The Ultimate Adult Summer Camp Getaway in North Carolina
For more than 100 years, this corner of the Blue Ridge Mountains has been one of the country’s most beloved summer camp destinations. Generations of kids have spent their summers exploring waterfalls, singing around campfires, and falling in love with the outdoors. Turns out, adults still need that kind of magic too.
This guide is your invitation to experience the ultimate adult summer camp getaway in North Carolina… just with better coffee, better cocktails, and nobody making you sleep in a bunk bed unless you want to.
Stay Somewhere That Feels Like Camp
Earthshine Lodge
Tucked high in the mountains near Lake Toxaway, Earthshine Lodge is a former summer camp turned all-inclusive mountain getaway that fully leans into the nostalgic camp experience. Spend the weekend around campfires, exploring the property, joining outdoor activities, and soaking up the slower pace of mountain life. It’s the kind of place where you can stay onsite all weekend or use it as your basecamp for waterfall hikes and outdoor adventures around Transylvania County.
Deerwoode Reserve
Another former summer camp property, Deerwoode Reserve, blends nostalgic camp energy with wellness-focused mountain living. Expect wooded hiking trails, campfire hangs, ponds, yoga classes, cozy cabins, and peaceful spaces that make it easy to unplug and reconnect with nature in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The best part is it’s just minutes outside of Downtown Brevard, making it easy to explore all the area has to offer.
Valley Bear Farms
If summer camp grew up and got really good taste, it might look something like Valley Bear Farms. Stay in luxury cabins surrounded by mountain scenery while still tapping into all the classic camp vibes: swimming and canoeing in the onsite pond, evenings around the campfire, games of volleyball, pickleball, and bocce ball, private trails through the property, and even a sauna to recover after a long day outside. There’s even a charming onsite general store that feels like an upgraded version of a camp canteen.
Eat Like a Camp Kid Again
Breakfast Before Adventure
Start the morning at Morning Social in the Lumberyard District, where breakfast skillets and coffee fuel the day ahead. It has the same energy as everyone gathering in the lodge before heading out for the day’s activities.
Hot dogs, Milkshakes, & Nostalgia
Few things feel more nostalgic than grabbing a hot dog and a milkshake after a day outdoors. Rocky’s Grill and Soda Shop delivers exactly that old-school summer vacation feeling.
Pizza Picnic on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Pick up a pizza from Pisgah Bakehouse and head for a scenic overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Stay through sunset, spread out a blanket, and stick around for stargazing once the sky gets dark. It’s the kind of simple mountain evening that feels straight out of summer camp.
Ice Cream Is Mandatory
No camp-inspired getaway is complete without ice cream. Dolly’s Dairy Bar is a Brevard tradition, and many of the flavors are named after the area’s iconic summer camps.
Camp Activities, But Better
Go on a Llama Hike
Hiking through the mountains with a llama is exactly the kind of random activity summer camps would dream up. Headwaters Outfitters and Earthshine Lodge both offer guided llama hikes that are equal parts hilarious, wholesome, and surprisingly peaceful.
Ride Down a Natural Waterslide
A trip to Sliding Rock in Pisgah National Forest is basically grown-up camp swim time. Slide down the smooth 60-foot rock face into a refreshing mountain pool just like generations of campers before you.
Float the River
Few things capture the carefree feeling of summer quite like floating down the river with friends. Bring snacks, hop in a tube, and spend the afternoon drifting through the mountains with cool water and sunshine doing most of the work.
Try River Snorkeling
If your childhood camp had a “coolest activity ever” award, river snorkeling would’ve won. Join Oxbow River Snorkeling to explore clear mountain rivers and discover an entirely different side of the underwater world in the Land of Waterfalls.
Make Coffee with Waterfall Water
Nero Experiences combines guided hikes with fresh coffee brewed using filtered water from the waterfall along the trail. It feels like the outdoorsy wilderness activity everyone at camp would’ve talked about for the rest of the summer.
Tap Into Your Creative Side
Remember camp craft time? Upgrade it with a pottery class at Brevard Clay or take a glass blowing class at Woodhaven Glass and leave with a handmade souvenir from your Blue Ridge Mountain getaway.
Rediscover Your Inner Kid
Spend some time wandering through O.P. Taylor’s or challenge your friends to old-school arcade games at White Squirrel Arcade. Turns out, adults still like recess, too.
Ride to a Waterfall on Horseback
One of the best parts of summer camp was exploring the woods on horseback. Relive that feeling with a guided horseback ride through DuPont State Recreational Forest with Little River Trail Rides, where scenic forest trails lead to some of the area’s most iconic waterfalls.
Summer Nights in the Blue Ridge Mountains
One of the best parts of summer camp was winding down together after a long day outside, swapping stories, laughing too loud, and stretching the night out a little longer. Turns out, that part is still pretty great as an adult too.
Territory Wine Bar
Settle in with a glass of wine, a cocktail, or a charcuterie board at Territory Wine Bar, where the cozy atmosphere feels perfect after a long day of hiking, tubing, or waterfall chasing.
Ecusta Brewing
With outdoor seating, live music, and plenty of room to gather with friends, Ecusta Brewing has the relaxed energy of everyone meeting back up after camp activities ended for the day.
185 King Street
Part live music venue, part backyard hangout, 185 King Street is one of those places where you show up for one drink and somehow stay all evening. Grab a local beer, settle in around the picnic tables, and enjoy the kind of laid-back mountain night that makes you lose track of time.
Oskar Blues Brewery
Cornhole, outdoor seating, mountain air, and a lively patio scene make Oskar Blues feel a little like adult field day in brewery form.
Brevard Music Center
A summer evening at Brevard Music Center feels like camp talent show night all grown up. Spread out a blanket, pack a picnic, and listen to live music surrounded by the mountains as the sun goes down.
Cedar Mountain Moonshine
On Friday nights, Cedar Mountain Moonshine hosts Music & Moonshine, where locals and visitors gather for live music, dancing, drinks, and laid-back mountain community vibes that feel like the elevated version of campfire singalongs.
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