New, lower lodging rates and Highland Lodge “Kids Club” welcome families

Note to editors: photos and other press kit materials are available at www.outdoors.org/about/newsroom/kid-campaign.cfm

To introduce its new “Kid Spoken Here” offering this summer, the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is rolling out lower child and teen rates, new kids’ meals, and an even broader variety of family-friendly outdoor activities at each of its lodges and huts in New Hampshire and Maine. The greatest changes are coming to AMC’s Highland Lodge, where a new “big mountain” outdoor playscape and child-only Kids Club activities are planned. AMC has also lowered everyday lodging rates for children by up to 25 percent and added a new teen rate, helping families stretch their family vacation budgets.

The AMC's outdoor experiences for families and young explorers range from free walk-on programs such as beginner family hikes to more adventurous overnight hut adventures and other backcountry outings. For full details on AMC’s new “Kid Spoken Here” offerings for this summer, visit www.outdoors.org/kidsguide.

Engaging more kids and families in the outdoors—a long-time commitment for AMC and now a key Vision 2020 organizational goal—has taken on increased national importance in the past year as the President’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative focuses on making outdoor recreation more accessible, especially for the next generation. Families new to the outdoors can take comfort in AMC’s 135 years of experience as the oldest outdoor recreation and conservation organization in the U.S.

AMC’s Highland Lodge is gearing up for summer with many new kid-friendly attractions, including an outdoor playscape for young explorers to climb a trail, crawl through a rock cave, and jump stumps. Families can also look forward to AMC’s child-only “Kids Club” activities geared toward ages 5 to 12. Kids Club will kick off each day before dinner with fun-filled activities such as games, crafts, relay races, and a chance to earn a Junior Naturalist patch, and then continue with a special kid-friendly dinner and after-dinner program. While the kids tire themselves out, parents can take this time to unwind during family social hour and enjoy dinner at a leisurely pace with other adults.

A new, larger selection of free toddler and kid-sized loaner gear is soon to be available in the Highland Lodge’s L.L. Bean gear room, eliminating the worry of outfitting kids with essentials such as boots and outerwear. Child carrier backpacks and adult gear are also available.

Highland Lodge family programs and amenities available to all guests this summer include:

• Kids Club “kids-only” indoor and outdoor activities, everyday from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
  
  
• Specially-designated lodge “Kids Zones” such as a games room, interactive displays, and activity room for animal track casting, building fairy houses, and other arts and crafts
  
  
• Natural outdoor playscape for energetic young explorers
  
  
• Free, daily activities and outings, including morning exploration walks, short hikes, table talks, and AMC's Junior Naturalist program
  
  
• Kid-friendly meal options such as an evening outdoor BBQ and make-your-own-pizza night
  
  
• Daily evening programs such as movie nights, campfires, ice cream socials, and nighttime outdoor explorations

For an even greater variety of guided activities, Highland Lodge Family Adventure Weekends are offered throughout the month of July and 5-night Family Adventure Camps are offered in August. These premium programs build on standard Highland Lodge packages by adding activities such as half- and full-day guided hikes to some of the smaller peaks and waterfalls in the White Mountains. Family Adventure Camps additionally feature field trips to local attractions such as Echo Lake for swimming and the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge, plus families can learn to canoe and kayak on Saco Lake and join afternoon naturalist programs that include moose tours, nature journaling, pond discovery, and more.

Family Adventure Camps are also held at Joe Dodge Lodge in New Hampshire and at AMC’s Maine Wilderness Lodges, including AMC’s new Gorman Chairback Lodge and Cabins. Each all-inclusive camp program offers a wide range of activities based on location, including hiking, paddling, fly fishing, and wildlife watching.

Rates and reservations
For reservations, call (603) 466-2727 or book online at www.outdoors.org/lodging.

New, all-inclusive nightly rates at Highland Lodge, including lodging, dinner, breakfast, and guided activities, start at $356 for a family of four ($296 for AMC members) in private room with private bath accommodations.

For AMC’s Family Adventure Camps and Family Adventure Weekends schedule and rates, visit www.outdoors.org/adventure_camps. All-inclusive Family Adventure Weekend package rates for a family of four start at $745 for non-members ($657 for members) in private room with shared bath accommodations.

The five-night, all-inclusive Family Adventure Camp package rate for a family of four starts at $1,900 for non-members ($1,814 for members) in private room with shared bath accommodations.

All rates are plus taxes.

Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is America’s oldest conservation and recreation organization. With more than 100,000 members, advocates, and supporters in the Northeast and beyond, the nonprofit AMC promotes the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the mountains, forests, waters, and trails of the Appalachian region. The AMC supports natural resource conservation while encouraging responsible recreation, based on the philosophy that successful, long-term conservation depends upon first-hand enjoyment of the natural environment.