Time between Maine campers’ homecoming and the start of school gives parents and siblings the opportunity to reconnect with their campers, often on a fun trip together. Shared travel experiences are bonding and memorable, and they make us think of the incredible trips Maine Camps provide as a part of their camp programming.
Usually, the trips are shorter and closer to camp for the younger campers; for the older and more mature campers, the trips are more extensive, farther away, and more adventurous. Trips are designed to match campers’ abilities and interests. Both day trips and overnight trips provide lots of fun, plus shared and learning opportunities for all.
Maine presents unique opportunities for such travel, based on its natural beauty, all that the state has to offer, as well as its proximity to so many other amazing places. National parks, many different cities, and even surrounding New England states provide camp directors with so many places to choose from. Much thought and planning during the winter results in the creation of special summer experiences for Maine campers.
For some children, camp travel may be their first exposure to some places, perhaps they would never see such places otherwise. For other campers, they may revisit a place they have been to already, but seeing it with one’s best camp friends is a whole new experience. Camp trips are different from home trips: kids sing on bus rides; for overnight trips they stay in hotels, lodges or tents with their friends. Campers at camps with uniforms may be allowed to wear “out of camp” clothing during trips, and those who have cameras enjoy documenting memories of these excursions with photography. Campers usually enjoy a change from regular camp food with special meals while out of camp, and if a camper is lucky, they may even run into a friend or a sibling while on a trip. Most campers look forward to trip days; they provide a change of pace from the typical camp schedule, along with new and exciting things to do.
There are a plethora of day trips available for campers of all ages even within the state of Maine. Beach trips to Kennebunkport, Ogunquit and Old Orchard Beach, just to name a few, allow campers to swim and visit new towns. There are fun (and delicious) blueberry picking trips. Trips to amusement and water parks such as Funtown Splashtown USA, Kahuna Laguna and Aquaboggan provide more swimming, plus the thrill and excitement of rides and games. Baseball fans can enjoy a trip to Portland to watch a Sea Dogs game; the team is a Double AA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and plays its home games at Hadlock Field. Another Maine option, local to many camps, is to cruise on Sebago Lake aboard the Songo River Queen.
As campers grow and mature, they are ready for longer excursions. There is camping to do, outdoor adventure opportunities to take advantage of, and tourist attractions to see. Older campers are comfortable leaving camp for a few days at a time, and they eagerly await the trips often associated with entering a new age group at camp.
Many trips expose campers, often for the first time, to the great outdoors that awaits outside of camp in Maine. Within the state, campers enjoy overnight trips to Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park and more. Watching sunrise from Cadillac Mountain, seeing daybreak before most other Americans, is a unique opportunity for all. Campers enjoy canoeing, hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, axemanship, cooking in the outdoors and whitewater rafting. Rafting and hiking trips often take campers to destinations farther away, such as Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. Campers who travel as far as Cape Cod can enjoy whale watching and a boat trip to Martha’s Vineyard. While spending time in the outdoors, campers learn about wilderness safety, proper handling of fire, conservation techniques, and about local plants and wildlife.
On a less outdoorsy note, a trip to Boston might include an open-air Duck Boat tour, a visit to historic Faneuil Hall, shopping on Newbury Street, a Red Sox game at Fenway or a dinner cruise in Boston Harbor. Cape Cod camp tourists visit Hyannisport and Provincetown, partake in the local food and might enjoy taking a swim in a hotel pool.
There are trips for every type of camper, in many different places. Each trip creates memories for our Maine campers and long after the trips have ended, our campers remember where they went and what they did. What they might not realize, however, is all that they learned and how shared experiences serve to deepen the bonds of friendship.
Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools
You can share your own Maine camps memories & expressions of gratitude on our Memories of Camp section of our website.
Looking for the perfect Maine camp for your child? Try out our helpful tool where you can select a camp by choosing: type of camp (girls, boys or coed) and session length (1-8 weeks). It helps to narrow down a few camps to a manageable list that includes rates. Then you can research these camps in more depth.
Next, be sure to contact our Maine Camp Guide, Laurie to discuss these camps as well as for free, year-round advice and assistance on choosing a great Maine summer camp for your child.
Talk to Laurie, our Maine Campcierge®, about choosing the right camp for your child and what to do in Maine.
Call 877-92-MAINE
