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Summer Camp for LGBTQ Adults Marks 22nd Consecutive Season

Travel

First-Time Campers Can Enter to Win a Free Week at Camp

Since 1997, adventurous LGBTQ travelers have been escaping to a real summer camp in the woods of southwestern Maine for what many of them declare the “best time ever!” The place? ‘Camp’ Camp, America’s premier summer camp for LGBT adults, where those searching for a unique all-inclusive vacation will find both relaxation and excitement, along with new life-long friendships. ‘Camp’ Camp is again offering this true week-long summer camp experience this August 19-26.

While a rustic week in the Maine woods may not be everyone’s idea of a vacation, the LGBTQ traveler searching for a distinctive escape that’s also a great value will find ‘Camp’ Camp to be the perfect choice. For an all-inclusive price of $1675 for the week – less than $250 per day – Campers receive communal lodging in rustic cabins; restaurant-quality meals; over 30 outdoor, athletic, and creative activities to choose from each day; a different social event each evening; beer & wine; and round-trip transportation from Portland, Maine to Camp. (Reduced rates beginning at $325 for the week are available on a limited basis through their Staff program.)

Structured just like a traditional sleep-away camp for kids, Camp’s activities schedule offers a variety of options from Hiking and Canoeing to Pottery and Stained Glass classes, Volleyball, Cooking classes, Broadway Dance, Lake Swimming, and more. Or Campers can choose to just relax by either lying on the beach, strumming a guitar with fellow Campers, or finding a tree where they can lean back and finally dive into that book that’s been collecting dust on their nightstand.

“Most people are a little overwhelmed at first by the number of activities they have to choose from for this price”, says Owner/ Director Kerry Riffle. “Campers can fill their days with as much or as little as they like, then end their day at a fun social event that evening. In between, they enjoy three fresh, delicious meals each day, prepared by a team of professional chefs – not a traditional summer camp menu at all. People obviously expect to have fun, but many first-time Campers tell us they are surprised at just how much fun they actually have.”

Owner/Associate Director Betsy Orr thinks the number of people who make Camp their annual vacation destination is proof of what an incredibly fun and unique experience it can to relive (or finally to experience) summer camp as an adult. “Each year, around 75% of the people at Camp have vacationed with us before. In fact, in 2017, over 40% of our attendees had been with us for five years or more. How many gay cruises or LGBT resorts can boast that kind of annual return rate?” asks Orr.

However, the sense of community inherent in a week-long summer camp experience is what really gives attendees the biggest value for the price, according to Owner/Associate Director Brett Auttonberry. “Camp is not only a one-of-a-kind experience, it’s one that comes with the unexpected bonus of connecting with this amazing, welcoming community of LGBTQ folks of all ages from all over the country who are at Camp playing together and just being themselves,” explains Auttonberry. “When we ask our first-year Campers what surprised them most about Camp, we almost always get the same answer that returning Campers give as to why they keep coming back: the people.”

Riffle adds: “Spending a week in the woods with all that fresh air, doing things you would probably never do at home with this amazing group of LGBTQ people, where you basically have no choice but to be free of a phone or computer screen for a whole week is priceless, especially in today’s stressful, politically charged climate.”

Recognizing that community is a large part of the Camp experience, Camp’s owners have added community outreach measures to their business model in the past few years. Along with their ‘Camp Gives Back’ program where a portion of their Camp Store profits are donated to a different LGBTQ organization each summer, they are now making their Best Time Ever Giveaway an annual opportunity for one lucky person who has never experienced Camp before to win a free week. Entries for the contest will be accepted throughout the month of May, and the winner announced on June 1. Complete details are in Camp’s latest blog post.

‘Camp’ Camp has a few registrations remaining for this summer, August 19-26, on a space available basis. Select staff positions are also still available.

Registration and more information on ‘Camp’ Camp’s Staff program can both be found on the web at
campcamp.com.

The latest video on the ‘Camp’ Camp experience can be found on our YouTube here.

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