Summer Camps of Many Colors for Adults

Introduction

The intense and face-paced contemporary culture can be overwhelming. As a response to the need to unplug and reconnect, adult summer camps have begun a movement of fulfilling fun. Over the past decades the momentum has grown by 10% a year, and now there is nearly 800 different adult summer camps for all types of people. Sober camps, drunk camps, nature camps, city camps, crafty camps, culinary camps, and band camps to name a few. 2012 saw one million people attend summer camps, and this number is set to grow as people continue to experience it for the first time, and many find themselves returning. Invite your inner child out of hiding this or next summer with a campy time!

Reconnect Kid Styles

There are many ways to reconnect with one’s inner child, and invigorate one’s adult life. Some people do it alone through crafting, coloring, watching animation, or playing with their kids. Recently, adult summer camps have cropped up around the nation to super-charge this process through getting away from the regularities of one’s life. Without the familiar four walls, faces, responsibility, and technology many people are finding themselves freed up to play, be silly, and explore summer in new ways. Adult summer camps come in many shapes and sizes, and ask people to “Remember the good ol’ days when summer was all about chillin’ at the mall with your squad and seeing who could down a double grape popsicle the fastest?” (Macey). For many this is a chance to get away from the heavy responsibilities of their family and job, and to detox from the continuous pressure of technology.

Camp Grounded

While some adult summer camps are all about fun and play, others are about cultivating new skills. All camps require their members to be 21+, and to be ready to smile. One of the most popular adult summer camp is Camp Grounded which focuses on reconnecting with nature and disconnecting from technology. Camp Grounded has four locations, Northern California (Mendocino), New York (Cold Spring), North Carolina (Hendersonville), and Texas (Marble Falls). Focusing on the good old timey ways to pass the time, Camp Grounded offers, healthy Gourmet Camp Meals, Live Music, 30+ Playshops, Campfires, Yoga, Counselors, Arts ‘n Crafts, Camp Dance, Talent Show, Sing-A-Longs, Rockwall Climbing, Archery, Swimming (don't forget the sunscreen), Meditation, Typewriters, Capture the Flag, Classic Cabins, Color Wars, Kickball, Stargazing, Sweat Lodges, Program Specialists, Wellness Tipis, S’mores & More. (Camp Grounded)

This camp focuses on health, and discourages drug use and over-drinking. People of all ages come to this retreat to make better friends with themselves and make new friends. Camp Grounded asserts, age doesn’t matter at camp. Especially when it comes to making new friends from around the world, playing giant Jenga in the grass, falling in love, playing music at the talent show, taking advice under the stars or sharing a game of Capture the Flag. It’s actually against the rules to reveal your age or ask someone how old they are. (Camp Grounded)

Oh, yes there are rules. This is protect the fun atmosphere in which people of all walks of life can mingle and mix and be. Here it is more important the type of person one is without the labels and standards which sustain culture. That is why such a diverse group attends, such as “students, CEO’s, musicians, artists, bankers, writers, dancers, Wall Street investors, architects, developers, clowns, bakers, actors… Some have millions in their bank accounts, while some come to camp on scholarship” (Camp Grounded). Hopefully some of this open minded perspective can make its way back to the real world. 

Camp No Counselors

On the other side of the spectrum, Camp No Counselors does not focus on healthy practices, but on partying and how much healthy fun someone can have. This is a hard partying three day weekend, where; groups of friends come together, and leave behind the stresses of adult life by spending three blissful nights back at camp. Each camp weekend is filled with land and water sports, arts ‘n crafts activities, epic nightly theme parties, an open bar, gourmet meals and, of course, all of your favorite classic camp activities from Color War to Talent Show. (Camp No Counselors)

Unlike Camp Grounded this is not a free for all, but is a curated party where the 200 sexiest and most fun looking are let in. Camp No Counselors is the ultimate bouncer, and they believe; by curating a diverse and intimate group, we enable adults to strengthen old relationships and build new genuine friendships off-line, as they did when they were kids. Our campers leave each camp smiling from ear to ear, reinvigorated with life and full of unforgettable memories and experiences with friends – both old and new. (Camp No Counselors)

This program has ten locations (Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Toronto, San Fransiso, New York, Nashville, Austin, and Michigan), and regularly sells out. As seen by the locations, this camp is not about reconnecting with nature, but about living it up!

Jazz Camp

For those adults who want to get away from their regular days, but not into nature or a swinging party, Jazz Camp provides a week long getaway living the life of a professional musician. This is a relatively small gathering of specialists, as;

70% of the Jazz Camp participants return each year! Join the fun and LIVE YOUR DREAM! Live the life of a musician, like Carl Fontana, and nothing else for 5 1/2 days. Our staff of six and two guest artists will rehearse, encourage, cajole and groove with you for this special week, held on once each year. Jazz Camp is proud to announce that Jerry Bergonzi will be returning as the guest artist in residence. (Jazz Camp)

At Jazz Camp participants will enjoy wine and cheese tasting, rehearsals and music study, and performances. While musical skill is an issue, it is not the only one, and everyone must be able to read music, but need not be able to riff or improvise. Every year Jazz Camp sells out, and they have a quaint party on the last night to celebrate their fun style of professional cultivation. To each their jazzy own (Patterson). 

Culinary Boot Camp

For those who have been inspired by Chopped, Top Chef, or Iron Chef America, or work as a chef and are looking to up their game, Culinary Boot Camp offers many gatherings for many types of cooking. This camp asks, does the idea of baking crusty artisan breads or plating dazzling desserts light you up? Do you want to explore the world one plate at a time? Have you always yearned to be able to pair wine and food? There’s a Boot Camp for you (after all, we offer dozens!). (Culinary Boot Camp)

This camp does not require any special skill for entry but the passion for cooking. However, unlike many camps, this is not a sleep-away. They have locations in Hyde Park, NY, St. Helena, CA, and San Antonio, TX.

Random Camp Facts

Most of the adult summer camps are very expensive, costing anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars. The vibe the camps give off is that money is no issue, which is playfully ironic. However, anyone determined to play can save up. As is with most cases, one gets what they pay for, and many camps have a monthly pay system of installments so that campers pay a bit all year until the party. Writing camp, is “held annually at Stony Brook University's campus in Southampton, N.Y. ‘It's an intensive and somewhat luxurious way for students to be lyrical for 10 days and get a great education and a tan’” (Tergesen). The cost for this camp is $1,390. However, for writers who cannot swing that Interlochen College of Creative Arts provides the Mystery and memoir writing camp from $375 (Tergesen). This type of camp offers the chance to connect with inspirational writers, gain direction, and take a sample from the history of the great literary culture of the glittering past. 

Celebrating the cowboy heritage of the nation, Arizona Cowboy College is a six day camp at the Lorill Equestrian Center. Here; aspiring cowboys (and girls) are taught to ride and rope plastic dummies that resemble cows in preparation for four days at Schmidt Ranch, home to 350 cattle. Campers typically sleep under the stars or share a rustic bunkhouse and spend their days fixing fences and herding cattle. For dinner, Ms. Bridwell cooks cowboy stew over an open fire. (Tergesen). The price for this rustic getaway is $2,250.

Attracting an older group of campers, Swing Out New Hampshire is one of the many camps which focus on the Lindy Hop, and the pleasures of swing dancing. Rocking out with style, this camp is “Held at a girls’ camp in Hebron, N.H., the five-day program features six levels of classes in Lindy Hop, plus electives in Charleston, tap, Shim Sham, Balboa and blues dancing” (Tergesen). This camp is set at the cost of $695, and attracts many elderly dancers excited to strut their stuff. 

Conclusion

Adult summer camps have just recently come into their own, and if the trend continues many businesses may have to set aside special vacation time for their employees who need to hit the camp. Coming back with a tan, some great stories, and likely exhausted from fun, these adults may feature a gleam in their eye. This is the gleam of keeping connected to the mystery of life beyond the mundane and the petty, and keeping alive the childlike spirit of discovery and play which can turn any day into a magical experience. The need to periodically unplug from the matrix of technology fueled consumerism and cultural and familial drama rests within us all, and the only question is which camp is best for you.

Works Cited

Camp Grounded. “About.” Campgrounded.org, 2016. Retrieved from: http://campgrounded.org/about/#faq

Camp No Counselors. “Play Like a Kid, Party Like a Grown Up.” Campnocounselors.com, 2016. Retrieved from: https://www.campnocounselors.com/learn-more/

Culinary Boot Camp. “Home.” Enthusiasts.ciachef.org, 2016. Retrieved from: https://enthusiasts.ciachef.edu/boot-camps/

Jazz Camp. “About Us.” Jazzcamp.com, 2016. Retrieved from: http://jazzcamp.com/about-jazz-camp/

Macey, Ashley. “13 Adult Summer Camps That Will Make You Feel Like a Kid Again.” Brit.co, 7 Apr. 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.brit.co/summer-camps-for-adults/

Patterson, Thom. “For adults only: Sexy, boozy summer sleep-away camp.” CNN, 19 June 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/18/travel/adult-summer-camps/

Tergesen, Anne. “The Best Summer Camps for Grown-Ups.” The Wall Street Journal, 17 Mar. 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324610504578275744143657034