Dan's Best East End Camps: Shine Hamptons & Hallockville Museum Farm

A few short weeks ago, Dan’s Papers and Dime Community Bank presented the winners of the Dan’s Best of the Best 2021 contest. Among them were two camps that hold a special place in the hearts of readers, based on the incredible number of votes they each received: Shine Hamptons and Hallockville Museum Farm. Let’s see what these all-star camps have planned for summer 2022!

Dan’s Best of the Best South Fork Camp: Shine Hamptons

While 2022 marks Shine Hamptons’ ninth summer camp season, it’s also an inaugural season, of sorts, because the popular pop-up camp finally has a home all its own. The aptly-named Shine Studio in Bridgehampton includes plenty of classroom space, an outdoor playground and easy access to the stunning Long Pond Greenbelt walking trails.

As is Shine tradition, there are several different camps for parents and their kids to choose from, each providing a different focus for young campers to engage with. This summer’s camp runs nine weeks, July 5 through September 2, with parents able to book campers for as few as one day this summer, up to five days a week for the full nine weeks.

The Summer Day Camp celebrates all things Hamptons, with each Thursday program taking place at a different iconic East End location. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays take advantage of the new Shine Studio, and Tuesdays are dedicated to the prestigious LongHouse Reserve. Children ages 4–12 can participate in an innovative camp schedule of arts and crafts, nature exploration, field games and visits from sunrise local artists, artisans and performers. Each day’s camp runs 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

Parents with kiddos too young for Summer Day Camp can rest assured that there’s a Summer Mini Camp for campers 2 to not quite 4. Taking place from 9 a.m.–noon at LongHouse Reserve on Tuesdays and Shine Studio the other four weekdays, the Mini Camp will engage young campers with art, music, movement, nature exploration and free play.

In addition to camps mostly based at Shine Studio, Shine Hamptons is once again partnering up with Sag Harbor Tennis to present their signature Shine Tennis & Arts Camp. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4–6 p.m., campers will get to make some crafts, ace some serves and make new friends at Mashashimuet Park in Sag Harbor.

For more information about Shine Hamptons camps, including availability and pricing, call 212-414-5427, email info@shinenyc.net or visit shinenyc.net.

Dan’s Best of the Best North Fork Camp: Hallockville Museum Farm 

It’s hard to beat the unique farm camp experiences offered at Hallockville Museum Farm in Northville. Junior campers ages 5–7 and senior campers ages 8–12 are invited to the 28-acre farm for six different weeklong camps through July and August.

Life on the Farmstead Part 1 takes place July 5–8 asks campers to step back in time without electronic distractions and experience life as it was on the farm during simpler times. July 11–15 gives campers the opportunity to go on Nature Explorations, exploring 500 acres of fields and woods surrounding Hallockville and discovering local flora and fauna. The focus of July 18–22 is Bees, Butterflies and Gardens, which makes for an engaging topic as kids first learn the importance of creatures that pollinate much of the food we live on, then dig into the garden to learn hands-on about planting and harvesting. The August 1–5 camp is all about Journeying Through History, including the intertwining cultures of Native Americans, European settlers and immigrants from all over the world. Finally, Life on the Farmstead Part 2, August 8–12, is a sequel that builds off its predecessor, challenging campers to sew, wash, cook, chop and learn more about life on the farm. All camps are from 9 a.m.–2 p.m.

Weekly tuition is officially $410 per child, but savvy parents who take advantage of the early bird special before it expires March 31, only pay $390 per kid. Additionally, multi-week discounts ($385 per week when registering a child for two or more weeks) and sibling discounts ($385 per child when registering two or more kids for the same week) are available. A 50% deposit is due upon registration, with the remaining amount due on May 15, after which full tuition would be due at the time of registration.

As a 501 (c)3 not-for-profit organization, Hallockville is dedicated to serving the educational needs of the community, and is therefore offering a limited number of camp scholarships to children from deserving local families. The organization is currently accepting charitable contributions to help fund the scholarship program.

For more information Hallockville’s camp or scholarship opportunities, call the office at 631-298-5292, email camp@hallockville.org or visit hallockville.org