Affordable summer reunion for 20-30 in Midwest or East Coast

March 17, 2018 9:41 AM

My group of friends (including kids 1-16 years old) would like to start a summer reunion. Do you do this, and if so, how? I'm thinking summer camp cabin rentals are our best bet for cheap-ish spots we can cook our own food. What are your favorite campground or other rentals for big groups?
posted by lillygog to Travel & Transportation (11 answers total)

A big factor will be flights and cars. For comparison, camps for large groups in northern Michigan are cheap, but if people have to fly into Detroit, get rental cars, etc., it will be more expensive overall than a comparable place elsewhere.
Where are people flying in from?
posted by k8t at 10:06 AM on March 17, 2018

Response by poster: Pretty spread out, unfortunately. If everyone made it, there'd be folks traveling from Cleveland, Boston, couple places in FL, NC, VA. Mostly East Coast I guess, but some will have to fly.
posted by lillygog at 10:53 AM on March 17, 2018

My group of friends gets together at a couple of big old remote New England farm houses that are in the families of two of us. This place outside of Boston, which I stayed at years ago because it functions as a youth hostel when not reserved, also rents out exclusively for groups and always seemed like it would be a nifty place to get together.
posted by XMLicious at 11:07 AM on March 17, 2018

Look into some state parks. Lots of people use those for reunions. Sadly, my old favorite is in Indiana and I haven't been back because of their "religious objections" nonsense, but there are others.
posted by BibiRose at 1:02 PM on March 17, 2018

The Outer Banks in NC have a lot of huge houses you can rent that sleep 15-20 people and for that reason (plus the beautiful beaches) are a popular spot for family reunions. Probably more expensive thsn camping or cabins, though. But cheap compared to hotels/motels.
posted by emd3737 at 1:29 PM on March 17, 2018 [3 favorites]

I love the idea but cheap and great are pretty hard to come by. Places I like are all booked up right now.

I am mostly familiar with places in New England. Cabins in summer here dont come too cheap in the summer. You can find some nice state park ones but they are so difficult to book - especially for a big group.

Cooking for a family really is cheaper when you have a fridge. Living out of a cooler is a huge pain and difficult and I always spend more money than I would normally.

A good option might be an old school motel like my favorite Gilcrest Cottages near the white mountains. It's immaculate, has fridge, grills, a nice pool and off the beaten path. It's on the Pemi which is a great tubing river.

A cottage that can sleep six comes to 20 bucks a night per person plus tax. Double room that sleep 4 comes to about 25 bucks a night.

It's not camping-cheap, but it means no one has to lug bedding, etc to a camping cottage.

Because it's so late in the year I don't think you could ever book for this year but it's a great place and maybe worth considering a place similar to that.
posted by beccaj at 3:24 PM on March 17, 2018

Affordable can be a number of price points but at the higher end is B-52's Kate's Lazy Camping.
posted by saucysault at 4:23 PM on March 17, 2018

Response by poster: In case it's relevant, I'm definitely not thinking we'll book a place for this year. More 2019 or 2020.
posted by lillygog at 8:11 PM on March 17, 2018

Seconding Outer Banks of NC. If you want the beach it's better than New England beaches.
West Virginia has loads of cabins, large and small, for very reasonable rates, entertainment optional.
posted by irisclara at 8:21 PM on March 17, 2018

Does it have to be summer? If you go in shoulder seasons, like May or September, there are innumerable summer camps that run a conference season program that accommodates reunions like this. Summer is obviously high season and much more competitive. But if you can get away, even for a long weekend, in the shoulder season your options will expand dramatically and the price will go down.

If it has to be in the summer, check ski resorts and resort towns for deals.
posted by Miko at 8:33 AM on March 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

I have organized some small retreats for group of 10-20 people. Retreat centers are a thing that exists and they can be very reasonable. I did one at this Quaker retreat center and it was lovely. A retreat center may not provide for private bedrooms for everyone, but some have motel-style rooms. Retreat centers may have various types of housing, which range from rustic to very comfortable, meeting rooms for large-group activities, on-site activities like obstacle courses, hiking, boating, and so no. They may have kitchen facilities designed for cooking for large groups. Googling will find you many.
posted by Orlop at 10:10 AM on March 18, 2018