![10Best Grown-up Summer Camps]()
Photo courtesy of Camp No Counselors
Camp No Counselors
Southwoods, New York
New Yorkers, this one is for you. Camp No Counselors in Southwoods, four hours from the city, is like a Brooklyn weekend in the country. There are cozy quarters with bunk beds, a mess hall for meals and plenty of day-drinking fueled activities like dodgeball, tubing, crafting and archery. At night, throw-down at costume parties, take the spotlight in a talent show or just stay up all night swapping stories around the campfire.
Summer Adult Improv Immersions
Chicago, Illinois
The Second City counts Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert and Amy Poehler among its many famous alumni. If you think you’re funny or want to raise your humor stock, sign up for the Immersion program, which takes you through everything from improv fundamentals and creating characters to performing sketches. Even if you don’t dream of life on the stage, improv classes develop public speaking and interpersonal skills that help with, well, everything you do. Sessions runs six hours a day for five days. You can sign up for one week or all four weeks to get the full experience.
Photo courtesy of Endless Summer Surf Camp
Endless Summer Surf Camp
San Clemente, California
Come as you are, the coaches at Endless Summer are ready to take on newbies and skilled riders. By day, learn to catch a wave and handy know-how, like how to choose a swell and proper etiquette (no dropping in, dude!). Back on land, you can partake on other beach bum shenanigans like skateboarding, watching surf tapes or just chilling out with fellow riders in San Clemente. If you’re hooked to the sea, you can book back-to-back stays for up to 15 weeks.
Outward Bound
Various Locations
There’s a whole roster of physical and mental developments suggested to prepare for an Outward Bound experience–from upping aerobic fitness to developing compassion. These programs are built to push you out of a comfort zone, encourage personal growth and test your survival skills. Course options include two weeks of mountaineering in Alaska, sailing off the coast of Maine and a path-finding expedition from Colorado to Ecuador. But we’re banking on the eight-day Blue Ridge Mountains Backpacking & Whitewater Canoeing trip, where you’ll camp next to waterfalls, hike in the Pisgah National Forest and navigate rapids.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Adult Space Academy
Huntsville, Alabama
We’re all at least a little curious about space, and how in this world (or out of it, rather) astronauts make it in the abyss. Now is your chance to make like Armstrong in this weekend camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Alabama. Learn how to build a rocket and watch it take flight, hop on a gravity chair to feel the weightlessness of space and take a spin on the Multi-Axis Trainer, which simulates tailspinning out of control in the cosmos (imagine George Clooney tumbling and floating away from Sandra Bullock in Gravity).
Flying Trapeze Extreme Weekend
Las Vegas, Nevada
The first step in running away to the circus is learning to fly high. At Flying Trapeze, you’ll be partnered up with top performers from Cirque du Soleil and pro ballet troupes, who will teach you to swing, catch and spin through the air like an aerial star. At the heart of this experience is a commitment to build trust in your partner to catch you, in your instructors to teach you the techniques that’ll glide you safely through the air and in yourself to make the leap time and again.
Soul Camp
Sanger, California
Need to hit the reset button? Soul Camp is about freeing your mind and recharging. Daily sessions include yoga, guided meditation, games, dancing and outdoor activities all meant to promote joy. A little hippie? Yes, but so what the doctor ordered for frazzled minds. As far as creature comforts, worry not: Wonder Valley Ranch Resort has cozy cottages, private rooms and clean showers. The fee includes all meals and lodging, camp activities, souvenirs like water bottles and totes and a gift card to donate toward a charity.
Photo courtesy of Larry Stanley Photography
Luxe Cowgirl Yoga
Bozeman, Montana
It’s a girls trip packaged with horses and wellness classes, all wrapped up in a big Montana sky. In other words: restoration haven. We’re telling you about Luxe Cowgirl Yoga a year out, so you can trot right to it when 2016 dates open. This camp fills up fast and for good reason. For six days, you’ll hunker down at the rustic-meets-posh Double T River Ranch in Livingston, where you’ll be treated to daily yoga sessions, horse-riding lessons, chef-cooked healthy meals and nightly social hours with cool, like-minded gals.
Yellowstone Under Canvas
West Yellowstone, Montana
Build your own adventure at this luxe campsite in Yellowstone National Park. While Yellowstone Under Canvas isn’t your typical camp with a set schedule and numerous bunkmates, it’s one of the most beautiful and comfortable ways to dive into the outdoors. Accommodations range from teepees-for-two to deluxe safari tents with wood floors and a deck. You can create a bonding experience for your brood with the Active Family package–three days and four nights of horseback riding, hiking, fly fishing and kayaking for four.
Washington Sailing Marina
Start working on your retirement to hit the high seas with a crash course in the art of sailing with the Washington Sailing Marina group. Hosted as two-day classes on the Potomac River, skilled seamen teach you to steer, dock, tack and even how to talk like a sailor. Lessons last six hours each day for two days.
