My child had a fabulous time exploring the Bay Area with a new group of friends. She loved being outdoors and learning to navigate the transit system. The counselors–Mike and Lauren–were exceptional. Fabulous week overall. I would definitely sign her up next year.

My twin 9 y/o boys loved this camp- every day was different and the counsellors were fantastic! A great week of adventure, education and teaching life skills all in one!

I was so impressed with the planning, organization and customer service! Phone calls returned immediately, before school and after school interactions and the overall adventures. Mike Dobson is outstanding! Brian was great too. Thank you!

Thomas said that this was the best camp EVER. He would like to attend active camp again next year and wishes it lasted more than 1 week.

Every single day, my son said “Camp was really fun” and gave me a download of the planned activities, the interaction with counselors and other kids, and the spontaneous activities that popped up. For pre-teen boys who don’t talk that much, this is a huge sign that he loved the camp! Thanks for providing such a cool mix of activities – the diversity of events is a big plus!

Just thank you for giving Emil a great week. He’s not a big talker but I know for a fact he loved it. Also, thank for the fabulous picture!

This is a truly unique camp experience! My kids got to learn the public transit system, map reading, and how to navigate around the city. They’ve got skills I didn’t gain until well into my 20s! The trips were really neat and they got to explore great destinations from Berkeley to SF to San Jose. Definitely a unique and unforgettable experience. Best of all the counselors were enthusiastic and fun, everybody had a great time!

love love love the pictures, the twitter ones as well as the feed at the end of each day. Such a rare camp where you get to “be there” with your kid!

Such a fun week of camp! I loved the Twitter updates (and Instagram too), and really appreciated all the photos each night. Allison had a great time. I look forward to sending both my girls to UAC next summer!!

This is one of the most unique camps I have ever seen and it offers so much more than the typical “summer camp.” I will definitely be sending my kids in the future.

I had actually never heard of Urban Adventure camp–I found it entirely by chance doing an online search for summer camps that offer financial aid. I am so glad I found it! I love the whole concept of the camp–mapping out routes on BART/buses, getting out into the city and seeing some of the wonderful places we are fortunate to have in the Bay Area (and which, sadly, we so rarely take advantage of). As I said, I think the Twitter updates are great, and I really appreciate the shared pictures. The staff were amazing. I have already enthusiastically recommended the camp to several friends and will continue to do so. We hope to see you again next year. Thank you for a wonderful week!

The counselors were excellent and managed the program well. My daughter had a great time every day.

My son is very picky about camp counselors. He can tell whether or not the camp staff want to be there and whether they truly enjoy being with kids. He adored Mike and the staff, and wants to come back next year.

My son says, “Really Awesome!!!”

Thank you for giving my daughter a fun and educational week! We will definitely be back!!

My child liked having many opportunities for physical movement throughout the day, being outdoors, using public transportation, being introduced to new ideas and activities in a relaxed, casual (non-schooly) setting. For the first time ever, she wanted to go to another week of camp! Staff: Everyone seemed very enthusiastic, positive, and actively engaged with program and kids. As a parent, communication with Mike Dobson was excellent: E.g. He took all phone calls; notified us when UAC had openings; kept encouraging us, but not pushy; was exceptionally patient and positive with the kids. He was beyond exceptional!! I think my child felt comfortable with everyone, not pressured or put-on-the-spot, but accepted & supported. This geniune, friendly style was wonderful for my child and helped build self-confidence! Thank you!! I think having 2 separate age groups with different destinations worked well. Also, having several breaks (e.g. snacks, run around) during day made it much more fun.

Kids said, “it was awesome.” Mom was jealous of all the field trips. 😉

It was all so much fun for the kids! I think that the staff (Mike and Tia – sp?) made a huge impact, especially allowing the kids to just be themselves (a talkative bunch!), and allowing time to hang out and relax (soccer, sculpture climbing, etc.).

Audrey says “I had the best week in my whole entire life”

My husband and I loved seeing photos and updates of kids during our work day. Our daughter loved every minute of camp and had lots of stories to share.

The staff were great–she absolutely loved them. I really appreciated the Twitter updates and all the pictures that were shared at the end of the day.

I really appreciated being able to follow the camp on Twitter and getting the daily batches of photos. This is a great way to keep friends and family (especially those living far away) abreast of the kids’ activities.

We felt our daughter was safe, engaged, educated, and encouraged. Again, everything about this camp far exceeded our expectations and we can’t wait to sign up again next summer.

Both of my kids say that Urban Adventures is the “best camp ever!” They look forward to it and will definitely be back next summer.

Great for kids that have been scheduled their whole lives and now need to plan their own adventures (like how we did things when we were kids!)

Both kids told me it was by far their favorite camp of the summer and they would like to attend mixup next summer!

A fabulous exposure to traversing the Bay Area. Loved the daily adventures. We’ve visited many of the sites before but it was in a new way. It was fun for my son and eye opening for him.

It was a fun and memorable week, with lots of interesting (and educational) stops. My daughter loved it. We will be back next summer. P.S. I love the photos posted at the end of the day.

My girls love this camp! They both have some anxiety in new settings, crowds, and when encountering unexpected situations. However, they didn’t have any of these issues in this camp. It’s a great experience where they can build their confidence and gain independence in a safe way!

My 11 year old daughter, who has tried lots of different camps, said that Urban Adventures was the best camp she has ever been to. She liked that they didn’t “treat us like babies and make us play boring games.” She and her 9 year old sister both had a great time. Thank you!

This is the second year that Max has attended Urban Adventures. He says it is like going on a field trip everyday! I love everything about this camp and feel so fortunate that my son can attend. All my adult friends want to attend too!

I signed my son up two years ago as “punishment” for not working very hard in school. Boy was I wrong – it wasn’t punishment, it was the best camp he ever attended and opened his eyes to art, sculpture and a new found love of Rodin and the Legion of Honor. Turns out kids like camps other than sports or computer camps and really like learning in an active, engaged, fun atmosphere! Urban Adventure Camps is simply the best!!!

Your camp went above//beyond my expectations — from your tech savvy registration, sign in etc., to the experiences, taking public trans, smaller groups, nice kids — awesome all around. Thanks for everything. Awesome job!

This is by far the best camp in Oakland (and we’ve tried them all!). Kids learn about using public transportation and get to go to top attractions throughout the Bay Area. Fully engaging camp !

The quality of this camp is amazing and my daughter learned so much. What a wonderful way to learn to navigate the Bay Area using public transportation while learning our rich history.

Much better camp experience than expected! Looking forward to it again next year.

We live in the country, so my daughter was thrilled to spend a week exploring the city with kids her own age and fun counselors. I really appreciated that she learned how to navigate public transit too.

I loved getting the updates on Twitter! Mike was extremely professional and I give him big kudos for navigating through the bart strike! We definitely plan on attending next summer.

We signed up last minute, thinking the camp sounded fun, the times were just what we needed, and it would be nice for our child to learn more about our public transit as she is ready to gain more independence. She actually had a fantastic time, felt recognized and valued as an individual but very much a part of a group, and learned so much. UA wildly exceeded my expectations.

Wonderful camp. My son loved being out and about and having a small intimate group.

Great Bay Area experience for kids. Love the twitter pics throughout the day to check in on the kids.

Keep doing what you’re doing!

Well organized and run. An excellent way for kids to see the Bay Area and learn how to see and do fun things without a car.

Best camp for active and curious kids as it combines adventure, travel, exploration and learning! An A++++ of a camp!

Urban Adventures is such a unique and wonderful camp that has found the right balance between summertime fun and learning! We will definitely be back again next year!!

We love this camp, including the willingness of the planners to add in extra treats if time allows. The small group size is a real bonus. Because of the personal attention, my kid didn’t mind visiting places he had been to before. I know it’s a good camp day when he comes home tired and happy!

The smooth/easy drop-off and pick-up at BART are a breeze and the email with photos from the day are the parents’ highlight of every evening at our house. Our camper seemed totally comfortable from the very first day (and ended up attending a total of 3 UA sessions over the course of the summer!) and he loves to tell us where he went and what he saw every night when he gets home. Great communication, excellent staff-to-camper ratio, engaging destinations, very responsive director, and most of all–happy kid! You can quote us

My son never rode Bart. Now I has faith that he can navigate around the Bay Area without fear of getting lossed!!! The week was awsome!

Great camp, my daughter had a great time. Loved the pictures you tweeted throughout the day, it really allowed us to share in the experience. Thanks!

Best camp ever!!!

Having the BART disabled due to fire just added to our adventure. We made new friends and had a blast!

Every kid should be lucky enough to participate in this camp. Perfect combination of education, exercise and fun! Mike and his team are amazing ! They encourage kids to explore safely, they make learning fun, and they appear to genuinely enjoy the kids!

The camp was excellent. Our son thoroughly enjoyed every aspect, from planning the transport to the mix of campers to the counselors and the attractions. A big plus – and surprise – today was the library trip and hall of science. It was especially nice that he was able to get to so many places we always want to go but never seem to get to on the weekend. This camp was fantastic. Loved it!!!

Urban Adventure Camps are the kind of experience we all want our children to have. The kind of thrilling fun that comes with summer, friends and adventure!

“It was awsome! I will be sure to come back next year”, Ian, 12

Seeing these places with your peers is a totally different experience than going with your parents. My son really enjoyed his independence!

Hi Mike,
This was a great camp and I think xxxxxx really really liked it. I highly enjoyed seeing the pictures of each day of adventure that the kids had. That was a wonderful benefit for me as a parent. I’m glad that the pictures you take are a part of your camp program. Hopefully, xxxxxx can do more than one week next year. Have a great summer and thanks again for sharing such a fun week with xxxxxx and I.
Sincerely,
xxxxxx
xxxxxx’s mother

this camp rocks!

So fun! The best camp ever….worth getting up early for!!!

‘awesome’ my son told me it was the best week at camp he had ever had.

I love the idea of this, it is the ability to send your children on a camp experience to all of the places that, as a parent, you never seem to have enough time to take them.

I think that the aspect of using BART and other forms of transportation is by far the best part. My husband and I take BART to work every day, it is such a vital part of our lives, I am really glad that my son can get that feeling and understand how valuable it is too.

My daughter had been to a few of the places that the group traveled before and was initially a little hesitant because of it, but every day she came home raving, not only about the places that they went and how they got there, but also about the group dynamic and the fact that it was so much more fun than when she went on field trips with her school.

My daughter had a great time and enjoyed all of the museums. I think it helped that her friend was there as well as the staff. She really enjoyed Jessica and Mike.

Thanks so much for taking pictures everyday and posting them on the website.

My Son just did this camp and LOVED it. Mike (camp director) is super cool, great with the kids, and makes it both fun and educational.

The camp was a hit with my son and his friends – especially the stop at CREAM on Friday! My guess is that you will see a lot of kids from their school next year – at least kids going into 8th and 6th!See you next summer!

My sons went to your camp this past summer and had a great time.

Thank you for making this past week such an amazing one! My Daughter LOVED everyday and camp home each evening very excited about all that she saw and learned. You guys are awesome!

It was the first time so really didn’t know what too expect but were extremely pleased.

“It was awesome!” -My Son (age 9)

I had hoped my kids would enjoy it, but I didn’t realize they would enjoy it as much as they did.

Loved the daily pictures!!! Loved seeing how excited he was everyday and eager he was to go back the next day….