You can go to this free adult summer camp and learn to make bourbon

Summer camps are typically for kids, but there are adult summer camps, including women-only camps. The newest adult summer camp in the works is a free one for bourbon buffs.

Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, has an online contest for two upcoming summer camp sessions (Aug. 29 and Sept. 5, both Saturdays), but only a lucky 200 winners will get free invites. Those interested can enter for the chance to attend a day camp or day camp with overnight luxury camping on those two dates.

Campers will learn more about how bourbon is made and participate in hands-on activities at the distillery including woodworking, tasting sessions and trivia contests.

"At Buffalo Trace Distillery, we're always looking for new ways to create memorable moments for our guests, and Camp Buffalo Trace offers an opportunity to celebrate the fun and connection that make summer so special," said Tyler Adams, general manager at Buffalo Trace Distillery in a news release announcing the contest. "By bringing together interactive activities, bourbon education and overnight camping accommodations, we've created a one-of-a-kind program designed to help guests make lasting memories at the Distillery."

At the end of day camp activities, overnight campers will stay on the distillery grounds inside "air-conditioned canvas tents featuring premium indoor and outdoor furnishings, fully stocked mini fridge with water and Freddie's Old-Fashioned Sodas, plush robes and slippers and more," according to Buffalo Trace.

How to win a spot at Buffalo Trace's summer camp

Buffalo Trace, which recently opened its first-ever restaurant, will begin accepting entries for the Camp Buffalo Trace Sweepstakes on July 14, at noon ET, through July 21, at 11:59 a.m. ET.

To enter go to the Buffalo Trace website (https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/camp/). Travel is not included, but everything on-site for the experience will be free.

Entrants can choose between day camp only or the day camp with overnight luxury camping for either date. Overall, 90 winners will be selected for each day camp session and 10 for each day/overnight luxury camping experience – so a total of 200 winners.

Winners will randomly be selected for attendance across both dates (Aug. 29 and Sept. 5). Those who opt to try to win the day camp/overnight camp option, if not selected, will still be eligible for the day camp experience, according to Buffalo Trace.

Camp Buffalo Trace activities

If you are among the lucky 200 winners who get to attend Buffalo Trace's summer camp, you will get to participate in four hands-on experiences "that combine craftsmanship, competition, and discovery," according to Buffalo Trace:

• Whiskey Woodcraft Workshop: Campers will get to make their own cocktail muddler (a tool used to press fruit or other drink ingredients) from "authentic barrel staves while learning firsthand about the role white oak plays in bourbon making," according to Buffalo Trace.
• Bung Driving Relay: A skills competition involving the stopper that seals whiskey barrels.
• Blind Tasting & Buffalo Trace Trivia: This contest will test campers bourbon skills and knowledge.
• Single Barrel Challenge: A tasting test involving three barrels of the same bourbon at different ages to educate campers about "how time, warehouse placement and maturation influence a whiskey's final character," according to the distillery.

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: You can go to this free adult summer camp and learn to make bourbon

Reporting by Mike Snider, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 9:20 PM.