How would you like to spend an entire week in the woods with a bunch of cute guys doing rustic things? Then you need to go to ‘Camp’ Camp! It’s like sleep-away camp for kids. But it’s for adults. And where everyone is LGBTQ.
“Each summer always seems to bring at least a surprise or two,” camp director Kerry Riffle tells GayCities. “We’ve seen lots of stuff: public proposals of marriage, burlesque acts in the Talent Show, impromptu strip teases at Tea Dance, shy, quiet types killing it at Karaoke or Lip-Sync nights, Twister games at the Pajama Par-tay played in not much more than jock straps.”
Sounds like our kinda camp!
Over the past 22 years, ‘Camp’ Camp has developed a reputation for being America’s premier summer camp for LGBTQ adults, attracting people of all walks of life who are all looking for the same thing: to have an awesomely gay time outside.
“I think most people are surprised at how much fun they actually have,” Riffle says. “When we ask our first-time Campers what surprised them most about Camp, we get the same answer we get when we ask our returning Campers why they return to Camp: the people.”
“It really is the big bonus of vacationing at Camp: becoming a part of this fun, welcoming community of LGBTQ people from all around the world.”
Yes, people literally come from all around the world. ‘Camp’ Camp has attracted people from across the United States and Canada, as well countries as far away as Germany, Nigeria, even Australia–with 75% of Campers returning year after year.
“Most years, there’s a moment when I look around when Thursday’s Tea Dance is in full swing and see 25-year-old gay boys dancing with 60-year-old lesbians, or 40-something bears dancing with baby dykes and drag queens,” Riffle says.
“Everyone looks so happy and free. And I think: ‘This. This is the reason we do this. The world needs more of THIS’.”
And while a rustic week in the Maine woods may not be everyone’s idea of a vacation, for those searching for an easy, one-of-a-kind outdoor escape, ‘Camp’ Camp really is the perfect choice.
The all-inclusive price of $1675 includes 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.
This year’s ‘Camp’ Camp will be August 19-26. For more information, or to register, visit www.campcamp.com.
