For Over Four Decades, Club Getaway Remains a Go-to Resort for New Yorkers in Summer

Why does this cult-favorite adult summer camp just 90 minutes from New York City have us so entranced? It’s no secret that most New Yorkers are overworked, and looking for any way to unplug but what many don’t realize is that a quick ride upstate leads to something unexpected: a weekend escape packed with energy, open bars (if you’re into that), and mountainside views that somehow manage to be both restorative and exhilarating.

This is Club Getaway: a 300-acre, all-ages adventure camp surrounded by woods and set against a shimmering lakefront, offering just the right mix of ease and excitement to keep guests coming back year after year. The activity list is something of summer dreams and includes rock climbing, mountain biking, and swimming in the lake, yoga at sunrise, afternoon tennis clinic, or even mid-morning Zumba. There’s archery, pizza-making classes, and yes, karaoke where the crowd is supportive even if your performance leans more toward “nails on a chalkboard” than chart-topper.

More than a decade since its debut in Kent, Connecticut, Club Getaway continues to fill up fast, drawing in weekenders from across the country—though it’s especially beloved by city-dwellers in search of a nostalgic fix. With just enough comfort to make roughing it feel optional, the experience pairs bunk beds with air-conditioned cabins, paddle boarding with lakeside cocktails, and campfire singalongs with late-night dance parties that go well past curfew.

Weekends become a choose-your-own-adventure experience with options for thrill-seekers like ziplining, water skiing, or the adrenaline-pumping Sky Cycle—a suspended, pedal-powered ride that glides through the treetops and delivers equal parts scenery and spectacle. Those in search of a slower pace can stretch out on the dock, sip rosé by the pool, or take an optional shuttle into the nearby town of Kent. Recently named one of Reader’s Digest’s most beautiful Main Streets in America, Kent is a charming pocket of New England filled with antique stores, a beloved local bookstore, and homemade biscuits that you'll remember long after your visit.

As the sun begins to set, campgoers bring out the glow sticks, dazzle in group-themed costumes, and hit play on curated playlists, ready to tear up the open-air dance floors until midnight. Bonfires crackle, s’mores make their rounds, and suddenly everyone’s singing along to a throwback hit like it’s their personal anthem. The crowd is delightfully mixed—solo travelers, friend groups, couples, birthday parties, reunions—and everyone is here for the same thing: to have fun.

In a world that glamorizes hustle culture, Club Getaway presents a refreshing alternative: permission to do absolutely nothing—or everything—and enjoy every minute of it. Whether you’re flying through the treetops on a zipline or floating atop the lake in blissful silence, the effect is the same. You feel like a kid again, but with better drinks, endless buffet style bites and no curfew.

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