Feather River Camp, Quincy Twenty acres in the Plumas National Forest. Family dances, papermaking, gourd painting, nighttime flashlight tag. Supervised kids' activities. Theme weeks focus on storytelling, guitar, folk dancing, earth/ecology, and adult art program. Lodging Tent cabins and wood cabins (some of both with electricity). Food Three family-style meals daily in the dining hall. Ice cream cones at the camp store for $1. Dates June 26-Aug. 7, no minimum stay. Price $1,134 ($1,266 nonresidents of Oakland). 510/336-2267, featherrivercamp.com.

Forest Home Ministries, Forest Falls Nondenominational Christian camp in the San Bernardino Mountains. Waterslide, zipline, miniature golf, climbing wall, and music; Saturday baptisms in the lake. Free evening child care for kids under 11. ACA accredited. Lodging Motel-style rooms with bunk beds and shared baths; motel-style rooms with private baths and linens; cabins with built-in queen-size beds and bunks, private baths, and linens. Food Three buffets daily; Tuesday and Friday adults-only dinner with table service; past menus have featured steak and king crab. Dates June 19-Aug. 27. Price $1,290 (new families bring youngest child free). 909/389-2300, foresthome.org.

Did you see BT on the Today show? Watch Editor Erik Torkells discuss the list of the best family camps with host Ann Curry. If you don't already have it, you will need MSN Video Player, a free (and easy!) plug-in, to watch the video Watch the video Download MSN Video Player MARCH 2005 ISSUE • Table of Contents • Dream Destinations Around the World • A Romantic Trip to Italy • Driving Mendocino County • How to Buy a Bikini in Rio • 50 All-Star Family Camps: The 2005 List • Ecolodges Let You Sleep at Night with a Clean Conscience • Milking Your Manicure • Spain's New Golden Age

Lair of the Golden Bear, Pinecrest Three camps in the Sierras, under cedars, redwoods, and pines. Arts and crafts: pottery, lanyards, T-shirt painting, tie-dyeing. Three pools. Ping-Pong and Trivial Pursuit contests, speakers for adults. Lodging Wooden-floor canvas cabins, each sleeping two to six, with electricity. Rooms in the motel-style building sleep two with shared bath. Food Three family-style meals daily. Coffee throughout the day in the adults' Vista Lodge. Dates June 3-Oct. 2, fills quickly. Price $2,045 (plus $50 University of California alumni fee). 510/642-0221, alumni.berkeley.edu/lair.

Lark Camp, Mendocino At Mendocino Woodlands State Park (the sister camp to the Camp David). Lots of music: Celtic fluting, Middle Eastern drumming, Zimbabwean marimba, jazz singing, accordion. Dancing, from square to belly. Lodging Redwood cabins, some with fireplaces; tent and RV camping. Food Three buffet or family-style meals daily, 24-hour coffeehouse. Dates July 29-Aug. 6. Price $1,840, meals extra ($100 off if a parent leads a daily one-hour kids' workshop). 707/964-4826, larkcamp.com.

Montecito Sequoia Family Vacation Camp, Giant Sequoia National Monument In Sequoia National Forest, 7,500 feet up. A cross between a country inn (wood-burning stoves) and a summer camp (powwow sing-along every morning). Workshops led by artists. ACA accredited. Lodging 36 hotel-style lodge rooms and 13 cabins with king-size beds and bunks. Linens provided. Food Buffets with fare like prime rib and crab, wine and beer at the bar, 24-hour Starbucks coffee and snacks. Dates June 20-Sept. 5. Price $3,407. 800/227-9900, mslodge.com.

Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center, Mount Hermon Nondenominational Christian camp in the redwoods, just six miles from the coast. Since 1906. Room for 600. Special programs for high schoolers, college students with their parents, and single-parent families. Ride the railroad down the canyon to the Santa Cruz boardwalk. Child care. Lodging From economy to master deluxe lodge rooms and homes. Linens provided. Food Family-style dining hall. Customized meal plans available. Fancier adult dinner on Fridays. Fountain ice cream shop. Dates June 3-Sept. 5 and select weekends. Price $1,302. 888/642-2677, mounthermon.org.

Skylake Yosemite Camp, Wishon In the ponderosas near Yosemite, but the real star is Bass Lake--great for kayaking, waterskiing. Twilight trail rides and nightly campfires. ACA accredited. Lodging 38 bunkhouse cabins that sleep eight with shared bathhouse. Food Three buffets daily in the dining hall. Cooks are from California Culinary Academy. Dates May 27-June 5, Aug. 14-Sept. 29. Price $1,574. 559/642-3720, skylakeyosemite.com.

Wonder Valley Family Camp, Sanger In the foothills of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, with private lake. Skateboard park, go-cart track, Honda minibike dirt track, waterslides, and personal watercraft. Thursday is parents' night, with child care until 11:30 p.m., prime rib dinner, casino tables, and live entertainment. ACA accredited. Lodging 53 motel-style rooms that sleep four to seven. Linens provided. Food Three buffets daily in the dining room. Dates Aug. 7-20. Price $3,742. 800/821-2801, wondervalleyfamilycamp.com.

Check it out!

There's more to camp than making lanyards. Cool activities you may find (for adults and kids):

-- Stilt-walking
--Go-cart track
 --asino shuttles
 L--nguage immersion
 Sk--teboard park
 Rol--er-hockey rink
 Zipl--ne races
 Beer --astings
 Massag--s ($60/hour)

Colorado