Adult space camp is a real thing, plus more summer camps for grown-ups
Some of the greatest childhood memories for many adults involve sleeping in a cabin or tent under a starry night at summer camp.
But the fun shouldn't stop when you become an adult — luckily, camps have taken the nostalgic memories and added beer and wine tastings, kayaking, yoga on the beach, meditation sessions and relaxing by a campfire.
Welcome to adult summer camp.
In almost every region of the country, you can find adult summer camps geared toward a multitude of interests, including skiing, arts and crafts, outdoor adventure, leadership and activism, space camp, yoga and meditation.
For example, Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory has year-round snow that sits on the Palmer Glacier. The destination offers adult ski and snowboard camps each summer for people aged 21 and up. High Cascade snowboard camp offers four week long adult snowboard camps in June and July, while Windells Ski Camp has two ski summer camp sessions in July. Both camps have activities on and off the slopes.
For the wine enthusiast, Camp Chaddsford Adult Summer Camp takes place at the Chaddsford Winery in Pennsylvania in July. The day camp encourages adults to get outside for a day of lawn games, arts and crafts, and wine and beer tastings.
Yoga and meditation lovers can visit Kripalu’s summer camp: a yoga-focused summer camp for adults based in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
“It can be challenging to meet new people and make friends as an adult," Michelle Dalbec, a teacher trainer, said on the Kripalu blog. "However, I’ve heard back from some former campers that they still keep in touch with their ‘camp-mates’ from years past.”
Some camps offer more traditional summer camp activities.
Club Getaway in Kent, Connecticut has guests stay in cabins and engage in softball, kickball, mountain biking, water skiing, and other sports. There are also social events like wine tasting, burlesque performances and salsa classes.
"Think lush woods, air-conditioned cabins and all the camp classics like color war, bonfires and ropes courses – I experienced childhood nostalgia at its finest at Club Getaway," past Club Getaway-goer Megan Crawford from New York City told USA TODAY in an email.
Traditional outdoor itineraries are not the only types of summer camps offered for grown-ups; there areprograms that are about improving the world or yourself.
YEA Camp is a summer retreat for aspiring activist adults who want to make a bigger difference in the world. Held at an animal sanctuary in upstate New York, the camp helps budding activists build skills like grassroots activism, fundraising, campaign planning, social entrepreneurship and communication skills.
"I was a 35-year-old camper at YEA Camp last summer," Martina Gauderer told USA TODAY. "The best part was staying up late chatting with my bunk mates, waking up to nature and rescued animals, games, dance parties and educational activities. ... YEA Camp for adults boosts confidence and re-instills a sense of hope in the future."
To satisfy sci-fi, science and space-lovers, Adult Space Academy was created as a three-day program and gives adults the chance to immerse themselves in the concepts of space exploration.
Campers take part in simulated missions to space, build and launch rockets and explore artifacts housed at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
United Kingdom resident Nick Brennan heard about space camp in his high school physics class and decided to travel all the way to the U.S. for the camp last summer. "You get to train like an astronaut on the awesomely fun multi-axis trainer, build a rocket and perform an extended duration simulated mission," Brennan said in an email to USA TODAY.
Space camp is not the only way adults can get their heads in the clouds.
Because recreational marijuana is legal in certain states, there are retreats and camps that offer cannabis-focused programs. 420 Retreats combines yoga and cannabis in Colorado to create a summer camp that includes s'mores over a campfire, yoga, meditation and other relaxing activities.