St Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center

The ranch and retreat center is an amazing place to be. With lovely lodge rooms, a stellar cafeteria, and attentive employees, the St. Nicholas Ranch and Retreat center is the best place to hold school or business retreats, as well as go for a relaxing weekend. The whole place is clean and well kept, but all the nature around it is preserved.
One thing I would like to say first, is that people are confusing the annual summer camp that is held there with the ranch itself. I want to clarify that they are two separate entities. The camp is a place with some of the best people I have ever met, from joyous kids to the intelligent and kind councillors. I have attended the camp for years, as well as gone on vacations and attended retreats throughout the year, and can honestly say that it is nothing less than a joy.
The forests and many trails up there are breathtaking, and you can walk for hours and hours and be alone with nature. I especially love one trail that leads to a lake where you can see where Native American settlements used to be, and some large stones that they cut for the use of storing food are still there.
At night, you get to see millions of stars that you aren’t able to see anywhere else, and hear the sounds of the wildlife around you.
Also, the place is newly renovated and refurbished, and no matter where you go you will feel at home. The perfect place to relax and take it easy. I would give it 10 stars if I could.

Alright, so I haven’t been back to «The Ranch» (aka Greek Camp) for many years. But between the ages of 7 and 13, I was a regular attendee.
My early years (7 – 10) are full of fond memories: arts and crafts (what would a camp be without lanyard-​making?), rustic greek orthodox liturgies in the chapel (aka converted barn), bonfires at the lake, and other fun activities with other similar-​aged greek and non-​greek kids alike. We even visited the monastery down the road on several occasions, where the kind sisters there fed us on rose-​water laced cookies and other treats. It was a great way to «be one» with nature and learn more about the greek orthodox faith in the process.
But somewhere in early adolescence, St. Nick’s became a dumping ground for troubled kids (you know, the ones who set the neighbor’s cat on fire but no one was ever able to prove it?). Campers were mercilously teased and bullied by the other camp attendees, and the counselors themselves even felt threated by the «kids» (more like young adults) in my age group. Nothing was done on behalf of the adminstrators to curb these psychos, and they routinely turned a blind eye to these monsters even when they resorted to acts of vandalism and mild physical abuse (amongst the boys anyway… girls had «cat fights» which included hair pulling, no kidding!).
Hopefully the summer camp environment at St. Nick’s has improved since the 90’s. If not, you should think twice before you send your kids there. You may think they’ll undergo an enriching experience, but you may just be sending them away to be bulled and beaten-​up. It might be a good idea to call and talk with the administration first…
PS– As a side note, I have attended a young orthodox retreat back in 2002 that was fantastic (A 4-​star affair). Too bad I can’t rate the center & the camp separately!