Camp Fernwood

What Camp Fernwood does

Camp Fernwood is a privately held, traditional sleepaway summer camp for girls, founded in 1921 and located on a 100-acre campus on the shore of Lake Thompson in Poland, Maine. The camp operates a single full-season 7-week session serving approximately 230 campers ages 7-15, drawn from 23 US states and multiple foreign countries, supported by 150-160 resident staff. The program integrates four pillars — arts, watersports, landsports, and tripping — under a structured combination of required core activities (instructional swimming, tennis, and canoeing) and electives, with the stated goal of building character, independence, and lifelong friendships in a screen-free environment.

The business is monetized almost entirely through seasonal tuition ($16,500 for the full 2026 7-week session) plus modest add-on fees for optional horseback riding and private tennis lessons. Enrollment is direct-to-consumer via the third-party CampInTouch online portal, supplemented by in-person campus tours during July, word-of-mouth, and an active alumnae referral network. The camp is ACA-accredited and uses a referral-program-driven top-of-funnel motion rather than paid acquisition. There is no disclosed app, no proprietary technology platform beyond CampInTouch integration, and no digital product extensions.

Camp Fernwood has been owned and directed by only three families across its 100+ year history: the founding Bluhm family, the Seving family (2003-2018), and currently Ellyn Black, who acquired ownership in 2018 after progressing from camper to staff to director since 1997. Directors Emeriti Fritz and Christine Seving transitioned to advisory roles after the 2023 season. The company has no institutional capital, no subsidiaries, no M&A activity, and operates from a summer campus in Poland, Maine and a winter office in Davie, Florida.

Name

Camp Fernwood

Legal name

Camp Fernwood

Website

https://campfernwood.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Camp Fernwood is a traditional, privately-held 7-week overnight summer camp for girls ages 7-15, founded in 1921 on a 100-acre campus on Lake Thompson in Poland, Maine. It enrolls approximately 230 campers annually from 23 US states and abroad, supported by 150-160 resident staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Overnight Summer Camp Services

NAICS

Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Camping & Scout Camps (THAGAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Adventure Base Camps (Trek/Climb/Expedition Camps) (THAGAOAG)

Keywords

• Overnight summer camp
• Girls sleepaway camp
• Traditional summer camp
• Residential camp programs
• Children outdoor education

Headquarters

HQ city

Poland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Camp Tuition: Seasonal tuition fee for the 7-week overnight camp session. Tuition covers all activities except optional horseback riding and private tennis lessons. This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Optional Activity Fees: Additional fees for optional activities including horseback riding and private tennis lessons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Camp Fernwood is a traditional 7-week overnight sleepaway summer camp for girls ages 7-15, hosted on a 100-acre campus on the shore of Lake Thompson in Poland, Maine. The integrated program combines required core instruction (swimming, tennis, canoeing) with elective activities across arts, watersports, landsports, and multi-day tripping. The 2026 full-season tuition is $16,500, with additional fees for optional horseback riding and private tennis lessons.

Product overview

Camp Fernwood is a traditional girls' summer camp offering a single 7-week overnight session for approximately 230 girls ages 7-15. The camp operates as an integrated program combining arts, watersports, landsports, and tripping activities with a structured pairing of required core activities (instructional swimming, tennis, and canoeing) and elective activities. The camp provides an online management platform called CampInTouch for administrative functions including forms, parent communication, and camper email. Founded in 1921, the camp emphasizes character development, tolerance, and simple outdoor living on its 100-acre campus on Lake Thompson in Maine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Camp Fernwood 7-Week Overnight Summer Camp Session A traditional 7-week overnight sleepaway summer camp for approximately 230 girls ages 7-15 on a 100-acre campus on Lake Thompson in Poland, Maine. The session pairs required core instruction (swimming, tennis, canoeing) with elective activities across arts, watersports, landsports, and tripping. 2026 tuition is $16,500.
• Arts Program Individual workshops in fashion design, printmaking, ceramics, woodworking, photography, silver jewelry, glass fusion, dance, music (guitar, piano), theatre, set design, lighting and sound, and painting, offered to campers ages 7-15 within the 7-week session.
• Watersports Program Comprehensive waterfront activities including waterskiing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, standup paddleboarding, and swimming conducted on Lake Thompson. 98% of campers learn to waterski during the summer.
• Landsports Program Land-based activities including tennis, archery, basketball, field hockey, gymnastics, horseback riding, lacrosse, rock climbing, ropes course, soccer, Ultimate Frisbee, yoga, aerobics, nature studies, and marksmanship, delivered on the 100-acre campus.
• Tripping and Special Events Program Weekly out-of-camp adventures including mountain climbing, white water canoeing, rock climbing, camping, biking, and sight-seeing in northern New England, with extended 3-day trips for older campers to Acadia National Park, Mt. Katahdin, and Mt. Washington.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of campers learn to waterski during the summer
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Camp Lake of the Ozarks / Camp LTO: Traditional girls' overnight summer camp on the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. Closely comparable single-gender, lake-based, multi-activity residential camp model.
• Camp Towanda: Co-ed sleepaway summer camp in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, with a long operating history and family-style programming. Comparable on multi-week residential model, family ownership, and traditional activity mix.
• Camp Wekeela: Co-ed summer camp in Harrison, Maine, on a lake, focused on water sports, land sports, and arts in a traditional overnight format. Overlaps with Fernwood in location, duration, and breadth of programs.
• Camp Pinecliffe: Traditional girls' sleepaway summer camp in Harrison, Maine, offering a multi-activity program and seven-week sessions on a Maine lake. Closest direct comparable in geography, duration, and single-gender model.
• Camp Tekoa: Methodist-affiliated traditional summer camp in Hendersonville, North Carolina, with overnight programs and a wide activity mix. Comparable broad-activity residential camp, with a regional rather than Maine geographic base.
• Camp Chewonki: Long-running overnight summer camp in Wiscasset, Maine, with wilderness tripping and traditional activities. Matches Fernwood on Maine location, multi-week duration, and emphasis on outdoor character development.
• Camp Lohikan: Traditional sleepaway summer camp in Lake Como, Pennsylvania, with a broad multi-activity program similar to Fernwood's sport, arts, and waterfront offerings.
• Camp Runoia: Established girls' overnight summer camp in Belgrade, Maine, on a Maine lake with a similar multi-activity program and traditional character-development focus. Direct match on single-gender, Maine-lake positioning.
• Camp Mar-Lyn / Camp Louise: Pair of affiliated traditional girls' sleepaway camps in Pennsylvania with broad activity programs and multi-week sessions. Comparable traditional girls-only overnight experience.
• Camp Cedar (formerly Camp Cedar Valley): Multi-week sleepaway camp for girls in Pennsylvania with traditional programming across sports, arts, and waterfront. Direct match on girls-only overnight residential format.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/16687366007

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Camp Fernwood