THIS ONE TIME AT ADULT CAMP… Summer camp—for adults

Live your dream at the grown-up answer to the kids’ favorite getaway.

Swing out, sister

Rochester

“This one time at band camp, I worked on the fundamentals during jazz theory classes and rock ed it out during jam sessions every night.” Sound familiar?
Please refrain from any “band camp” jokes until you check out Tritone Jazz Fan tasy Camp at Nazareth College in Rochest er, NY. Both beginners and jazz vets are welcome a t Tritone, which caters to the over-21 crowd. The only crit eria is an ability to read music, but the camp leaders are willing to loosen that rule for eager students who play by ear.
Jazz players and singers work with seasoned prof essionals in a mixture of small groups and big-band environments. www.tritonejazzfantasycamp.com

Everybody’s gone…

San Francisco

Surfing can seem intimidating, but to ride a wave all you really need is a good teacher, some patience and a sense of humor. Adventure Out Adult Surf Camp offers three- and four-day programs in California beach towns Pacifica and Santa Cruz.

With only four students to each instructor, there is plenty of personal attention—which increases your chances of catching a wave. While it’s undoubtedly fun to paddle out into the waves and ride one in, remember that wiping out can be awesome too, dude. www.adventureout.com

Search for dolphins

Grand Bahama Island

It’s one thing to take a quick swim with dolphins, but if your interest in these magical underwater creatures runs deeper, check out The Incredible Dolphin Encounter. Twice a year, the Wild Dolphin Project invites the public to join its working research team in the waters off the Bahamas. You get to observe dolphins in their natural habitat while helping the researchers photograph and catalog spotted and bottlenose dolphins. Guests get a flavor of the Jacques Cousteau lifestyle by spending six nights in comfortable quarters on board the R/V Tiburon, a 63-foot research and exploration ship. In between scouting sessions, there are on-board lectures and opportunities to snorkel. www.incredible-adventures.com

Put the pedal to the metal

Indianapolis, Atlanta and Daytona

Don’t have a week of vacation time to indulge in your fantasy camp experience? Sign up for a one-day program with the Richard Petty Driving Experience and start your engines at a NASCAR track. You can ride shotgun in a stock car while a professional races around the track at a hair-raising 150mph. More intense programs let the participants get behind the wheel—after a good deal of training, of course. Buckle up, because whichever program you choose, it’s sure to be a wild ride. www.1800bepetty.com

Dream your dream building

Chicago

Once a year, the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust invites architecture enthusiasts to Chicago for the Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture Fantasy Camp. Admirers of the master’s unique American style will relish the opportunity to learn about basic drafting technique and to create framable floor plans while working in Wright’s Oak Park studio. Note that the program only accepts non-architects, so this is strictly a learning event for amateurs with an eye for good design. Small wonder the camp fills up so quickly every year. www.wrightplus.org

Mealtime makeovers

Las Vegas

If cooking has become more a chore than a chance to indulge your senses, turn yourself over to the gourmets at the Creative Cooking School in Las Vegas. After four days of slicing and dicing, you’ll master (OK, at least understand) the techniques of sautéing, stir-frying, roasting, grilling and pan-frying. Participants learn how to prepare romantic dinners, spruced-up recipe staples and, of course, dessert treats like the heavenly Chocolate Decadence Soufflé. You’ll even learn basic knife skills—the true mark of a professional in the kitchen. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will never be the same again. www.creativecookingschool.com

“Hollywood, here I come!”

New York City, Los Angeles

Movie fanatics can get behind the camera during the New York Film Academy’s one-week AMC Movie Camp. Students learn the basics needed to complete a short film through intensive sessions on writing, directing and handling a camera. Then you have two days to film your movie. The work doesn’t stop there, as editing and other post-production tasks still await. The program offers a good dose of reality and proves there’s more to filmmaking than Hollywood glam and the red carpet scene. www.nyfa.com

Time for your autobiography

Moline/Quad Cities

Every summer, the University of Iowa gives a taste of the writing life during the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. Amateurs hoping to take a shot at creating a short story, writers struggling to finish that pesky first novel, and everyone in between can find an appropriate week or weekend session. Published authors guide workshops on a wide range of writing styles, including short stories, novels, personal essays and nonfiction memoirs. www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/iswfest

Rockers unite

Los Angeles

Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp in Los Angeles is a “paradise city” for music fans who keep their MP3 players packed with solid gold hits, especially the big hair bands of the 1980s and old school rockers. Campers are grouped together into bands, each with a resident rock star. The groups have four days to perfect the songs that they perform at the final event—the Battle of the Bands concert at the House of Blues. In between practice, there are guest lecturers, including bigwigs from the music world, and ample time to mingle with rock stars from the past. www.rockandrollfantasycamp.com

Fantasy football

Pittsburgh

The Superbowl is the pinnacle of the football season, but it also means the end of Nflaction until the fall. Diehard fans, however, can get a welcome football fix with the Superbowl champs at the Steelers Men’s Fantasy Camp. The weekend starts with a behind-the-scenes tour of Heinz Field before students are off to the Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College. Participants practice punts and passes and meet with team coaches to review their plays. On the final day, players show off their new skills and compete for prizes. Not a bad way to pass the time until the season kicks off again. www.steelers.com

The nose knows

San Francisco

California is America’s original wine country, so it’s no wonder that Hyde Park, New York’s prestigious Culinary Institute of America has a West Coast branch in the heart of Napa Valley. The school’s Career Discovery: The Professional World of Wine at Greystone is an immersion program for serious wine enthusiasts who want to learn more about wine and the industry in general. This four-day program is packed with tastings and tours to educate palate and mind on the basics of wine and running a vineyard. For some people, this may just be the first step in planning a career change of “grape” proportions. www.ciachef.edu

Driving ambition

Tampa Bay

Golf greats Jim Dent and Rick Bradshaw promise to share some of their secrets at the Golf Adventure at the Dent/Bradshaw Schools of Golf on this intense four-day camp in Tampa. Players of all skill levels are divided into foursomes, with each group having a PGA Tour professional on hand to offer advice and guidance. To fuel the competitive spirit, there are prizes for the longest drive, closest to the pin and other good moves on the greens. www.tourexperience.com

Batter up!

Orlando

Vero Beach is a favorite among vacationers looking to escape the brutal winters of their home towns. But once pitchers and batters report for training camp (in Spring and Fall), this Florida town takes on a new personality as “Dodgertown.” The Los Angeles Dodgers Adult Baseball Fantasy Camp has been organizing teams since 1983. Baseball fans get a chance to learn from some of the Dodgers themselves. Participants play two games a day and learn the basics of base running, pitching and how to hit a grand slam—or at least how to make contact with the ball—while suited up in your personalized LA Dodgers uniform. www.ladabc.com

Words by Jennifer Plum Auvil