Summer fun for adults!

Are adults too old for summer camp?

Those carefree summer camp adventures of childhood are indeed available for grown-ups from the outdoor enthusiast to the artistic-minded. Multi-day camps offer cooking classes, art intensives and jewelry design. Specialty camps for race car driving and circus arts performing might be on your bucket list. Why not sign up for outdoor adventure camps in Colorado or Washington state? Hiking, boating, campfires and more in the great outdoors!

Surf camps in California are destinations for beginners, intermediates and experienced surfers who want to ride the waves with fellow enthusiasts.

Think Space Camp is just for kids? Adults can sign up for Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, to experience the thrill of training like an astronaut. Just posing for a photo in that white space suit is sure to be one of the highlights of the experience!

How about attending band camp in the upper peninsula of Michigan? Whether you like to grab a guitar and rock out or prefer woodwind instruments and classical vibes, multi-day music camp experiences are available across the country.

My friend, Ellen, looks forward to attending music camp each summer. She enjoys singing with her music camp friends from across the U.S. The camaraderie reminds her of the fun years spent attending summer sleep-away camp.

Actually, Ellen introduced me to the concept of “summer camp for adults” in 1985. She was signing up for a summer share house in the Berkshires of Massachusetts at a compound of lake front houses known as Deerwood. Located on the shores of Lake Buel in Great Barrington, each summer share house accommodated 9-12 adults, mostly single men and women in their 20s and 30s from Manhattan.

We carpooled with our housemate, Sam, who lived on the Lower East Side and actually owned a car, which most of us did not. Every Friday after work, Sam drove to pick up Ellen in the West 20s, another housemate in mid-town, and then they picked me up on East 76th street. We brought snacks to share and cassette tapes (this was 1985!) to listen to on the three hour drive up to Massachusetts.

Our little red-sided wooden house was surrounded by pine trees. The backyard had a beautiful sloping green lawn down to the lake. We thought we were in paradise eating breakfast outside at the wooden picnic table and watching the sun rising above the lake. This was a world away from the sights of tall buildings and pigeons and the sounds of fire engine sirens and construction that we lived with during the week in NYC.

We met plenty of new friends at the communal beach area, the tennis courts and the riding stables. Ellen played tennis with a few housemates. I liked to ride horses in the morning and then go hiking or paddling around the lake in a paddleboat or rowboat with Ellen and friends, soaking up the summer sun.

I had never experienced sleep-away camp as a kid so this was a new adventure for me as an adult in my 20s. The camaraderie of our shared lake house experience and the endless variety of activities kept us returning summer after summer!

Treat yourself to camaraderie, creativity and fun for two hours a week this summer and join me for a six-week session of Creative Writing – Summer Road Trip Stories! Morning classes (10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) and evening classes (6:30 – 8:30 p.m.) via Zoom starting Thursday, June 26, through the Hudson Valley Writers Center. Contact HVWC to register!

Kim Kovach brings the summer vibe to her Creative Writing classes! Visit her website at www.kimkovachwrites.com.