By Andrea Wilhelm
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

NorthBay Adventure Camp will open its doors to the public for a weekend of family fun May 3 and 4.

With the exception of open house dates, this is the first time in NorthBay’s three-year history that the facility is open to individual and family bookings for an informal spring weekend getaway. Grandparents, parents, and kids of all ages are welcome to book their stay at the award-winning facility, located in North East, Md.

Something for everyone
NorthBay is a 97-acre waterfront camp located on the northern tip of  Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. In partnerships with the Maryland Departments of Natural Resources and Education, the site serves as an environmental education center for Maryland sixth graders nine months of the year and as an outdoor adventure camp for six weeks during the summer.

For the May weekend, the camp’s full-time professional staff has an extensive schedule of entertainment planned for all family members. Adventure activities include the zipline, rock wall, high ropes course, educational wilderness and wildlife lessons, canoeing, kayaking, pontoon and tubing excursions, movies in the theater, bonfires, and marshmallows on the beach.

“For a few years now, there’s been a significant amount of interest expressed in this idea from the parents of our students and campers, local families,  employees of Erickson, and even residents at the communities,” says Leah Malsen, NorthBay’s assistant summer camp manager. “It’s a win-win situation that exposes adults and campers to all that NorthBay has to offer. Where else can grandparents take a step back in time to experience camp with their families?”

Come one, come all
The weekend begins Saturday at 10 a.m. and ends Sunday at 3 p.m. Guests will stay in one of the camp’s 36 air-conditioned, carpeted cabins, each with a sleeping capacity of up to ten friends or family members of the same gender.