What’s the best way to familiarize yourself with a summer camp before you make a final decision? Naturally you should do as much research as possible, but if you can attend a camp open house in person, you are in terrific shape.

Attending a summer camp open house is one of the absolute BEST ways to know you’re making the right camp choice for your child. By going to an open house, you can meet the camp staff (including the camp director), play games, enjoy refreshments, and discover in person how the camp operates on a day-to-day basis.

This gives you a major advantage over other people who sign up for the camp sight-unseen. You are in a better position to get your personal impressions of the camp and the people running it. And ultimately you will have a better idea of whether the camp is a good fit for your child before making a decision.

Some camps offer personal tours of their facility. Touring the campsite can be a very valuable experience for you. (In fact, some people think this is even more worthwhile than attending an open house, because you might get more one-on-one attention from the camp staff.)

The drawback is, with an individual facility tour you generally don’t get to see the camp in a group setting, and since your child will be attending camp in a group setting, you might not get a clear picture of how things operate when the camp is filled with kids.

If you live far away from the camp, attending an open house might not be practical. But you can still get a basic picture of things from the camp’s website and brochure. Many camps also offer a free informational video or DVD which can be a valuable tool in helping you learn more about the program.

All in all, there is nothing like attending a summer camp open house to get the best picture of whether the camp is a good match for you.