For city dwellers who can’t get to the great outdoors this summer, retailer L.L. Bean is bringing camping to them.
The Freeport-based outdoors company said Tuesday that it is taking the L.L.Bean Backyard Campsite to major cities, including New York and Boston, and partnering with rideshare company Uber to make it easy for campers to get there.
The backyard campsite, to be held during the daylight, will give city people a taste of the camping experience by roasting s’mores over campfires and playing yard games.
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The retailer said there are only 100 days of summer to enjoy when the season kicks off on June 21. A survey the retailer commissioned found that four in five Americans said summer passes too quickly, and more than half said they feel they don’t have time to truly enjoy it.
“We all have busy schedules and don’t spend as much time as we’d like outside, especially in the summer,” Steve Smith, president and CEO of L.L.Bean, said in a statement. “Making a s’more is the perfect way to pause and celebrate the season.”
The events will be an outdoor respite from the city in the summer and are part of the retailer’s S’more Out of Summer campaign aimed at helping people enjoy nature.
The first L.L.Bean Backyard Campsite will pop up on Thursday, June 20, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in New York City’s backyard, The Battery. It will be followed by events in Buffalo, New York; Madison, Wisconsin; and Boston throughout June and July.
Uber rides will be available through vouchers to each campsite.
The free events will include s’more roasting and yard games, an innovative audio by the National Park Foundation and hands-on activities from L.L.Bean’s Outdoor Discovery Program.
L.L. Bean said it plans to add more stops throughout the summer. More information is on the L.L. Bean website.
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