Calleva Farm

This place was awesome. I came here for staff retreat and it was quite a retreat alright.
All those physically and mentally challenging obstacles. Their staff is so awesome and friendly. Let’s just say, they don’t give up on you. I would come back with big group of friends to do these exercises to build our friendship next time.

This is my kid’s second home. They offer team building programs, after school programs, summer camps, the famous Markoff Haunted Forrest, the equestrian program, and more.
My kids have been involved in the equestrian program for a few years, taking lessons, leasing, building their work ethic and learning some great life skills.
Great, caring people, great programs, love this place.

Calleva is an awesome adventure-​learning organization based out of Poolesville, Maryland, with sites everywhere from the Chesapeake Bay to National Harbor. Their Farm in Dickerson is home to one of the better Ropes courses I’ve seen (not to mention Markoff’s Haunted Forest in season).
Somehow I ended up in charge of our annual «outdoor adventure» field trips this year. Instead of our usual outfit, I decided to give Calleva a go with our gang. Some of the great folks working there actually came to our school last spring, taking the time to sit down with us and talk about the programs they offer and how they could best meet the needs of our unique population of kiddos. That they wanted to tailor their programs to our students impressed us right off the bat.
Once I started planning our field trips, it was really easy to coordinate with Calleva via e-​mail and telephone. They were proactive, responsive, and flexible. I even received e-​mails and calls from each day’s individual Head Facilitator in order to gather more detailed information about our overall goals, how we envisioned the day would go, and specific activities they had planned.
Both days of our field trips, we arrived with busloads of active kids, ready to go. The Calleva facilitators were equally ready: fully prepared, organized, and full of energy. They led our students through a really fun, well-​thought-​out day of team-​building, creative problem solving, and testing personal limits. All the facilitators did a great job of explaining the activities, and then — more importantly — debriefing at the end, so the students better understood the point of each. We did both high (Zip Line, Big Swing, Balance Beam) and low (X-​Games, Think Tank) elements — and adults even got to play. I also have to mention that hot coffee was ready for us both mornings; Calleva obviously knows who they’re dealing with, and that educators run on little more than coffee and adrenaline.
The property itself was worth the extra drive it took to get out to Dickerson. The Ropes course is spread throughout somewhat dense woods, up and down hillsides, and over creeks.
Whether it’s a field trip, company bonding, or a crew of you and your friends, Calleva Farm is an excellent place to challenge your fears and work up a sweat.