Adult summer camp craze takes off in California
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Making memories. Photo: Courtesy of Sierra Nevada Journeys
Summer camp isn't just for kids anymore.
The big picture: Adventure and connection seekers in California are increasingly signing up for grownup versions, complete with zip lines, campfires and speed-friending.
Why it matters: Americans are spending less time socializing than they did two decades ago, fueling a loneliness epidemic.
- Adult camps promise something hard to find these days: real-world connection.
Driving the news: Summer camps for grownups are booming across the U.S. and Europe, the Economist recently reported.
- Yelp searches for such getaways jumped roughly 350% last year.
Zoom in: Near Lake Tahoe, Sierra Nevada Journeys hosts a three-day adult summer camp each August at its 1,500-acre campus outside Portola.
- Campers can spend the weekend kayaking, hiking, zip-lining, tackling a 40-element ropes course, practicing archery or stargazing.
- The schedule also includes karaoke, paint-and-sip sessions, yoga, poolside happy hours and live music.
- Organizers cap attendance at 100 people to preserve what they call the camp's close-knit community feel, even though the property can accommodate more than twice that number.
What they're saying: "People are looking for experiences over things," Sierra Nevada Journeys spokesperson Lisa Blauth told Axios. "People are remembering their happy times as a kid and wanting to have that experience as an adult."
Zoom out: The appeal goes beyond nostalgia.
- Camps offer adults a break from busy schedules and encourage campers to swap phones for face-to-face conversations with strangers, who often become friends.
- Some people come because they fondly remember childhood camp, while others are finally getting the chance to experience something they missed growing up.
- Campers range in age from 21 to 80, and many arrive solo but leave with new friendships, Blauth said. Organizers often see returning groups requesting the same cabins year after year because they bonded during previous weekends.
Yes, but: Escaping to camp isn't cheap.
By the numbers: Sierra Nevada Journeys costs $500 for a weekend.
- Elsewhere, many adult camps charge around $1,000 for a long weekend that includes lodging and meals, according to the Economist.
The bottom line: Camps promise meaningful bonds — and the chance to be a kid again — which, for many, is priceless.