The Golden Girls , But in a Camp Cabin

In the Poconos, Pennsylvania, there's an adult summer camp called Camp Social. One August weekend, over 400 women—from 21 to 80—checked into log cabins that usually host kids, did the ropes course, made friendship bracelets, and danced in choreographed routines at the flagpole.

Everyone is referred to as a 'girl.' The camp's tagline: '99% arrive solo, 100% leave as friends.' Founder Liv Schreiber says the waitlist now tops 60,000.

Why grown-ups need camp to make friends

Jackie, a retiree, says making friends was more straightforward when she was younger. But jobs, raising kids, and getting sober faded those old connections with neighbors and parents.

Campers are often new mothers, empty nesters, divorcees, or widows—people in life transitions that isolate. The average age is 39, when caring for kids and aging parents leaves little time for friendship.

A three-day spell of instant intimacy

The camp is designed as a friendship accelerator: the 10-Foot Rule says smile and say hi if you're within ten feet of someone; all counselors are women who dance at meals and cheer at the climbing wall.

Cabin 3's eight women bonded almost immediately: they talked about menopause, divorce frustrations, and laugh about peeing a little when they laugh. They adopted the flamingo as their mascot—a bird that loses its pink when depleted but recovers with nourishment. 'We've lost our color, but we'll get it back,' Jackie said.

By Sunday they were exchanging numbers and starting a WhatsApp chat, already planning a reunion in Greece or Moab. But not everyone succeeded: a few younger women confessed they'd made no connections despite the setup.

The author reflects: friendship isn't a skill problem, it's an opportunity problem. The camp simply gives adults back the environment of childhood, where a playmate was always four minutes away.