Guides

Everything we have learned from tracking 82 purpose-built adult camps, written for people planning their first one and for skeptics deciding whether this is for them.

• What is adult summer camp?

  The category explained: what makes a purpose-built adult camp, what does not count, and how the format took off.

• What to expect at your first adult camp

  From the awkward first hour to the last-night bonfire: how these weekends actually unfold for first-timers.

• How much does adult summer camp cost?

  Real 2026 prices from all 82 camps in the directory, from $150 weekends to $10,000 fantasy camps.

• The adult summer camp packing list

  What to bring to a camp weekend as a grown-up, including the stuff kids never had to think about.

• How influencers turned summer camp into the hottest ticket in the creator economy

  Camp Social, Wet Hot Bad Magic, Queer Camp, and the rise of the creator-run sleepaway.