Construction is now underway for Queenstown’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, stemming from a passion project by a beloved actor and philanthropist.
The Connecticut-based camp for children with rare diseases and serious illnesses was founded by actor Paul Newman and has been serving families on the East Coast for more than 35 years. Its new location in Queen Anne’s County, along Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, is slated to open to the public by spring 2026.
Podcast: Hole in the Wall Gang Camp Comes to Maryland
Primarily servicing children with cancer, sickle cell anemia and rare diseases, the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is meant to support those children and their families with medical resources while also giving them a place to “raise a little hell” through fun camp activities.
“[Paul Newman] founded the camp to create a space where children with serious illnesses could go and experience the magic and the fun of a camp experience, and as he famously said, ‘raise a little hell,’” says Hilary Axtmayer, the camp’s chief program officer. “Our camp in Connecticut has been incredibly successful, and the initial seed that Paul Newman planted almost 40 years ago has grown and grown.”
In addition to summer camp sessions, the camp also provides year-round support to children with serious illnesses and their families through hospital outreach programs and family retreats.
Situated on the banks of the Wye River, the Maryland location’s campus was the former estate of philanthropist Arthur A. Houghton, Jr. The land was donated to the political think tank Aspen Institute in 1979 but sat abandoned for several years after the organization had to move.
Over 150 acres of the land were gifted to the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, with one of Houghton’s stepchildren sitting on the camp’s board. Many of the Houghton estate’s historic buildings will be preserved, with infrastructure developed to make the camp more accessible for campers with mobility issues, such as wider pathways.
Maryland was chosen for the camp’s second location after a medical needs assessment found that the area’s population of children with serious illnesses were underserved, with many having to make the nearly seven-hour trip to the Connecticut campus.
“The idea was always that this land should be used for social good,” says Beth Starkin, Hole in the Wall’s director of marketing and communications.
When the camp opens in May 2026, it will not be with kids-only summer camp programming, but with family programming. “Phase One” will see the camp opening for family retreats, with the summer camp for kids being part of “Phase Two.”
“The family camps are magical,” Axtmayer adds. “The entire family is impacted by a diagnosis, so we want to be able to serve them all. It’s a really healing experience, and it’s fun, and the kids just have a blast.”
The camp will open its door with a series of eight family weekends serving 15 families each. Families of children with similar conditions can meet others with shared experiences, receive medical care and make memories through fun, inclusive programming.
While attending an overnight camp can be an expensive venture, families eligible for the Hole in the Wall Camp won’t have to worry about breaking the bank — the camp’s offerings are all free, funded by private donors and organizations like the Newman’s Own Foundation.
