ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - When you send your kid to summer camp, you might wish you could go as well.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has adults covered, with the department's Camp Hellbender set to return this year in June and July. The camp will let adults in the St. Louis region feel like kids again.
"It's something we all kind of wanted to do for a quite a while," said Missouri Department of Conservation Naturalist Sabrina Hansen. "We just thought it be a good way to connect to younger adults. Millennials are all about nostalgia, so we're going to put them back into summer camp.'"
Hansen says the name Camp Hellbender ties to the state's largest native amphibian, the Eastern Hellbender.
"It's also the only animal that has a bad word in it's name, so we thought it be kind of fun," joked Hansen.
Activities include kayaking and BB Gun target practice at the Busch Memorial Conservation Area plus a chance to meet and learn about the reptiles and amphibians of Missouri. Other locations include Rockwoods Reservation, Powder Valley Nature Center, Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, and Tower Grove Park.
Hansen said the inaugural Camp Hellbender last year proved to be so popular that the department decided to double the amount of camps they are offering this year.
"You can come to as many camps as you want around the St. Louis region," said Hansen. "We'll do two identical camps at each site that we're doing camps at. Come to as many camps as you want, and see all the different sites that we have to offer in St. Louis, and have a lot of fun."
If you are interested in attending any of the 10 camps, you can click here to sign up and learn more about Camp Hellbender. The first camp will take place, Sunday, June 2 at August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles, Missouri.