Get Social – and Go Camping

There’s still time to unleash your inner child doing something you did decades ago: summer camp!

Camping is not just for kids

Adult camps give grownups the chance to meet new friends, spend time in sunshine and nature with fellow enthusiasts and – maybe best of all — unplug from electronics.

For years psychology professor Mary Gomes’ assigned her undergrad students a four-day electronics fast. Students reported positive results, including present moment awareness, deeper connections and sharper focus. Read about it here.

What better place to enjoy these benefits (and more) while reveling in nature and sunshine at a camp designed specifically for grown-ups!

What to Expect

The basics haven’t changed since you were a kid. Accommodations are no-frill, shared cabins plus a wide range of fun activities from hiking, swimming and water sports to yoga, archery, arts & crafts and more.  Some of these camps appear to be more geared for younger adults but not exclusively so.  Bringing a friend or two  is an option.

Going solo? You won’t be alone: camping is a wonderful way to meet and make new friends.  While time is running out, here are a three camps where it’s still possible to book space before summer ends:

Club Getaway (Kent, Conn)

Club Getaway For over 45 years, this company has hosted adults, or families to its 300-acre, lakeside property in Kent, Connecticut.  It offers specific, dedicated dates for adults to camp through October, but slots fill up fast. (Schedule is here.)

Meals are included and cabins sleep two to four with linen service; solo campers are housed roughly by age in same-gender cabins. There are plenty of during-the-day activities – you can zipline across the lake, take a yoga class, Tie-dye a commemorative t-shirt, or just relax. Evenings offer talent shows, DJ dance parties and campfires including that camping staple – S’Mores. Detailed information can be found here.

Camp Forever Fun (Michigan)

Camp Forever Fun is an option for folks in the Midwest that seems to take seriously the ‘summer camp for adults” theme. The website says “As soon as you arrive you will be placed with nine other campers and a Camp Forever Fun begins! A counselor will take you through a series of ice breakers, team building and trust games. Did your team get done with some spare time before dinner? Join in on the volleyball game, the circle of new friends games, or face painting so you look awesome for tonight!

Some folks may enjoy the throwback because the activities seem fun.  The schedule is very structured (four activity periods a day).  However some of the activities (a two mile Moonlight Beer Hike) might not be to everyone’s taste.

Camp No Counselors (New York; California)

Camp No Counselors  are an “immersion with people” experience starting with the cabins: typically six to eight are housed in each. With a motto “Play like a Kid, Party Like a Grown Up,” it offers a range of activities mixed bag of group and solo activities available for sign up.

If this seems like too many people, keep in mind that guests are unlikely to spend much time indoors: The range of day-time activities and events is extensive. Then, after the sun goes down, the socials begin, including live bands (sometimes), and campfires (always).

Hey, armchair travelers! If you need a getaway but can’t swing it just now, take a virtual trip to Edinburgh, Scotland with us on July 31! Details are here.  Registration is required.

Have you gone to a summer camp as an adult?  Share your experience in the comments!

Nona Aguilar is an award-winning writer of numerous magazine articles and two books. She has also edited four specialty business newsletter publications. Her work has appeared in Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, Family Circle and Cosmopolitan, and in The Business Owner.