Camp Review: Camp Mah-Kee-Nac, Lenox, Massachusetts

If you have the money to send your son away to a private camp for the summer than Camp Mah-Kee-Nac (in Lenox, Mass) is the place to be. Camp MKN is settled in right in the heart of the Berkshire Mountains. The Mountains make the camp atmosphere feel like something out of a movie. MKN has the classic essentials to all great summer camps. They have sports, great counselors, and those wooden cabins that make summer life so enjoyable for kids.

The camp is essentially a sports camp. They hire counselors from all over the world to give the kids world class instructions. MKN has every sport possible from baseball to hockey to soccer and golf. The instructors are there for one reason and that is to make that child better from when they started camp in the summer. There is no difference if they are an all-star or if they have never played the sport before, the heart of Mah-Kee-Nac is to make that child better in 7 weeks.

Another component that makes MKN such a wonderful place to send your son is their waterfront. Settled on Lake Mah-Kee-Nac, the camp has a numerous of activities to do on the water. There is water skiing and wake boarding and there is also a spot dedicated to fishing. Your son can even learn how to sail over the summer. Competition is also a constant at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac. Throughout the course of the summer camps from around and in the Berkshires compete against one another. They have tournaments, head to head matches, and even a Regatta. This camp will help your son compete at a high level while also learning the arts of sportsmanship.

Besides sports there are also other activities for your son to do over the summer. They can be a member of the camp newsletter, enjoy an arts and craft class, or be involved in one of the camp's more popular classes, rocketry. The camp understands that your son may not want to play sports all summer.

The living accommodations are pretty standard for summer camps. Wooden cabins with bunks for beds and bathroom in the back make the housing nothing more than what it needs to be, shelter. There are shower houses for the children within walking distance of the bunks. There is no air conditioning or wireless Internet in the bunks. The boys are there to have a summer at camp not to play Play station like they would at home.

The camp also treats the boys to a number of different trips/activities. They go tubing down river rapids, they go to the movies, and even to Arena Football Games. The older the boy is the better the end of the year trip is. Every year the camp does a trip to Boston and Maine which have been very successful.

Working at MKN can be very tough. The job is really 20 hours a day. Because besides the 4 to 5 hours a night you may get off, every other moment you are watching after kids. The job is tiring and sometimes stressful. I will say that working at MKN is good if you want to work with children because that is what you do the whole time. There is also a chance to meet people from all over the world which can be nice to learn about different cultures. In conclusion if you have the money to spend thousands on sending your son away for the summer do not look past Camp Mah-Kee-Nac. Your son will definitely have the true camp experience.