A Grown-Up's Guide to Sleepaway Weekends
The summer camp feeling of bunks, bonfires, lake days, and friendships made in three days that somehow last for years doesn't have to live in your childhood. Summer camp for adults brings all of it back, this time without the homesickness or the 9 PM lights out. Across the US, sleepaway camp for adults has become a category of its own: 3-day weekends at real camp facilities, built for grown-ups who miss the magic and want to make new friends along the way.
2027 TICKETS GO LIVE SEPTEMBER 27th!
Camp Social 2027 Tickets go on sale on September 27th, 2026!
Join us for weekends in early June 2027 and late August 2027.
Sign up below to get notified when tickets go on sale!
Adult summer camps run as 3-day, all-inclusive sleepaway weekends at real camp facilities, designed for grown-ups. The format is closer to the camp you remember than to a wellness retreat or a hotel stay.
You sleep in a bunk (or a private room, depending on the camp), eat in a dining hall, and spend your days swimming, hiking, making things, and connecting with people you've just met. Cabin lodging, chef-prepared meals, and a full schedule of activities from sunrise yoga to evening bonfires are usually all included.
A grown up summer camp is not a fitness boot camp, a weight-loss program, or a coaching intensive. It's a vacation built around play, presence, and community. Three things most adults stopped getting enough of somewhere along the way. Adult only summer camp programs exist because that gap is real, and the demand to step back into it keeps growing.
A typical adult sleepaway camp weekend runs Friday afternoon through Sunday, with everything you need included.
Lodging. Most camps offer cabin-style sleeping arrangements with bunks shared among a small group of campers, plus an option to upgrade to a private room if you'd rather have your own space.
Meals. Chef-prepared meals throughout the weekend, usually with options for dietary preferences and allergies. Communal dining is part of the experience; you'll meet people over breakfast you'll be canoeing with by lunch.
Daytime activities. Classic camp activities, adult-sized. Think archery, horseback riding, high ropes, climbing walls, lake inflatables, canoe races, hiking, swimming, beach volleyball, crafts, and workshops. You can stack your day full or pick one or two things and spend the rest of the time reading by the water.
Evening activities. Themed parties, campfires, live music, and the kind of late-night porch conversations that don't happen anywhere else. Sleep away camp for adults works because the evenings give you space to actually connect, not just network.
Wellness. Most camps weave yoga, lake swims, and quieter moments alongside the higher-energy programming. You set your own pace.
Adult Summer Camps for Women: How Camp Social Compares
Adult summer camps in the US fall into a few broad categories. Some are co-ed and family-inclusive. Some are open to women and non-binary individuals. Camp Social was built specifically for women looking for a weekend that's just for them, whether they're solo, partnered, married, divorced, a mom, or none of the above.
Here's how the main women-friendly and women-only adult summer camp options compare:
| Women only | Solo-friendly | All ages welcome | Setting | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Social | ✓ | 99% arrive solo | ✓ (oldest camper: 83) | Poconos, PA |
| Camp No Counselors | Co-ed | — | — | Multi-state |
| Club Getaway | Co-ed, families | — | — | Connecticut |
| Camp Bettie | Women & non-binary | — | — | Colorado |
Camp No Counselors operates co-ed adult summer camps across multiple US locations.
Club Getaway runs co-ed camps in Connecticut and also hosts family programming.
Camp Bettie is a Colorado-based adult summer camp for women and non-binary individuals.
Camp Social is a women-only adult summer camp in the Poconos. We run two 3-day weekends a year, and 99% of our campers arrive solo. Adults of all ages are welcome, whether you're over 50 or in your 20s. Our oldest camper to date was 83. The weekends are built for women looking to step out of every role they play in their everyday life and into a space full of other women doing exactly the same thing. You arrive a stranger. You leave with hundreds of new friends.
Who Goes to Adult Summer Camp?
Camp Social welcomes adult women of every age, life stage, and starting point. A few of the most common types of campers who join us each year:
Solo travelers. 99% of our campers arrive alone, which means the entire weekend is built for solo arrivals. You're never the odd one out. You're never trying to break into someone else's group. By Saturday morning, you've already met half the women on your hall.
Friend groups. Some women come in pairs or small groups for a weekend together that doesn't require any of them to plan it. Best friends, sisters, cousins, coworkers.
Bachelorettes and milestone weekends. A growing number of women choose Camp Social for their bachelorette weekend, 30th birthday, 40th birthday, divorce party, or any milestone that deserves more than a hotel weekend. Celebrate at a women's summer camp and build lifelong memories with old friends and new.
Women of all ages. Our campers span their 20s to their 70s and beyond, and here's how camp fits each decade.
Adult Summer Camp for All Ages: 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s+
Adult summer camp has no upper age limit. Camp Social campers range from their 20s to their 70s and beyond, with the biggest groups in their 30s and 40s and the fastest growth in their 50s and 60s. We group cabins by preference, so every age shares halls.
In Your 30s
Your 30s are when the group calendar falls apart. Friends move, partners arrive, babies come, and plans that used to be automatic now take a shared spreadsheet. A camp weekend hands it back: three days of unstructured time, everything handled.
Summer Camp for Adults Over 40
Summer camp for adults over 40 has become one of the fastest-growing parts of our community. The 40s often come with shifts. Kids growing up, careers stabilizing, a quiet question about what you actually want this next chapter to look like. A weekend in a cabin with other women asking the same questions can change the answer. Our guide to making friends in your 40s covers the after-camp version.
Summer Camp for Adults Over 50
This is when the house gets quiet, work shifts, and a lot of women hit real freedom with one question underneath: is it too late to start something new?
It isn't. Over-50 campers arrive after divorces, after the last kid leaves, after decades of being the reliable one, and find a weekend with no roles to play.
Our roundup of summer camp for adults over 50 shows what the weekend looks like at this stage.
Senior Summer Camp: Over 60 and Beyond
Senior summer camp comes with one honest question: can I actually do this? At Camp Social, the answer is built into how the weekend runs.
Every activity is opt-in. Skip the high ropes and the climbing wall and still fill a day with lake time, yoga, workshops, and porch conversations.
Our most enthusiastic returners are often women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s who came to do one thing for themselves and signed up again before they left.
How to Choose the Right Adult Summer Camp
Adult summer camps vary more than they look like they do from the outside. A few things worth knowing before you book:
Who's there. Co-ed, women-only, women and non-binary, families. Every camp has a different mix. Camp Social is women-only specifically, which matters for women looking for that kind of space. Women of all ages are welcome
Where it is. Travel logistics can make or break a weekend. Camp Social is in the Poconos in Pennsylvania, accessible from New York, Philadelphia, DC, and most of the East Coast in a few hours.
The vibe. Some camps lean party-forward, some lean wellness-forward, some lean adventure-forward. Read the activity lineup and check the photos. You'll know within a minute which kind of weekend it is.
The age mix. Some camps skew 25 to 35. Some skew 40+. Some, like Camp Social, welcome adults of all ages and mean it. Our adult campers range from their 20s to 50s to 80s.
Lodging style. Cabin bunks, private rooms, glamping. Every camp handles this differently. If a shared cabin would stress you out, look for a camp with private upgrades.
Group size. A 50-person camp and a 300-person camp are different experiences. Smaller can feel more intimate; larger can feel more dynamic. Neither is better, just different.
If you're a woman looking for a women-only summer camp weekend in the Poconos, with a community built around solo arrivals and adults of every age, Camp Social is built for you.
Adult Summer Camp FAQ
Is adult summer camp really a thing?
Yes. Adult summer camps have grown into a real category over the last decade, with options ranging from co-ed weekends to women-only retreats to activity-focused programs. Most run as 3-day all-inclusive weekends at real camp facilities.
Can I come to adult summer camp alone?
Yes, and most adult campers do come solo. At Camp Social, 99% of our campers arrive solo. The whole weekend is built around making it easy to walk in alone and walk out connected.
What's the age range at adult summer camps?
It varies by camp. Camp Social welcomes adult women of all ages, and our oldest camper to date was 86. Other camps may skew younger or have specific age brackets.
Are there women-only adult summer camps?
Yes. Camp Social is a women-only adult summer camp in the Poconos. Camp Bettie, based in Colorado, is open to women and non-binary individuals.
What's the difference between adult summer camp and a women's retreat?
A women's retreat tends to center wellness, workshops, and structured programming. An adult summer camp is built around traditional camp activities like lake days, cabins, and evening bonfires, with the same kind of community focus. At Camp Social, the two overlap; we call our weekends both.
When do adult summer camps run?
Most adult summer camps run during summer months. Camp Social hosts two 3-day weekends a year in the Poconos. Camp Social 2027 dates are to-be-announced, but will occur in early June and late August!
What should I pack for adult summer camp?
Comfortable clothes for activities, swimwear, layers for cool evenings, a refillable water bottle, and anything you'd want for downtime. A book, a journal, broken-in sneakers.
How much does Camp Social cost?
Camp Social costs $999 for an all-inclusive adult summer camp weekend.
2027 TICKETS GO LIVE SEPTEMBER 27th!
Camp Social 2027 Tickets go on sale on September 27th, 2026!
Join us for weekends in early June 2027 and late August 2027.
Sign up below to get notified when tickets go on sale!