According to the Melanated Campout crew, summer isn’t over until after their 2023 camping retreat. The Melanated Campout Experience is a weekend filled with incredible adventures, meaningful connections, and joy. This isn’t your ordinary campout (ex-out the smores and folky camp singalongs). Instead, this experience is a transformative journey that inspires you to thrive in the great outdoors.
Melanated Campout is a Black and women-owned company inspiring more people of color to camp and enjoy outdoor adventures. Melanated Campout meets campers where they are, offering camping opportunities for all comfort levels, from experienced to new campers. The aim is to ensure that every camper has a healthy and enjoyable experience, leaves camp with an appreciation for the wonder and beauty of the natural environment, and feels inspired to encourage their family and friends to connect with nature.
Winnebago Industries, a leading manufacturer of outdoor lifestyle products, has signed on as the titular sponsor of the camping retreat in Cordele, Georgia. As the collective actively works to create diverse and inclusive outdoor spaces, Melanated Campout will return on Friday, September 29th, to Sunday, October 1st, for its flagship event. Hundreds of campers will be welcomed to an exclusive campground that offers RV sites with electricity, cable television, premium tents, and cabins for an upscale camping experience.
The campout is hosted by Melanated Cares, a nonprofit created to curate culturally conscious events encouraging BIPOC to embrace the outdoors. This year marks the second year Winnebago Industries Foundation and Melanated Cares have come together to support the event after launching a successful partnership in 2022. Attendees will also enjoy scenic lake views, a marina, golfing, restaurants, and more. Melanated Campout’s iconic event itinerary includes activities from yoga to guided fishing to lip sync battles. The group has hosted over 1,500 campers in the five years since its inception.
“The Winnebago Industries Foundation’s continued support has opened new doors for our organization,” said Jocelyn McCants, Melanated Campout co-founder, in a statement. “We continue to scale year after year, and with such an incredible company powering our annual retreat, Melanated Campout is reaching new audiences and introducing hundreds of first-time campers to the beauty of the outdoors.”
Hundreds of diverse campers will be welcomed to an exclusive campground that offers RV sites with electricity, cable TV, premium and primitive tents, and cabins for an upscale camping experience. Attendees will also enjoy scenic lake views, a marina, golfing, restaurants, and more. Melanated Campout’s iconic event itinerary includes activities from yoga to guided fishing to lip sync battles. The group has hosted over 1,500 campers in the five years since its inception.
“After a successful collaboration last year, we’re excited to continue our partnership and create an inclusive atmosphere in the outdoors,” said Jil Littlejohn Bostick, executive director of Winnebago Industries Foundation. “Melanated Cares is an organization with an incredible history of conceptualizing and executing large-scale events that center on inclusion and we share a commitment to making the outdoors a place for everyone as part of our ‘All In, Outdoors’ approach.”
For more information and to purchase tickets to this year’s event, click here. Click here to learn more about Winnebago Industries’ All In, Outdoors initiative.