Family Camp in Maine: The Best Thing You Can Give Your Kids This Summer Has Nothing to Do With a Screen
A nostalgic summer getaway at Camp DeForest is the one thing on their wishlist they haven't discovered yet … and it just might change your family forever.
Close your eyes for a second. It's sometime in the early 90s. You're outside before your parents even woke up. There was a bike, a field, maybe a creek. There was no plan, no schedule, no group chat — just a long, unhurried summer day with nowhere to be and everything to discover. At some point, someone's mom called everyone in for dinner, and even then you weren't ready to come inside.
“The best gift you can give your children is a memory they made with their own two hands — not something that happened on a screen.”
Now open your eyes. It's 2026. You've got three devices on the kitchen counter, a notification for every conceivable thing, and kids who've never once been bored in the way that actually matters — the kind of boredom that turns into creativity and invention.
You're not the only one feeling it. All across the country, millennial parents are quietly craving the same thing: a way to give their kids the childhood they remember — unstructured, unplugged, and genuinely free. Pinterest searches for "screen-free activities" are up 200%. "No phone summer" is up 340%. Parents aren't just nostalgic for themselves. They're nostalgic for their kids.
Here's the good news: you don't have to recreate it from scratch in your backyard. It already exists — on the coast of Maine, tucked into the pines of Lincolnville, waiting for you and your whole family to arrive.
Welcome to Camp Deforest - These Are the Good Old Days
Camp DeForest isn't a resort with a kids' club. It isn't a theme park with a bedtime. It's an immersive, mid-century summer camp experience set on the stunning Midcoast Maine shoreline — and it is absolutely, deliberately the real thing.
Camp cabins with warm wood interiors. Open lawns that beg for bare feet. A crackling campfire as the day winds down. Pine-scented air that smells nothing like anywhere you've been recently. This is a place designed in the spirit of 1950s American summer camp life — when summers were long, days were simple, and kids ran in packs until the fireflies came out.
The difference? You get to be here too.
Family Camp Week at Camp DeForest is for the whole crew — parents, kids, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, family friends. Think of it as the family reunion you'd actually want to go to, or the vacation that finally makes everyone put the phone down of their own free will. Fourteen one-of-a-kind cabins and lodge rooms sleep up to 50 guests, ranging from cozy rooms for two to family-sized cabins with room to spread out. Mid-century character, modern comforts — crisp linens, great showers, the works.
The Days Your Kids Will Talk About for Years
Here's what a day at Family Camp Week actually looks like — and why it works.
Mornings start slow. No alarm. No itinerary. Kids wake up and find other kids. They find the lawn, the canoes, the kayaks. They find the kind of morning that doesn't have a plan.
Afternoons get bigger. The lawns at Camp DeForest are made for lawn games — the kind that pit families against each other in the best possible way. Canoes and kayaks go out on the water. Hiking trails beckon just beyond the grounds. And for those ready to explore beyond camp, Midcoastal Maine is one of the most extraordinary places in the country to spend a summer day — but more on that in a moment.
Evenings belong to the campfire.
Gathering around a campfire isn't just a camp activity — it's one of the oldest forms of human connection. The warmth, the light, the shared stillness reduces anxiety, invites presence, and creates the kind of memories that last a lifetime.
At Camp DeForest, campfire nights are the heartbeat of the week. S'mores, stories, songs, and games. Conversations that don't happen on school nights. And if you want to kick the evening into a higher gear — introduce the group to Camp DeForest: The Card Game.
The campfire classic you didn't know you needed. Camp DeForest: The Card Game is a fast-paced competitive marshmallow toasting game where loyalty is optional and betrayal is encouraged. Race to toast enough marshmallows, upgrade your campsite with Glamp cards, or sabotage opponents with Roughin' It cards. The 60s-themed art style and iconic marshmallow characters make it a hit for all ages — and the competitive mayhem keeps everyone at the fire way past bedtime. Perfect for 2–4 players (add a second deck for 5–8). A matchbox-style carrying case makes it easy to pack.
Midcoastal Maine Is the Other Half of the Magic
Camp DeForest sits in Lincolnville, Maine — just ten minutes from Camden, and at the center of one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline on the Eastern Seaboard. The camp is your home base, but Midcoast Maine is your backyard.
Here's a taste of what awaits just beyond the pine trees:
Ferry to the islands. From Lincolnville Beach, a 20-minute ride on the Margaret Chase Smith ferry takes you to Islesboro — historic villages, coastal hikes, rocky beaches, and artists' studios. A perfect family day trip. Or, head to Rockland to take the ferry out a bit further to North Haven and Vinylhaven.
Camden Hills State Park. Just minutes from camp, the trails in Camden Hills State Park range from easy woodland walks to the summit of Mount Battie, where the views of Camden Harbor and Penobscot Bay will stop everyone in their tracks. (You can also drive to the summit — we won't judge.)
Lighthouses around every bend. Maine has 65 lighthouses, and many of the best are right here in MidCoast. The Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse lets you walk nearly a mile across granite to reach it in summer. Owls Head Light Station offers panoramic bay views year-round. History, adventure, and stunning photos — all in one.
Fresh lobster on Route 1. This is non-negotiable. Wild-caught Maine lobster, straight from the boats that haul the traps, served at the shacks and lobster pounds lining the Midcoast. Whether your crew likes it in a roll or steaming with butter, this is a rite of passage.
Sea glass hunting in Victorian Bayside. Just south of Belfast, the pebbled beaches of Bayside are full of tide-tumbled sea glass in every color. A slow, peaceful afternoon that kids and grandparents enjoy equally — and something everyone gets to take home.
Check the full local events guide for what's happening in Camden, Rockland, Belfast, and beyond during your stay: campdeforest.com/events-guide
The Trip That's Bigger Than a Vacation
Here's what we've seen happen at Family Camp Week, over and over again.
The kids arrive a little shy, a little glued to whatever device came with them. Within about four hours, the devices are gone — not confiscated, just forgotten. They've found the lawn. They've found the canoes. They've found each other.
The adults exhale in a way they forgot was possible. Grandparents stay up later than anyone expected. Cousins who barely know each other end up inseparable by the last night. The campfire goes longer than planned. Nobody's ready to leave.
That's the thing about this kind of trip. It doesn't just give your kids a week of memories. It gives your whole family something to return to — a shared story, a place that belongs to all of you now, a week that becomes the one everyone talks about every summer after.
"This isn't a vacation. It's a reset — for your family, your kids, and honestly, for you."
Family Camp Week at Camp DeForest is a spring and summer experience. Spots fill up. Bring the grandparents. Bring the cousins. Bring the family friends who feel like family. This is the one.
20% off for Family Camp Week: April 20-25
Spring break, camp style. Enjoy 20% off, plus, crackling campfires, lawn games, and daily breakfast — classic family camp magic in the pines! Get this special offer here: www.campdeforest.com/offers
Plan Your Family Camp Week
Browse everything to do at camp and around MidCoast Maine: campdeforest.com/things-to-do
See what's happening this spring and summer: campdeforest.com/events-guide
