While watching American media one might ask: is it really like that? Is it that over-the-top and extravagant? And if you’ve ever crossed the pond, more often than not, the answer is yes. In the case of films showcasing American summer camps, such as The Parent Trap and Camp Rock, it is, to an extent, accurate.
Yes, those camps filled with wooden cabins around a large lake do exist. Parents ship their kids off for weeks at a time to these camps, sometimes states away, to spend their summer break meeting kids across the country and participating in various activities, like horseback riding and archery. They stay in bunks, congregate in mess halls, sing camp songs, and wear matching camp merch. There are even camps for special interests, like in Camp Rock. My friend attended an audition-only viola camp a few states away; however, they did not randomly burst out into performing competitions. The one thing the movies are missing is the counselors watching over. While campers have a lot of freedom at camp, they can’t roam around alone as the movies suggest.
While these camps exist, it’s important to note that they are not all on the same scale, and not everyone attends them. Some of them are just as big and as fancy (I saw one where the counsellors unpacked the campers' bags for them), while some are much smaller and laid back. What is going to separate the camps is the price. The one near my hometown is pretty average in fanciness and costs almost $14k for around 8 weeks. Yikes. I guess the Parent Trap kids’ friends must also have millionaire parents.
I guess the Parent Trap kids' friends must also have millionaire parents...
I would say day camps are much more common and cheaper and were what I attended as a kid. Some would be specialized, like arts or STEM-based, but many kids went to a general, local camp. Days consisted of common 2000s outdoor activities: going to the pool, kickball, playing cards, and making string bracelets. Don’t forget the almighty snack time with bright red Kool-Aid with Scooby-Doo gummies. End the day with freeze-tag on the playground and hope the ice cream truck stops by before you get picked up. We also would have field trips maybe once a week, camp branded t-shirt required, visiting movie theatres, bowling alleys, and even an amusement park – Cedar Point, I miss you.
So, while the movies are close in certain instances, they are not a realistic summer experience for all American children, as most would not be considered interesting enough for a film (unless the aforementioned overly-processed snack options scare you and make it a horror film).