Camp – not just for the kiddos!

Perhaps you were one of the lucky few who got the chance to go away to summer camp as a child. Or maybe you were like me and you were woken up at the crack of dawn to be shipped off on a school bus every day to summer camp. Either way camp brings up fond memories, new friends, and lots of activities! If you loved camp as much as I… well it’s not over – you can STILL go to camp as an adult! I found an article on Travel & Leisure that mentions a few of these camps. Below is part of “The World’s Quirkiest Adult Camps” :

No matter what your fantasy may be—to become an astronaut on a shuttle mission, an elephant trainer, even a ghost hunter—chances are there is a program or camp waiting for you.

“In recent years, the number of specialized camp opportunities for adults has grown significantly,” says Peg L. Smith, chief executive officer of The American Camp Association (ACA). “Camp isn’t just for kids anymore,” she says. “In a hectic world, it offers an oasis, with opportunities for learning in a fun environment.” And more people are opting for unique learning programs over your typical park-yourself-on-a-beach getaway. “Many adults find a camp vacation to be more rewarding than a week at a resort,” says Smith.

…sometimes, camps can turn mere aficionados into experts—or even working professionals. Just 90 days after graduating from Atlantic City’s World Poker Tournament Boot Camp in 2007, poker amateur Lee Childs used his training to make it to the finals of the World Series of Poker. The computer engineer advanced over 6,348 people and took seventh place, winning $705,229. And on Stan Newman’s Crossword University cruise to Cozumel, Belize, Guatemala, and Key West in 2004, one participant, Donna Levin, was inspired to create her own puzzles, which she has since sold to The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, and other publications.

To see all the camps listed, visit Travel & Leisure