Camp Weeks
The business of Camp Weeks
Local retailers, airport, hotels and restaurants benefit from summer event
By Glenn Stephens
From the airport to restaurants and hotels, businesses in New Bern are packed on summer weekends with parents bringing their kids to YMCA camps at nearby Arapahoe.
“Camp Weeks” throughout the summer, with thousands of youth going to and from Camp Sea Gull for boys and Camp Seafarer for girls, have become an economic staple for New Bern, Craven County and surrounding areas.
“The campers come in with their parents and families from all over the world,” said Melissa Riggle, director of Visit New Bern. “The airport is busy, and the families fill our hotels and bed & breakfasts — not just in New Bern but in Havelock and other nearby towns as well. They’re out in our restaurants and in stores throughout downtown and beyond, driving revenue to our local businesses. Quite often they also take advantage of our waterways and other attractions during their stay."
There’s new energy in the promotion of the area, Riggle said, with the new “It’s Time” brand and tagline that was rolled out in June. That campaign highlights the area’s growing attractions for tourism, outdoor recreation, industrial development and residential living.
Air Travelers
The Coastal Carolina Regional Airport, which is in the midst of an expansion and renovation project, sees a big increase in the number of passengers it serves on both commercial and private aircraft on weekends when parents are bringing in campers.
The airport is served by American Airlines, and its planes usually are full on those weekends, said director Andrew Shorter. American provides service between New Bern and Charlotte, but it adds direct flights to Washington, D.C., on summer weekends.
Shorter said a surprising number of private aircraft, including jets capable of flying internationally, keep the business aviation operation busy.
“They fly into here and they rent cars, and they stay in downtown hotels,” he said. “Very few kids on the airlines are coming alone. They’re coming with their families, and many families are staying two or three days.”
The airport is adding 10,000 square feet of space and renovating another 19,000 square feet. The project, expected to take two years, began in September 2022.
Restaurants
“The famous words are ‘Ahoy There.’ When I hear that, I know it’s people bringing kids here for camp,” said Chris Hoveland, owner of The Chelsea Restaurant since 2005. “It is such a boost for our downtown, and that includes the hotels, the restaurants and the downtown stores as people are out walking around and shopping.”
Generations of families have sent their kids to the camps and that both parents and children form friendships that they renew when they return to New Bern each year. Their “Ahoy There” greeting is a familiar sound.
“Parents have met other parents and friends,” Hoveland said. “They all come together, and it’s an influx of a lot of kids and parents who are excited about coming for the camps. The parents meet and enjoy eating together before they drop their kids off for fun in the sun.”
Hoveland said he marks his American bistro restaurant’s reservations book at the beginning of each year with the weekends when campers will be arriving. He lets his regular patrons know when visiting families will be filling the dining room on Friday and Saturday nights as they bring kids to town and on Friday nights a week or two later when parents — often just mothers — return to pick up campers the following day.
Dean Quadir, general manager of Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant, said families from along the eastern seaboard, as well as from Colorado and other distant places, are regular summer customers because of the camps.
“A lot of these families have formed relationships, even though they’re from different parts of the country, and they make reservations months in advance because this is the one time of year when they can get together,” he said. “Most of our tables are for two to four people for most of the year, but we set them up for 15 to 19 diners or more during camp drop-off weekends.
“The economic impact is tremendous,” he adds. “It’s exhausting for the staff, but it’s also exciting. It’s what we talk about all year round. We’re very fortunate to have those camps and all the business and commerce they bring.”
Hotels
Hotels also look forward to the weekends, which begin in June and extend through the summer.
“Camp Seagull/Camp Seafarer’s pick up and drop off weekends are amazing for the hotels in New Bern,” said Melinda Mowry, director of sales for DoubleTree by Hilton New Bern-Rivermont.
“Most of us implement a two-night minimum in order to capture longer stays to promote tourism. Our guests love to experience New Bern and always want recommendations for restaurants and things to do. Our Guest Services teams are all ambassadors of New Bern and provide our guests with a plethora of information.”
Mowry said the hotel offers entertainment on its deck and in its restaurant during the summer, where it does a brisk business for breakfast and dinner on weekends when campers are being brought or picked up.
Retailers
Nautical Wheelers in downtown New Bern and at Oriental has been a destination for generations of campers.
“Every summer families from all over come into both Nautical Wheelers locations scouting out camp essentials and souvenirs to remember their time in the place we are lucky to call home,” said general manager Chrissie White.
“Before camp we see eager campers excited to stock up on supplies and families who are charmed by the small towns of New Bern and Oriental. We have found many families make an annual vacation of the camp drop-offs and pickups — spending time before, during and after camp sessions as families, exploring the towns and making lasting memories that keep them coming back year after year.”
It’s a gathering of people from all over.
“Families from further parts of North Carolina and from Virginia, California and even as far as Switzerland come to New Bern and Oriental annually to enjoy the experiences the towns, and the camps, have to offer their children and families,” she said.
The two camps are an integral part of eastern North Carolina, White said.
“From the revenue and tourism they bring to local businesses, to the memories and stories of the very people who live here, these camps are a special part of our community we are lucky to have, and we look forward to seeing campers for years to come."