Call them resorts without the room service, turned-down sheets, or gourmet restaurants—family camps often offer the same range of recreational activities and attractions but without the fancy price tag. Mom and Dad won't have to cook, as three meals a day are served in the dining hall. Many family camps also have supervised children's programs, which allow parents time to themselves and kids the chance to be with others their own age.
Growing numbers of traditional children's summer camps are adding family weekends or weeks throughout the summer; close to 400 American Camping Association accredited camps offer family camping throughout the year, and a few now devote their entire summer to family camping. Family camp sponsors range from YMCA and 4-H organizations to university alumni associations, city parks departments, and private owners. The degree of luxury and types of accommodations vary considerably. Most camps have simple cabins with a common bathhouse, but others range from modern two- or three-bedroom suites to shared bunkhouses and tent cabins. Many ask that guests bring their own bedding and towels.
Family camps are typically situated in areas of great natural beauty— on lakes, rivers, or seashores. Expect to find swimming, boating, arts and crafts, horseback riding, volleyball, softball, basketball, evening campfires and sing-alongs, and high and low ropes challenge courses. High ropes courses have such elements as tightropes, Indiana Jones—style hanging bridges, cargo nets, and vertical wall climbs thirty to forty feet in the air. Participants are secured with harnesses and pulleys so that if they fall, they are caught and safely lowered to the ground. Low ropes courses have many of the same elements but are only four or five feet off the ground. If the participants fall, there is a spotter to catch them. Ropes courses are exciting for children and adults and build agility, self-confidence, and trust.
Family camps are one of the most economical vacations around; once you pay, there are no surprises awaiting your checkbook at the end of the week. They provide an opportunity for families to spend time to-gether in a beautiful wilderness setting while enjoying the company of other families If you wish to vacation in an area that is not listed in this book contact the American Camping Association at 800—428—CAMP for a list of their members offering family camping:
Family Vacation Center
Emandal Farm
Skylake Yosemite Camp
San Jose Family Camp
Montecito-Sequoia Lodge
Lair of the Golden Bear
Aspen Grove Family Camp
The Trails End Ranch Family Camp
Brush Ranch Camps
Shaw-Waw-Nas-See 4-H Camp
Camp Nebagamon Family Camp
Edwards YMCA Camp on Lake Beulah
YMCA Storer Camps
Al-Gon-Quian Family Camp
Camp Michigania Walloon
Camp Lincoln- and Camp Lake Hubert Family Camp
Cleveland Area YMCA Family Camps
Camp Christopher Family Camp
Camp Friendship
Seafarer Family Camps
Camp Chingachgook on Lake George
Weona Family Camp
Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA family camps
Camp Merrowvista
Camp Wyonegonic Family Camp
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