Once you become an adult with a full-time job, the lure of summer isn’t as bright as it was once when you were younger.
Most of us work full time with bills to pay and responsibilities.
All the duties and worries in our daily lives add up, and sometimes we just need to forget about it and have fun.
This is what led to the creation of adult summer camps.
At these summer camps for grown ups, you’ll find all types of fun activities to do with others just like you. Whether you’re looking to stay active and play a sport, drink/party, or dress up and live life like you’re in a video game.
They’re the perfect way to meet new people, release your inner child and forget about your daily life worries.
Best Adult Summer Camps
1. Epic Nerd Camp
Location: Darlington, Maryland
Epic Nerd Camp is exactly what it sounds like, a geek summer camp made for grown ups. It’s perfect for gamers or sci-fi lovers. At this unique place, you can enjoy five fantastic days of live-action role-playing, swordplay, archery, table games, and improving your crafting skills. If you’ve ever wanted to feel what it’s like to be in a video game, this is a perfect choice.
Apart from what was mentioned above, you can expect some unique activities like mermaiding, combat archery, lightsaber sword fighting, and Space Quest Larping. It’s located at Camp Ramblewood in Darlington, Maryland, which gives you some beautiful outdoor sights.
They work very hard to make sure that you are comfortable while there by offering soft twin size beds, choosing between same sex or different sex cabins, and meals with options for vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diet restrictions. Epic Nerd Camp is one of the best adult summer camps.
2. ‘Camp’ Camp
Location: Summit Park Avenue, Portland
This Camp is all about socialization in a fun-filled laid back manner. ‘Camp’ Camp welcomes LGBTQ folks into a warm and outgoing community. There’s a multitude of activities you can join like dance and dress up, arts and creativity, water sports, or simply chilling in the sun.
This is a space where you can do whatever makes you happy and relaxed. That’s probably why 75% of the camp visitors return again and again. With all types of camp activities to participate in like fun dance parties, arts and crafts, canoeing, night hikes, and much more, you’ll have the time of your life.
‘Camp’ Camp is in Summit Park Avenue, Portland. The package includes accommodation, food, camp activities, and on-site parking. Visit this summer camp for a fun time in the great outdoors.
3. Club GetAway
Location: Kent, Connecticut
Club GetAway was one of the very first summer camps made for adults. It’s been in operation in Connecticut since 1946, and it’s considered an adventure resort where people from across the world come to have fun.
Some of the delicious dining options consist of BBQ, seafood, gourmet, and much more. You can also get a beautiful view of the lake and mountains from your cabin. By the way, the air-conditioned cabin you stay at has its own comfy foam-filled mattress, private bathroom, and daily housekeeping service.
The schedule at Club Getaway is filled with fun activities like zip-lining, rock climbing, water skiing, ropes courses, wine tasting and fabulous dance parties. You won’t find any of your boring daily routines here. Club GetAway also has a family camp option if you want to bring kids along.
4. Zombie Survival Camp
Pumping adrenaline is a great way to destress. And do you know how kids make sense of the world around them? By re-enacting significant events and making them part of a game. Zombie Survival Camp is exactly what it sounds like.
At Zombie Survival Camp, you can experience an exciting adventure that very few other camps can offer. There are weapons, wilderness gear, and tips for remaining the hunter instead of becoming the hunted during the zombie apocalypse. You can register for a full weekend of camping, book a single day at the grounds, or arrange to have a party or corporate event over there.
You need to be above 21, but there’s an exception for single-day camps, where 15-year-olds can partake in the Zombie saga. They just need to be accompanied by an adult who’s over 25.
This High-Octane camp is located in New Jersey Pine Barrens. You’ll have 60 acres of themed buildings and a well-equipped shooting range, a perfect playground for grown-ups that want to experience a realistic zombie apocalypse. You need to have a car to get there, as such premises are hardly in the way of public transport.
5. Camp Bonfire
Location: Lake Owego in Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania
Camp Bonfire brings back the fun camping spirit you once had when you were a kid in summer camp. This sleepaway camp which lasts a weekend is great for those looking for a short vacation to get away from the weekly grind.
For the nature lovers out there, you can’t go wrong with Camp Bonfire with its beautiful outdoor location in Pennsylvania, suitable for plenty of outdoor adventures. The camp brings together the best summer camp activities like archery, rock climbing, late night campfires, canoeing, capture the flag, arts & crafts, and many more! The camp provides you with a weekend filled with life remembering experiences.
Camp Bonfire is all-inclusive, so it provides you with everything you might need from meals, activities, drinks, and t-shirts. Leave your phone behind and experience all the great things that every camp should have.
6. Camp No Counselors
Location: New York and Los Angeles
At Camp No Counselors, you can forget about everything troubling you in your life. If you’re looking to party, make new friends and have all sorts of fun, this is the perfect camp for you. To summarize Camp No Counselors, take all the best parts of youth summer camps like the adventures, swimming, rock climbing, and meeting new people and then add live music and drinking to it.
They currently have two locations in New York and Los Angeles. You can expect to stay active with their inclusion of terrain and water sports. Their art and crafts activity brings out your creative side. You can enjoy their different themed parties each day along with their open bar.
Plus some delicious food to fuel all the usual fun camp activities. As they’re Motto says, “Play like a kid, party like a grown-up.” If you’re looking for a place to visit for a bachelor or bachelorette vacation, private events, corporate retreat for team building, or just a single adult that needs a break, Camp No Counselors is the way to go.
7. Soul Camp
Location: New York and California (subject to change)
Soul camp is one of the top adult sleepaway camps if you want to improve your well being. Soul camp is a transformational camp that keeps the typical traditions of a regular summer camp. Their activities center around mind and body improvements, such as meditation, yoga, cardio, inspirational talks, archery, and much more.
You can expect a lot of comfort at Soul Camp with their cabins consisting of easy to sleep beds, earplugs, and various food options, including vegetarian and vegan options. They try to keep technology to a minimum, with cell phone use not being banned but discouraged.
Soul camp’s mission statement reads, “Educate, inspire and transform through playful and uplifting projects + experiences.”
8. Camp Grounded
Location: Mendocino, California
Camp grounded takes relaxation to the next level. At Camp Grounded, no technology is allowed! This camp is all about being happy and stress-free relaxation with no worries about the outside world. There is no better place to feel relaxed than surrounded by a beautiful natural setting with trees, lakes, rivers, and bridges to explore all around you.
They have over 25+ activities you can do, with some of the interesting ones being lego building, charcoal drawing, stilt walking, and many more! There isn’t anything that’s considered too weird at camp grounded, and staying up late is encouraged.
It’s the place to forget about your everyday adult worries and go back to your carefree childhood days. With the warm weather, this Northern California camp is located at the perfect spot for fun outdoor adventures.
9. Camp Halcyon
Location: Wautoma, Wisconsin
Camp Halcyon allows you to relive your childhood with happy summer days filled with fun things to do. The best part is that this time around, it involves fun-stuff that we weren’t allowed to do as kids, but we can now as grown-ups.
This adult summer camp welcomes anyone who’s above 21 years of age and wants to unwind fully in a fun and familiar way. The activities include canoeing, wine tasting, beach volleyball, campfire cooking, and archery. Drinks are allowed, food is inspired by childhood memories, and a pie-making class provides entertainment and desserts.
You’ll be roughing it up a bit, especially with the sleep arrangements. There are wood shared cabins that house every four campers together. Except that you’re an adult now, so that you can request some privacy and special arrangements for couples. Otherwise, it’s also a great summer camp for single adults.
At Camp Halcyon, there is no electricity, and cell phones are frowned upon. However, in case of an emergency, the camp will supply you with power, and if you decide to use your phone, you can occasionally break the rules. However, instead of spending time on your phone, you can spend it drinking beer or telling stories around the campfire.
The summer camp is located in Wautoma, Wisconsin. It’s set up in the same spot as camp Lakota, a previous renowned summer camp for decades. Its proximity to Little Hills Lake makes it the ultimate camping venue.
Martin has been in the summer camp industry for 7 years now. He has worked in different roles for camps, including as a marketing director for summer camps in the United States. Martin enjoys all kinds of outdoor activities but likes hiking and kayaking the most. He’s also a huge fan of traveling.