Summer Camp A Summer of Arts & Athletics
A camper at Camp Manitou should arrive prepared for the busiest summer of his life. Through the leadership of its highly-trained staff, the camp offers over 40 creative and athletic activities. Throughout the summer, with the guidance of their counselors, campers plan their own schedules, choosing from the wide variety of programs to develop new skills and hone existing abilities.
LANDSPORTS Twenty-three activities are taught on land. Among the team sports: baseball, softball, basketball, football, soccer, roller-hockey, street-hockey, ice-hockey, volleyball, lacrosse and European handball. Individual activities include archery, camping, climbing on our new 50-foot climbing tower, fencing, golf, martial arts, riflery, ropes course (with zip line), tennis, and track and field.
WATERSPORTS Manitou offers 17 instructional activities in the warm waters of East Lake: swimming, competitive swimming, boating, canoeing, kayaking, wake-surfing, water-skiing, wakeboarding, SCUBA diving, sailing, snorkeling, windsurfing, paddle boating, and fishing. CPR, basic rescue and advanced lifesaving courses are also available. Certified water safety instructors, life guards, and PADI dive instructors are among the waterfront staff.
“I learned to waterski this summer! When I first came to Manitou I could barely get up on the short rope and now I'm able to slalom and wakeboard. Next summer I hope to try wake-surfing.” Matt, Boca Raton, FL
CREATIVE ARTS Manitou boasts an unparalleled selection of creative activities, foremost among them its drama program. Campers may also choose from such activities as animation, clay-mation, computer animation, astronomy, newspaper, digital photography, pottery, radio, set design, videography and, the new favorite, baking cookies. Manitou has a television studio and a 50-watt broadcast radio station.
Manitou prides itself on its one-of-a-kind activities and programs, which include a game center with ping-pong, pool, air hockey, and pop-a-shot basketball. It also has a mini movie theater with a 400-title video library and 50 cinema-style seats and a miniature golf course. A television studio is used to produce the Manitou TV News, shown on Sunday nights in the theater along with video and photographic highlights of the week. There is a camp band and a daily newspaper that has been published since 1947.
AFTER DARK Activities don't end with the spectacular Maine sunsets. Nightly programs include talent shows, dance socials with our sister camp and other Maine summer camps, movies, games, plays, campfires, out-of-camp trips, performances by local entertainers, and special events. Activities are scheduled each and every night.
Four plays are staged in competition and an end-of-the-year blockbuster is presented by a cast of campers, counselors and directors in Manitou's unrivaled 8,000-square-foot theater complex, which encompasses costume and set design shops, dressing rooms, and a large projection screen for movies. An original mid-summer musical also is produced. There is a full-time theater director, a set designer and a costumer.
Even after the nighttime program, older summer campers can use the lighted basketball and baseball facilities, including the main court and batting cage in Alumni Hall. There is also a weight and fitness room, mini movie theater, and game center for pool, ping-pong, air hockey, and more.
CAMP TRIPS Campers enjoy day and overnight excursions to breathtaking Acadia National Park, sandy ocean beaches, amusement areas, and other scenic New England attractions, including whitewater rafting trips, whale-watching cruises, rock-climbing expeditions, and minor-league baseball games. There are also overnight trips to the camp's own Birch Island, canoe trips across East Lake, and meandering hikes through the trails that wind through the camp's property. Campers attending Manitou for the entire session will also experience an extended trip during the middle of the summer.
Campers attending Manitou for the entire summer experience an exciting extended trip, grouped by age. A list of this summer's trips can be found here.
In addition to our putting green, chipping green, and driving range on campus, Manitou now offers advanced golfing trips to experienced golfers. The camp holds memberships at two championship courses including scenic Belgrade Lakes, named one of the top five new courses in the country.
SPECIAL EVENTS… Special events are scheduled at least one afternoon or evening each week. These include a carnival, a camp Olympics, hobby days, and a casino night. On hot days, campers enjoy King Neptune Day, a day of contests in the water. One day each summer, campers can test their endurance in the Manitou triathlon.
…ALL YEAR Just because it's called “summer camp” doesn't mean the fun of seeing your camp friends ends in August. Our off-season program brings campers, parents, and staff together for ski and snowboard trips, camp reunions, major league baseball games, and even a winter trip to camp.
It all starts with Family Camp Weekend at the end of our regular session. Later in the year join us for New Camper Gatherings, the Walk-on-Water Trip, and many other special events.
Manitou—Specialty Camps