Review of Camp Hi Ho in Louisville, KY

My daughter and her friend attended the recent day camp at Camp Hi Ho, in partnership with Louisville Children’s Museum, to raise money for the endeavor to bring a children’s museum to Louisville. After four hours spent on the farm at this camp, my daughter decided she wanted to come back. Immediately!

I had heard of Camp Hi Ho before very briefly, and knew that it had come with high reviews and very satisfied parents. I was so elated at how much fun my daughter and her friend had that day and we are definitely gearing up for some ways for her to earn money so that she can attend a week long camp next summer.

If you have not heard of Camp Hi Ho, consider yourself in the know now. And go check it out! This particular day camp was a shortened version of what they offer throughout their summer camps. So it was kind of a ‘Taste of Camp Hi Ho’ and allowed kids who had never been to get a feel for what the camp has to offer. Normally, the camp offers kids the opportunity to play in three main areas of the camp: the lake, the sports complex, and the fort. All of these were open during the camp she attended; certain things that were not open were the giant slip-n-slide, the petting barn, and archery (which we were pretty bummed about because she has been so eager to try this!)

At the lake, kids were allowed to swim, jump on the huge trampoline in the water, fly off the “blob” into the water, swing into the water off a rope swing, try canoeing and fishing, and take a paddleboat out on the water. Water safety comes first near the water and every child had to wear a life jacket when near the water and especially in the water. I was also very appreciative of the firm reminders from the counselors for the kids to reapply their sunscreen at lunch time. No one was allowed to leave the pavilion where they were eating until they reapplied their sunscreen-again a very clear indicator of keeping kids’ safety first.

The other two areas to explore were the sports complex which had all kinds of opportunities to play sports-related games and the fort where kids could climb a tree house, explore all through the woods, and do a zip line. The entire day was set up for kids to just be kids, play outside in the natural surroundings, and hopefully make some new friends while doing so.

Camp Hi Ho’s motto is “Where Kids Come First.” I love that. I cannot stress enough how at ease I felt leaving my daughter out in the country at this farm. She loved the flexibility, that there are no set times for how long you stay at an area, you don’t have to go with a group to each activity, you just get to do what you want to do. Of course the counselors encourage kids to try everything, but nothing is forced. The camp hires counselors for the summer camps and they have enough to have a ratio of 8:1. Each station around the camp is manned by a counselor so there is always a watchful adult keeping their eyes on the children. It is so safe!

Needless to say, my daughter and her friend had an absolute blast! They were scheming up ways to come back the next day (which was a Sunday!) I had a great suggestion for my daughter to start up some way to make some of her own money so she could contribute to attending camp next summer. They both definitely want to come back and experience the whole shebang.

Check them out for next summer! The camps I saw on the website are a week long from 9am-3pm each day and are $240 per child. The camp is located at 5915 Aiken Road, just across the Jefferson/Shelby county line. You can contact Camp Hi Ho the following ways to find out more:
  -General information: 502-836-HIHO(4446)
  –www.camphiho.com
  -info@camphiho.com
  –Facebook
  –Twitter

By guest contributor: Erin