The Comprehensive Mom Audit
1. Program Focus & Daily Activities
Private Spring-Fed Lake, Stand-Up Paddleboarding & Heated Pools in Southport. Designed for Ages 4 to 15. The lakeside & waterfront programming has real bright spots, but the daily schedule felt inconsistently paced during our visit. (per our Southport visit, est. 2003) Sessions run 2 to 8 Weeks, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM daily.
2. Aquatics & Water Safety
We saw genuine swim instruction on one visit and largely unstructured pool time on another — consistency is the issue, not capability. (per our Southport visit, est. 2003)
3. Staffing & Supervision Standards
Camper-to-counselor ratios sit at 1:4 (Nursery/Pre-K), 1:6 (Grades 1-3), 1:8 (Grades 4+). Staffing quality at Stillwater of Southport Aquatics Camp varied noticeably by bunk — some counselors were excellent, others seemed undertrained for Ages 4 to 15.
4. Logistics, Transportation & Catering
Bus routes serving Southport were inconsistent in our tracking, sometimes running 15-20 minutes off schedule. Lunch quality varied by day. (per our Southport visit, est. 2003)
Tuition Range: $1670 – $1920 / week
👍 What We Loved
- The best bunks we observed had genuinely excellent counselors (per our Southport visit, est. 2003)
- Some specialty lakeside & waterfront programming stood out despite the overall inconsistency (per our Southport visit, est. 2003)
- Campus has decent shade coverage, which matters more than it sounds (per our Southport visit, est. 2003)
⚠️ What to Consider
- The advertised 1:4 (Nursery/Pre-K) ratio didn't consistently hold up in practice (per our Southport visit, est. 2003)
- We heard mixed reports on how allergy protocols are actually enforced (per our Southport visit, est. 2003)
- Facilities show uneven upkeep — some areas well-maintained, others neglected (per our Southport visit, est. 2003)
- Billing questions we raised took longer than they should have to get answered (per our Southport visit, est. 2003)