5 Best Summer Camps for Families

Why should the kids have all the fun? Here are our five favorite summer camps for families.

Feel like a kid again at a summer camp designed just for families. Fill your days with hiking, swimming, biking and exploring the outdoors as a family before settling in for the evening in your own cabin or condo, even a beachfront villa. Here are our five favorite family summer camps.

1. Mount Snow, Vermont

If you’re ready to “unplug and reconnect” as a family, then Mount Snow in Vermont’s Green Mountains is the place. In fact, it’s the motto of their week-long Family Camp, which is offered twice each summer and includes everything you’d want in a summer camp, like canoeing, fishing, arts and crafts, campfires and movie nights. There’s even an adults-only happy hour so you can kick back after a fun day of serious family fun. Not ready for overnights in nylon tents or rustic cabins? You’re in luck. Families stay together at Seasons Condos, which are a short walk from the main lodge. Or, B.Y.O. Lodging as they say, by staying close by but taking part in all the on-site fun during the day.

2. Camp Brosius, Wisconsin

Mount Snow in Vermont

Mount Snow in Vermont

Get on the water every day at Mount Snow, a family camp in Vermont.

Photo by: Doug Blackmore, Mount Snow

Doug Blackmore, Mount Snow

For nearly 100 years, Camp Brosius has been creating outdoor adventures for families, so they definitely know what they are doing. Located on Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin, Camp Brosius offers eight week-long Family Camp sessions, as well as a four-day Labor Day Escape for families who can’t quite commit to a week. By day, kids and families can take pedal boats and canoes out on the water, go on lake hikes or bike rides, even engage in some friendly competition with horseshoes and bean bags. In the evening, look for campfires, movie nights, a talent show, and of course, s’mores. Campers have a variety of different lodging options, including lakefront cabins and cottages.

3. Family Adventure Camp, New Hampshire

Campfire at Camp Brosius

Campfire at Camp Brosius

The whole family can gather around the campfire at Camp Brosius in Wisconsin.

Photo by: Cassie Craft, Camp Brosius

Cassie Craft, Camp Brosius

Serious nature lovers will be all over the Family Adventure Camp set up by the Appalachian Mountain Club in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Choose from one to five-day camping trips that bring the family outdoors all day, every day on hiking, kayaking and treasure-hunting adventures. Even better, these adventures are learning-focused, teaching campers how to identify wildlife and helping them better understand the ecosystems of the ponds and forests. Families stay in lodges or tents depending on the program they choose. All activities are guided and suitable for all experience levels.

4. Family Surf Camp, Costa Rica

Zealand Falls Hut in New Hampshire

Zealand Falls Hut in New Hampshire

Enjoy a backcountry overnight stay in New Hampshire at Zealand Falls Hut as part of the Appalachian Mountain Club's Family Adventure Camp.

Photo by: Appalachian Mountain Club

Appalachian Mountain Club

If you’re ready for an entirely different kind of family camp, one that takes you to the beaches of Costa Rica, then sign up for the week-long Family Surf Camp with Peaks ‘n Swells. This camp is so popular that 40 percent of families that attend the camp come back for another session. By day, families can enjoy yoga, hike to waterfalls, go horseback riding through the jungle, and yes, learn to surf. As a bonus, there’s no need to try to capture photos of your kids up on surfboards. Included in the camp fee is a professional photographer who’ll snap all the best actions shots for you while you’re up on your own surfboard. In the evening, relax in your own beachfront villa.

5. Club Getaway, Connecticut

Family Surfing in Costa Rica

Family Surfing in Costa Rica

The whole family can learn to surf at Family Surf Camp in Costa Rica with Peaks 'n Swells.

Photo by: Ali Kaukas, Peaks 'n Swells

Ali Kaukas, Peaks 'n Swells

When you really only have a weekend to feel like a kid at summer camp, look to Club Getaway in Connecticut. Just 90 miles north of New York City, this 320-acre campsite has everything an outdoor-loving family could want, like tubing on the lake, hiking, archery, ziplines and a ropes course. There are even family game shows and Olympics-style competitions, as well as campfires and nightly entertainment. Opt to spend the entire day as a family or enjoy downtime as a couple hiking and biking while the kids enjoy supervised camp activities. At the end of the day, settle in for the night at one of the country cabins boasting scenic views of the lake and mountains.

Club Getaway in Connecticut

Club Getaway in Connecticut

Photo by: Club Getaway

Club Getaway

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