Outdoors
Read More ›
Embrace Your Inner Child With Adults-Only Summer Camps
From arts and crafts to hot yoga, these new-look camps blend nostalgia with grown-up activities.
This article originally appeared in the April 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.
If a bunch of adults playing capture the flag, sleeping in bunk beds and going on nature walks sounds like your kind of party, you’re not alone. These days, more and more grown-ups are packing their bags and retreating to adult-only camps (more than 1 million, according to the American Camp Association), including a few in Washington.
They’re invited to leave their screens at home and remember the sweet thrill of camp songs, mess halls and scraped knees. At Camp Kirby’s Camp RAHH (starts at $450; camprahh.com) on Samish Island, an hour-and-a-half drive north of Seattle, adults spend four days kayaking, riding horses, playing paint ball and enjoying four-course meals by local chef Brian O’Connor, all sans alcohol and technology. The YMCA’s Camp Colman, near Tacoma, offers similar activities as part of the four-day “Camp Souldust: Magic in the Woods” (starts at $555; souldust.com) experience. (Read about the awkward and inspirational moments from our recent stay).
And for women only, the Girl Scouts of Western Washington’s “Glamp” weekend in September hosts activities such as pasta making and sunrise yoga (starts at $275; girlscoutsww.org/glamp).
Another women’s option for a weekend recharge: Spring and fall weekend wellness camps at Camp Colman and Camp Orkila on Orcas Island ($189; seattleymca.org). Expect traditional camp activities (arts and crafts, archery) along with time to relax or indulge in a massage. With vacation season just around the corner, don’t miss your chance to sing “Kumbaya.”
Follow Us
The Northwest’s Gateway to Wine, Culture & Adventure
Escape the crowds. Slow down. Savor fall in the Lewis Clark Valley. As autumn paints the hillsides in gold, crimson, and amber, the Lewis Clark Valley becomes a picture-perfect place to slow down and savor the season. Where Washington and Idaho meet, fall brings crisp days, colorful landscapes, harvest among the vines, and plenty of…
Meet West Seattle’s “Freelance Beaver Detective”
A group of urban beavers helped Pamela Adams through a tough time. Now she’s returning the favor.
Pamela Adams was living in Port Townsend when her marriage fell apart. Little did she know at the time that she would soon find love again while doggedly pursuing the Five Families—not the ones of Mafia lore, but a four-legged sort living along the Longfellow Creek Watershed. Prior to moving to Washington, Adams resided in…
A Wellness Pilgrimage to the Olympic Peninsula
Two hours from Seattle, a new kind of luxury is taking root—one built on stillness, old-growth forests, and the subtle art of slowing down.
There is a school of thought among the overworked and overscheduled that the most subversive thing a person can do is stop. Put down the phone, close the laptop, and go somewhere that actively resists attempts to stay plugged in. The Olympic Peninsula has always offered this, in its blunt, mossy way. For some city…
Seabrook Is a Little Coastal Utopia
This walkable beach town gives families room to roam, relax, and leave the car parked.
There’s nothing quite like finding an edible mushroom in the forest with a five-year-old. The excitement and pride my son displayed when we found chicken of the woods were contagious, and after battering and frying the mushrooms, our wonderful day got even better. The dark, wet forests in which our mushrooms grew are part of…