Did you go to summer camp as a kid? A lot of children do. Nearly 11 million American children and adults head off to camp each summer. There are more than 12,000 camps around the United States. The day camps number about 5,000 and the overnight camps account for the other 7,000. Now that a lot of kids who went to camp are all grown up, summer camps for adults have sprung up around the country. These camps vary as much as the people who attend them but they all offer fun activities for adults.
Different Kinds of Camps for Adults:
There are camps that mimic the childhood camp experience. There are plenty of camps out there that take nostalgia for the childhood camp experience and add some fun activities for adults. This basically means you have all of the trappings of summer camp for kids but then there are “adult” parties and beverages. The accommodations are cabins complete with bunk beds, just like people remember from their childhood. The activities include sports, water activities, arts and crafts, all of the things kids do when they go away to camp for the summer. Many add a lot of alcohol to the party. Some have full open bars the entire time and some limit the boozing until nighttime. Either way, it is a lot like what people experienced as children, only with booze.
There are camps for hobbies. Is cooking your thing? There is a camp for that. Do you want to spend some time learning about wine and playing tennis? There is a camp for that as well. If you are interested in any particular hobby from sailing to photography, you can probably find a camp that will cater to that interest. One cooking camp is more like a cooking boot camp. Campers spend a few days with top notch chefs learning to up their game in the kitchen.
There are specialty hobby camps for adults. Think wine making and cooking are just too pedestrian? There are some pretty interesting hobbies out there and for almost all of them, there is a summer camp full of fun activities for adults. Take ghost hunters’ camp where you learn to hunt ghosts. If that is not your thing, maybe you would prefer gladiator camp. You get the idea.
There are camps to feed the soul. Does your soul need some nourishment? There are camps for that. There are camps that follow along with the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” way of thinking. There are camps that are all about yoga, meditation and staying away from all kinds of mobile devices and technology. If you are interested in the mind-body connection and want a camp to revive your spirit while helping you jump start a fitness program, you can go to camp for that. Personal training sessions have nothing on a long weekend or week at a fitness oriented camp that adds fun activities for adults.
There are sports camps for adults. If you are really into tennis, ice skating, football or whatever the sport may be, you can find an adult camp just for that sport. These are also great for people who need to get better at a sport, learn a new sport or just get a workout that is more interesting than fitness classes.
There are geeky camps for adults. There is a band camp out there somewhere for adults but there is also a crossword puzzle makers’ camp. There are plenty of camps that cater to adults who love “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” (not just the many comic cons that happen all over).
Many people hate the fact that they are getting older and their childhood is growing smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. They remember “back in the day” when they did more fun things and think “there just are not as many fun activities for adults as for children” In some way, these camps for adults help people recapture some of that feeling. Whether it is at a camp that seeks to recreate the childhood experience or another kind, these camps are a lot of fun.