories are made of. Linda
January 2007
I would like to hear about others families' experiences with the Adventure camp in Walnut creek. I am considering it for my 8 years old daughter and 6 years old son. However, this camp has no reviews in BPN. I like the diversity of activities offered, but since we leave in N Berkeley area, I am concerned about the distance/location, the setting, and most importantly, how good are the counselors and the program in general. Any feedback would be welcomed. Thank you. Ariane
I have sent my 3 kids to ADC for the last 3 years and they love it. It's a classic summer camp with a little of everything - swimming, horseback riding, games, songs, arts & crafts and sports. It's not as heavily into the arts as some other camps though but my kids love going and have already started asking about when they're going this year. They have a bussing system that picks your children up either at your home, or at a designated spot in your area, and drops them off there in the afternoon. The hours are kind of fixed though (8-9am pickup, 4-5pm drop off) so there's no before care or after care.
January 2006
I am interested in feedback on Roughing It Day Camp in Lafayette and Adventure Day Camp in Walnut Creek. I'm looking for a camp for my six year old daughter. Thank you. Andrea
Last summer I sent my son to Adventure Day Camp for six weeks. It was the summer before first grade. I chose the camp because one of his terrific kindergarten teachers is a co-director of the camp. I was very, very happy with the camp. There was a really wide variety of activities, the counselors were very attentive, and the small group structure worked really well. They were also super-diligent with the sunscreen which I appreciated as the mom of a very fair-skinned child. Finally, the day camp ended, my son asked to go back next summer! I'd be happy to talk to you further if you want to email me. Fran
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