Greenwood Trails Camp’s owner and director Owen Langbart firmly believes that all kids—especially today’s generation of cell-phone addicts and video gamers—need the quintessential camp experience. With more than 100 wooded acres at the foothills of the Berkshires and a staff of friendly counselors that specializes in orienting first-time campers, his one-, two-, four-, and six-week camps aim to do just that. Winding paths and hiking trails lead young guests aged 7–16 to the many amenities that cover the grounds, including a larger-than-Olympic-size swimming pool, a rock climbing wall, a water trampoline, a batting cage, and a pottery studio. These same paths lead to the cozy cabins that house up to 12 campers and two counselors with all of the comforts of home: electricity, bathrooms, showers with hot and cold running water, and an old man in a recliner who won’t let go of the remote even if he falls asleep.

Regardless of age, Greenwood Trails lets campers choose the activities in which they’d like to take part in daily, such as pottery, archery, go-karts, or outdoor cooking. Participants also engage in cabin activities that encourage bonding among bunkmates, such as swimming together in the lake or joining in an untieable human knot.