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Adventure Arkansas: Fort Rock Family Camp

With our lives constantly being connected to work, school, or the Internet, it’s been getting harder for families to connect with each other. Fort Rock Family C...

With our lives constantly being connected to work, school, or the Internet, it’s been getting harder for families to connect with each other.

Fort Rock Family Camp in Northwest Arkansas looks to refresh that family connection. Sean Bailey takes us there in this week’s Adventure Arkansas.

Terry Forsyth opened Fort Rock Family Camp near Combs in 2008. In the eight years it’s been open, he estimates 1,500 families have experienced this outdoor retreat program.

“Had a heart for families, that’s what it started out being," Forsyth said. "There’s a need in our country for families to be grown closer together and I just had a heart for that. So that’s what we did, we opened up with the first family camp with two families and have been going ever since.”

And families keep coming back, including the Woodmans from North Carolina. For David, it’s a refreshing change of pace to trade time on his iPhone for time with his family throwing a tomahawk.

"It’s good to not be completely plugged and that’s something that’s really nice," Woodman said. "It gives us an opportunity to connect with each other. One of the biggest reasons we come down here is to spend time with each other."

"You know, they forget about those electronics and what happens is it draws families closer together," Forsyth said. "I see dads sitting on their rocks with their sons and just talking and I’m sure they don’t get to do that a lot because we are so busy, so fragmented."

Throughout the western themed town, there’s plenty of activities and even fun costumes to help you disconnect from daily life.

“Throughout the whole day they always got you doing something fun and in between you have plenty of time for you to relax and sit on the porch and talk and rock and enjoy the scenery," Woodman said.

"The structure is set up so everything is all inclusive," Forsyth. "All the activities, the meals, the lodging, everything is one package. For a mom especially doesn’t have to plan and put everything together. When they come here, everything is all laid out for them."

And for the most adventurous members of your family, check out the zipline that flies over the lake. Terry says more expansions will continue.

"It’s incredible to watch the families, how they interact together and we are going to try adapting and changing every year to add more fun things for them to do," Forsyth said.

Terry plans on adding to the camp’s long list of activities with the addition of an Indian village to have the families put on plays and skits. It’s about 40 minutes from Fayetteville and also open for group retreats as well.

Segment Sponsored By: Adventure Subaru

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