Why should kids have all the fun? More and more families are opting for summer camp-style vacations, where they can unplug and enjoy unforgettable adventures in the great outdoors. Ranging from rustic farm retreats to luxurious resorts, these all-inclusive camps provide all out fun for everyone, all-important family bonding time and adult only time.
Tyler Place Family Resort, Vermont
At Tyler Place Family Resort, a magnificent 165-acre property located on a private lakeshore in northern Vermont, moms, dads and even grandparents will have the time of their lives. This ever-popular family camp has been hosting families for over 80 years. Everyone gets a bike for easy exploring, there’s two pools, a kids’ club for infants to teens, and a huge array of activities you can enjoy separately or together from tennis and banana boat rides to family picnics in the woods.
Costs: Prices start at $3,969 per week for a family of 4
Club Getaway, Connecticut
Enjoy a fun-filled family getaway at this Connecticut sports and adventure camp, set on 300-acres in the Berkshires. You’ll stay in rustic chic cabins and enjoy endless activities for all the family from watersports including scuba diving to zip lining and wacky family Olympics. Kids and teens will be taken care of at the kids club (for four to 17 year olds), while mom and dad get some time to relax and do a rock-climbing class, wine-tasting or enjoy a romantic dinner for two.
Costs: Three- and 5-night camps available in July and August. Prices start at $1100 for a family of four.
Jean Michel Cousteau Family Camp, California
Jean Michel Cousteau Family Camp is ideal for families with kids of all ages wanting the holiday of a lifetime. This five-day adventure takes place every August at Howlands Landing on Catalina Island in California, and brings the spirit and excitement of a Cousteau expedition in a fun and relaxed setting. As well as learning about the ocean under the expert guidance of Jean Michel Cousteau himself, there are endless activities to try such as snorkeling, kayaking, sailing, waterskiing and hiking.
Costs: Prices start at $3,500 for a cabin for up to six people.
Emandal, A Farm on a River, California
For families looking to relax, ditch their iPhones and enjoy the great outdoors, then Emandal is just the place. Set on a working farm in Mendocino County, 140 miles north of San Francisco, this family camp gives you the chance to escape everyday life and spend time reconnecting as a famliy. You’ll stay in private redwood cabins, dine on delicious homemade food and enjoy activities ranging from pitching in with farm chores and egg collecting or milking the cows to swimming in the river, hiking and camp fires.
Costs: Prices start at around $1600 for a family of four for three nights.
Peaksnswells Family Surf Camp, Costa Rica
If learning to surf is on your bucket list, then there’s no better place to take your tribe than to the ever-popular Family Surf Camp in Costa Rica. This weeklong summer camp will leave you refreshed, relaxed and catching waves like a pro. As well as learning to surf, there’s hiking to waterfalls, horseback riding through the jungle, zip lining and plenty more to keep the whole family busy. Of if you feel like some downtime, take a yoga class or snooze in a hammock in your beachfront villa while your kids set off on a supervised adventure of their own.
Costs: Prices start from $10,745 for a family of four for seven nights
Calloway Gardens, Georgia
For the ultimate family sleepaway, head to Calloway Gardens, set on 6,500-acres in the foothills of the Appalachians in Georgia. While kids from three to 17 years old enjoy an action-packed schedule of day-camp activities from canoeing, zip-lining, acting and circus skills, parents get some timeout of their own to play golf or tennis, go waterskiing or walking. Later in the day, families reunite and evenings are filled with beach parties and games.
Costs: Seven-day packages start at $3,495 for two adults and up to three children. Four-night packages are also available.
Medomak Family Camp, Maine
Create a lifetime of happy memories at Medomak Family Camp in Washington, Maine. Combining the atmosphere of a traditional New England Summer Camp with a fun-filled family summer vacation, this wonderfully small camp only takes 12 families and offers endless activities for all. Spend mornings playing tennis or soccer together, afternoons canoeing or fishing on the lake and evenings around the campfire. Parents can have time to themselves if they prefer and book a massage or read a good book, while their kids are having a blast.
Costs: Prices start at $3375 for a family of four for six nights
Pollace’s Family Vacation Resort, New York
For a good, old-fashioned summer family vacation (think Dirty Dancing) within easy reach of Manhattan, the Pollace’s Family Vacation Resort in the Catskills is hard to beat. There’s a busy schedule of daily activities, miniature golf, a pool and a pond for fishing and paddle boating. Evenings are filled with dancing and magic shows to delight children and adults alike.
Costs: Prices start at $2296 for a family of four staying in a family unit for seven nights.