Affordable Overnight Camps Give Kids, Parents Needed Break

Not many parents these days can afford the expense of sleep-away summer camp for their children, but there is an alternative that can be rewarding for kids, and a welcome respite for their parents.

The city’s Department of Recreation and Parks offers an affordable camping experience at Hollywoodland (for girls) and Griffith Park Boys Camp, both accredited by the American Camping Assn.

At both camps, the week begins on a Monday morning at 8 when campers are dropped off and goes until Saturday morning at 10 when campers are returned to parents.

Fees include all meals, accommodations and activities. Both camps are located in the mountains above Griffith Park. For girls 6 to 14, one week at Hollywoodland is priced from $125 to $170, depending on choice of field trips.

The camp offers regular activities such as ceramics, swimming, hiking, horseback riding, crafts and dance, the last in a studio completed this year.

Griffith Park Boys Camp, for ages 6 to 14, operates much the same as Hollywoodland, with the choice of field trips determining the week’s cost. Figure from $135 to $170. Field trips include visits to San Diego Zoo, Knott’s Berry Farm, the DC-3 Flight Museum and Raging Waters.

Applications to both of these camping bargains are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Deadline for registration is two weeks prior to each session. Camp sessions run from June 22 to Aug. 22. To view the camps’ facilities, an open house will be held Sunday and June 7 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Hollywoodland Camp for Girls, (213) 467-7193. Griffith Park Boys Camp, (213) 664-0571.

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