Timber Lake Camp Review

We recently held our first-ever sleep away marching band camp at Timber Lake Camp. To say that our experience was INCREDIBLE would be an understatement! The facility/property is absolutely beautiful and the owner and staff were remarkable in their willingness to provide the finest possible experience for our students. To Jay, Diana, Joshua, Robbie, Scott, Reggie, Shelia and the rest of the staff, we say THANK YOU for an exceptional week. We will be returning next year and hopefully, for years to come!!
- Harry T Welte, Band Director-Fort Lee HS, Fort Lee, NJ

Well, a big part of me doesn't want to leave a review for Timber Lake because I'm selfish and don't want other people have a wedding as PERFECT and AMAZING as we did. However, I will do the right thing. TLC was the best decision we could have ever made! Our wedding was the most unforgettable experience of our lives! Everything was above and beyond our expectations, from the second we drove through the gates right up until we sadly left that Sunday. Where to start... The grounds are beautiful and well kept with awesome views all over. Countless options for a beautiful outdoor(or indoor) setting. The food offered throughout the weekend was excellent, we didn't know what to expect going in as far as serving food to over 100 people at once but Reggie and Sheila killed it and everyone loved the food! The Staff! The staff are really what made the weekend what it was. Anything we needed was done immediately! Scott Glick ran the show like a well oiled machine. Between Scott, Reggie, Sheila, Robbie, Jordan, Nathan, Jamie, Owen, Dave, Erin (really apologize if I'm forgetting any of you guys), anytime that I would ask if the staff could do something for us, it would already be done. The staff were all some of the most hard working, friendly, easy to work with, awesome people that I've ever come across. Thank god for them taking care of every single thing, when I was in no condition to do so! Every person at our wedding is raving about how beautiful, perfect and fun our wedding weekend was. Now I'm just spending my time trying to figure out another reason/event to book TLC again!
Thanks Guys!
-James & Amanda

We had our wedding at Timberlake Camp and Timberlake truly exceeded all of our expectations. Our wedding weekend was a dream come true and our friends, family, our parents' friends, etc. are still reaching out to say how much fun they had, how stunning Timberlake was, and how impressed they are with the Timberlake staff. One compliment we got from quite a few people was something to the effect of, "I feel bad for anyone who has to try and plan a wedding after attending yours." (It was that good)

The camp did everything they could to meet our expectations and really went above and beyond.

It really was a dream to have our friends and family together in one beautiful place to celebrate from Friday night until Sunday brunch and Timberlake was the perfect place to do it.

Though everyone and every couple is different, some things that we loved the most:
- The adventure course! - we were torn whether people would use it / if it was worth the expense but in the end couldn't believe HOW MANY people used it and had so much fun. Even those who didn't climb or zip had a great time watching and photographing those who did!
- We planned our own adult minute-to-win-it game/relay race/silly time using games we found on pinterest and google and it was hysterical and served as a great opportunity for people to meet before the ceremony/reception.
- The dining hall transforms once you turn off those overhead lights and doll-it-up with some sexy lighting. In our case, our DJ came ahead of time do do some string lights through the rafters and some up-lighting on the walls and the place just looked incredible!

The food was good too and the kitchen staff feels like family by the time you leave!

Timber Lake Camp surpassed our wildest summer camp wedding dreams.

And by wildest summer camp wedding dreams , I mean: swimming pool, zip line, climbing wall, water slide, ropes course, canoes, paddle boards, bonfire and s mores, and sports galore! We even put on a talent show in the AWESOME Timber Lake Playhouse. And while many of our family and friends slept in shared cabins just like summer camp, there were also plenty of nice private rooms for our guests as well! Priorities for us when looking at camps were the cleanliness and comfort of the housing and bathroom situations - for both shared cabins and private rooms Timber Lake definitely checked those boxes.

The grounds themselves are unmatched. So beautiful, well-kept and conveniently laid out. When trying to describe it, we would say It s like a summer camp country club or It s like if Disneyland were a summer camp

Besides the Timber Lake Camp property and the facilities, the staff were also above and beyond. For us, meeting Scott after touring the camp for the first time was the final piece of the puzzle that solidified our decision that Timber Lake Camp was the place for us even the staff was the right fit. Throughout the whole process, Scott was hospitable, professional, friendly, and fun.

On our wedding weekend, from the moment we arrived on camp to start setting up, the members of the TLC team were all YES people. I honestly joked a few hours into set up, I m waiting for the moment you say no to one of my requests (P.S. - It never happened)

Scott and Jordan both have such calm and can-do attitudes. Very comforting for a stressed and anxious bride!

The kitchen is run by the amazing duo, Reggie and Sheila. Who, in addition to clearly working hard and making some AWESOME food (we even had them do our reception meal), they also seemed to have a great time all weekend and they seemed to truly care for us.

When we asked for ice in the theatre, it was there in minutes. When we asked if we can make the campfire happen at 10:20 instead of the scheduled 10:30, it was ready at 10:17. I ran out of time to strain the giant tub of cold brew iced coffee I made for the weekend, and they made it happen without hesitation. When we asked for sandbags last minute for the ceremony, it wasn t just a yes but would you like green or white sandbags?

Jay (the owner, himself) was literally cracking glow sticks and helping with other preparations before the reception, in the final minutes leading up it.



To the couples who are looking at Timber Lake as a venue, I will say this... weddings are a secondary and pretty new business venture for the camp. In addition to hosting hundreds of kids at the summer-long camp, they have a lot of other events that take place before, during and after the season.

I say this only because responses are delayed. Rest assured, emails always do get a response with thoughtful attention. Have patience knowing that the people responding to your emails are the same people who are manning those other events.

So remember that this means they are incredibly attentive and hands-on for YOUR event as well!

If you are more traditional in the sense that you may require a little more hand-holding in the planning process, you may want to explore other options This IS a summer camp, not a 5-hour event space that hosts weddings every other weekend.

If you are specifically looking for a truly spectacular and unique summer camp wedding at a breathtakingly beautiful location, with some really lovely, kind and FUN people without a doubt, check out Timber Lake Camp.

I may or may not already be planning a 5th anniversary party there, if that tells you anything. ;)

If I had the opportunity to rate this camp as ZERO stars, I would. A group of high school students both male and female attended a go-kart park in Williamsburg, Virginia from this camp on August 2, 2017. At least three families that were patrons of the park that evening had serious concerns over the unruly behavior and inappropriate language of the campers from Timber Lake Camp. They were driving aggressive on the GoKart tracks and bragged in line about running a small child and her mother off the track. A response from one of the campers was "you have to be aggressive to win!" In addition, some campers where showing off their warnings from the employees for aggressive driving by stating that they had been "tatted!" The final straw was when I was shoved into a wall causing a bruised shoulder blade and cut and bruise on my knee. The counselor tried to lesson the blatant disregard for other patrons by saying they don't have their drivers' licenses yet and we must be better drivers than they are. The group that was actually on the track at the time of the incident was never reprimanded and the director of the camp, Mindy Jacobs claimed she couldn't address the issue because she didn't know exactly which drivers hit me. It is a shame that such entitled campers @13,000 for an 8 week camp cannot be taught appropriate behavior while in public and being respectful of rules and regulations and that there are consequences for poor choices! Shame on you Camp Timber Lake!!

Wedding Review: Among all the amazing things I can say about our special weekend, the main one I want to call out is the outstanding number of positive responses we got from our guests. Having our guests *enjoy* their time at our wedding rather than just "attend" our wedding was a major focus for us. Timber Lake Camp (TLC), Jordan, Reggie, and staff made this possible. They were unbelievably accommodating and responsive in planning, and during the wedding weekend. The grounds and facilities allowed for endless entertainment for everyone (see their website for full details on their facilities).
In the spirit of a helpful review, here is some advice to future wedding parties. Setting expectations and having strong communication is key! We chose NOT to hire a wedding planner so we were the ones directly communicating with the camp, hiring vendors, creating a schedule, getting the small details down to what we wanted, etc. Determining who was responsible for what was very important in avoiding mishaps during the event(s). Since we are not professional wedding planners, there were things that we missed. Would it have been nice if TLC covered every little thing for us? Yes. Did we expect them to be mind-reader, fortune tellers? No. We are DIY type of people, so the support of Jordan and his staff when we realized we needed something was what made this a 5 start experience for us.
We hope one of my friends get married at Timber Lake Camp so that we can go back for another wedding event there!

Where do I even begin?
When I first introduced the idea of a summer camp wedding to my parents they thought the idea was outrageous and they were truthfully uncomfortable with the idea of a non-formal, DIY wedding. My husband and I, on the other hand, could not imagine celebrating any other way, as it was incredibly important for us to celebrate with our friends and family over an extended period of time. Plus, I grew up going to sleep-away camp and loved the idea of staying in the cabins, playing games all day and all night long, and living among nature for the weekend.
From the moment we reached out to the camp, Jordan Cooper was professional, responsive, and provided us with enough information that we felt 100% confident moving forward with planning our dream camp wedding. Jordan provided us with information on wonderful vendors for rentals and reception servers, he invited us to visit the camp on every occasion we asked (about 5 times), and he was always quick to reply to our emails and my (sometimes silly) questions. Jordan s Google Drive planner helped us to organize the weekend timeline, menus, and cabins, and this support was huge in easing my pre-wedding anxiety.
When the wedding weekend came, all staff at the camp was extremely accommodating and did not set any restrictions on the types of activities we planned or how we wanted the weekend to run. We had full reign and access to the walk-in fridges in the dining hall at all times, all cabins were clean and ready with towels and linins before our guests arrived, and when I had a little snafu and needed to print out new seating charts Jordan stopped what he was doing and let me use his computer for hours until I fixed the issue.
And the weekend was absolutely perfect!! TLC staff was readily accessible to help out our guests, including those who needed a golf cart to get around. They made sure all activity areas were set up for us, they helped coordinate activities and they checked in on us throughout the weekend to make sure everything was running smoothly. My husband and I felt safe, confident in the process, and well-taken care of.
And our guests they still cannot stop raving about the weekend! They felt that the camp grounds and cabins were beautiful and clean, they loved being able to take full advantage of the camp, including the pool and lake, canteen and karaoke room, basketball courts and hiking trails, etc. Our guests loved that we gave them this opportunity to reunite and spend a full weekend with distant family members, and they appreciated the low-key and comfortable vibes of the weekend. My mom, who I mentioned was not keen on the idea of a non-traditional wedding, is still raving about how impressed she was with the food that Reggie, Sheila and their team provided for each meal. In the word of my mom, No wedding, moving forward, will ever compare to this!
Overall, everything about the weekend the support and help from Jordan and his team, the food, the activities, the quality of the cabins and beauty and cleanliness of the camp exceeded our expectations. I was genuinely sad when the weekend and all of the planning (and my way-too-frequent email sending to Jordan) was over. The weekend was better than my husband, family, friends and I ever could have imagined and I would not change a single thing.

the children and counselors have no manners. horribly behaved

We, like many other brides and grooms had an expectation of what our wedding day/weekend would look like... With all of the planning, work effort and love that went into it, we'd expected it to be the best weekend and day of our lives. Our expectations had been clearly explained in detail with our "event coordinator". However, they WERE not even close to met.

We arrived on Thursday morning only to be greeted by Reggie and Sheila who live on site and manage the day to day operations of the camp. They were incredible, and did everything in their power to help us have a great weekend, we loved them... however.. we're pretty sure they didn't know a wedding was happening that weekend.

When we arrived many of the cabins were still dirty from the weekend before. Half of the private cabins (that we'd been promised were going to be fully renovated) were disgusting and filthy.. with graffiti written on the walls, and dirt, grime and empty liquor bottles among them. OUR BRIDAL SUITE had a moldy fridge, and dirty linens wrapped in a ball on the floor, along with the filthy towels from the weekend prior. Our BRIDAL SUITE REMAINED THIS WAY FOR THE DURATION OF THE WEEKEND, EVEN AFTER REPEATEDLY ASKING FOR IT TO BE CLEANED ON THURSDAY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. It's a good thing that the groom had brought sleeping bags with him.. otherwise we would have been sleeping on that dirty mattress.

Our Event Coordinator didn't show up until about 8pm that night... alone... We had been promised a team of 6 staff to help us with setup.. Instead, we had our family running around like slaves.. in a commercial kitchen cleaning the glassware and silverware we had had to purchase and bring ourselves, since they didn't provide anything wedding-appropriate. All of the things wed made 7-8 trips to camp with and left in a storage area had to be carted to the dining hall. We had to move every single table and chair in the dining room ourselves to set it up. (Thankfully Reggie was able to help us with some of this) Our question is... where was the rest of the staff? I certainly didn't expect I would be breaking my back the two days before my wedding day!

Friday, again we ran around like nut-jobs to set up the dining room, at some point 2 other staff members showed up, alongside the owner Jay Jacobs. We practically missed our entire rehearsal bbq because we were busy trying to salvage what was left of the weekend with Jay Jacobs..in HIS IMMACULATE HOME, we met with him to express our discontent, he simply stated " Perhaps your expectations are the problem, and not the service".... meanwhile.. our bridal suite remained littered with previous guests filth. See pics... it was truly lovely.

Saturday... our makeup and hair artists arrived and were shown to the dance studio where I would be getting ready. The mirrors were filthy... and there was a GIANT broken window on the right side... In the 33 degree weather and hurricane like winds... the room was freezing cold and for FOUR hours we battled the weather.. and asked repeatedly that they cover the window with SOMETHING, ANYTHING, wood, plastic garbage bags, or anything to keep the wind out... The breaker kept blowing every time a hair dryer or space heater was turned on, and each time that happened it delayed us getting ready by an HOUR because of the severely understaffed camp and their inability to react to loss of power with any kind of haste. By the time I was ready to get into my gown, not only was I an HOUR and a HALF LATE for my ceremony, but I was freezing to death, had not taken a single photo with my mother, bridesmaids, or family... (to no fault of the photographer) and was forced to PUT MY GOWN ON IN A HALLWAY!
We paid an extra couple of thousand dollars to have the zipline and pools open.. the only problem is that 90% of the guests had no idea they were open... since the pool was covered in leaves. Oh yeah, we also froze all weekend since the only space heater that was available was that little JOKE shown in the picture).HONESTLY I CAN GO ON... SAVE YOUR WEDDING AND DONT DO IT HERE!!!!!!!

WOW . Well organized . Plenty of things for the kids to do ! All summer

Amazing location. Beautiful scenery and great people.

TLC graciously hosted my group of 43 first-year college students for pre-orientation overnight trip (three days, 2 nights) last summer. The students arrived to Camp shy and nervous but thanks to the warm and enthusiastic staff, the group left energized and excited for school. Each staff member was inclusive and kind and showed amazing hospitality. The staff team spent time getting to know my students and fostered a sense of community and openness--something so important for first-year students. The crew kept the students engaged with lots of fun activities games (i.e.: sports, square dancing, basketball, campfire, zip line, etc.)--I don't even think they missed their cellphones! The facilities at the camp were impeccable and the food was tasty. The TLC staff was flexible in accommodating our needs (i.e.: accidental early arrival) and worked closely with my student chaperon and me to ensure students received the best Camp experience possible. Many students had never attended a traditional summer camp before and TLC provided a wonderful taste of what summer Camp is all about. I can only hope other new students from my institution can also enjoy the same opportunity in beginning their collegiate experience uniquely in the woods, away from technology and focused on team building, the great outdoors, and making new friends.

Thank you again, TLC!
J.W.

Beautiful green space, log wood cabins, water games. Zip lining, courteous staff, everything so refreshing. Great for events

Such an amazing place to go through the summer with your friends

I just went to visit since I'm considering it as a possible wedding venue. The place is beautiful with numerous amenities and activities.

Josh, Robbie and the gang are fabulous. I have been taking my football team up there for two years now and the service is the best. Their attention to detail is superb. They are most accommodating. Whether we need extra soap, a/v support, or an additional lifeguard, they always get the job done. Also, I would be totally remiss if I did not mention Reggie and his staff. Reggie's food is amazing and the service is even better. Do not hesitate to book TLC. I am looking forward to going back next year. P.S. The facilities and location are second to none.

Its sooo beautiful I wish I could live there but there's 0 service on all cell phones and its 14,000 per 7 weeks, I cant afford that

I remember being a High school football player and my best experience at football camp was with the Timberlake family. So upon becoming Head Coach of my Alma mater it was a no brainer for me to return to my roots. This was the best decision I made so far. Robbie Josh and the Timberlake staff are so welcoming and accommodating. The facilities are top of the line and the service is unmatched. No camp can compare to Reggie and his staff and their excellent meals. I have never had food at a camp so delicious and filling. My team is sad to leave each time we go and we look forward to returning the following year. Timberlake is by far the best camp around.

I was here for a wedding. The set up was nice and the staff there did a good job