By Mike Finney

MIDDLETOWN — Just finding Camp Adventureland can be, well, an adventure for potential ax and knife throwers, escape room enthusiasts and pool and dart players.

But once one tracks it down — in a large industrial park behind Tractor Supply Co., off U.S. 301 — the large playroom seems to have something for everyone.

Owner Meg Etherington admitted that, even though the facility will mark five years with a Summer Solstice Celebration on Friday from 6-10 p.m., it has been a rough ride thus far.

She and her husband, chief operations officer Brian Moores, say they believe they’ve done everything possible to attract visitors, like featuring a bar and play area that pays homage to a 1980s-era summer camp and playing songs from that “decade of decadence.”

But still, getting attendees to pinpoint — let alone patronize — Camp Adventureland has been a struggle, especially since their lease forbids placing a sign outside.

“We’ve been here for five years, and people are still like, ‘I drive by here all the time, and I didn’t know you guys were here. How long have you been open?’” Ms. Etherington said. “It’s been a struggle. ... Neither one (of us) has any business training. We love the area, and it’s growing, and because of the growth, we’re thinking,

‘Well, it will pick up. We’ll do well. We’ll start making our investment back.’ We’ve tried a lot of things, and it’s just difficult.”

It also didn’t help that the couple took the reins at Camp Adventureland right before the pandemic closed everything down. It officially began business in March 2019, and, while originally managed by the design agency Giant Dream Productions of Chester, Pennsylvania, it was neglected and stumbled.

“I had to come down and take over in October 2019 and get the business rolling because, at that point, they were making, like, $3,000 a month, which wasn’t even covering rent,” Mr. Moores said. “Over the course of November, December and January, I finally started getting the income coming in, and we were going to run in the black for the first time in March 2020, and then, COVID hit, and it shut down.

“We opened back up in July (2020), and people didn’t want to go out, and we still weren’t making enough and ended up having to get a business loan.”

Now, there are billboards along nearby highways and a dedicated social media manager — two steps the owners hope will attract fun seekers who probably don’t even realize that Camp Adventureland sits in their own backyards.

Kicking summer off with a bang

With summer solstice being the official start of the season, Ms. Etherington and Mr. Moores figured it would be a good time to boost their establishment.

After all, they have numerous activities for families and couples, including nine ax-throwing “cabins,” four escape rooms, four pool tables, a couple dartboards and a large bar. Even dogs are welcome.

“The summer solstice event that we’re having, ... it was a great way to get everybody back in here again, so we’re making it $10 to come in and do ax throwing, instead of $30, and the escape rooms are $15 apiece,” Mr. Moores said.

“Normally, our bookings are all private, so if we have a couple that books (an ax) cabin, they have run of that cabin. On Friday, we’re going to be running it community-style, where people will just get assigned to wherever they get assigned to, and if they’re assigned to the cabin with other people, that’s how it works. We’ll also have beanbag targets for kids under 8 years old.”

While ax and knife throwing might raise the hair on the backs of concerned parents’ necks, Mr. Moores said the facility is extremely safe, as each group is paired with the site’s “camp counselors.”

After basic instructions, the players go head-to-head to see who will be the throwing champ. The sessions typically take between one and two hours.

Meantime, the escape room sessions are of varying difficulties and generally last around 45 minutes to an hour. Teams become a part of a story and work together in a race against the clock to solve puzzles, complete challenges and decipher clues.

“We’re still trying to get more people out here. We figure, ... with summer solstice, it’s perfect timing to try to bring people in, so we’re like, ‘Let’s just give it a try and see what happens,’ Mr. Moores said.

Reservations for Friday’s event can be booked at 302-449-2267. The location’s address is 112 Patriot Drive, Suite C.

Not giving up just yet

Ms. Etherington and Mr. Moores have confidence that there is a market for a day of fun in the ever-growing Middletown area.

They have not thrown in the towel on Camp Adventureland yet, but they are beginning to look at other options — mainly, another location.

“I haven’t a clue (why business has been slow), other than the fact that we don’t have a sign on the outside of our building,” Mr. Moores said. “Our lease is up at the end of November, and so now, we’re also looking for somewhere in the area, someone that’s got a building that can accommodate something like this that we can afford to move into.”

Ms. Etherington agreed, saying, “I don’t know if people don’t want to spend money or what. A lot of people are like, ‘Well, there’s nothing to do in Middletown,’ and we’re like, ‘We’re here.’”

Staff writer Mike Finney can be reached at 302-741-8230 or mfinney@iniusa.org.
Follow @MikeFinneyDSN on X.