Lower Manhattan Couple Launch New Summer Program for Local Kids
An entrepreneurial Lower Manhattan couple is bringing a new summer camp option to the community this August. Lauren Goldman-Grant and Kenny Grant are launching Camp Seaport, which will offer nine campers (ages seven to 12) a curated week built around movement, food, culture, and neighborhood discovery, with a new experience every day.
The program runs from August 24 through 28, 9am to 3pm. Tuition is $980 for the week, and includes all neighborhood experiences, entry and ticket costs, along with specialized lessons, and lunches. There is one sponsored Discovery Spot, with fully funded tuition reserved for a child whose family might not otherwise be able to afford the program.
This summer’s enrollment cap is a starting point, as the founders intend to grow the program in future years, with plans to add transportation for families outside the neighborhood and expand to camps during school holidays.
The husband-and-wife team behind Camp Seaport will lead the program, greeting campers and attending every activity. Lauren has spent the past 20 years running Gold Star Concierge, a lifestyle management company, and has built other local businesses along the way, including bringing Blo Blow Dry Bar to Lower Manhattan. Kenny has spent more than 25 years in personal training and is now pursuing a career as a physical education teacher. The couple have a child enrolled in the Peck Slip School, in the Seaport District.
“As residents of the South Street Seaport, we’ve come to know and love this neighborhood, not just for its history and beauty, but for the incredible people and businesses that make it such a special community,” Lauren says. “It was only natural that when we decided to build something together, it would be here.”
The camp grew out of the founders’ belief in the power of meaningful experiences to shape a child’s development. “We didn’t set out to create another summer camp,” Lauren says. “We set out to create a collection of intentionally designed experiences that spark curiosity, expand awareness, and remind children that the world is full of possibilities waiting to be discovered.”
That idea shapes how the program is structured: Rather than keeping campers at a single site, Camp Seaport is designed around the neighborhood itself. Kids will make sushi at SUteiShi, print their own stationery at Bowne & Co., and explore spots like the McNally Jackson bookstore. Each day will follow the themes of Move, Explore, Taste, and Experience. Immersive experiences will include the South Street Seaport Museum, Kesté Pizza School, Hit the Deck Boxing, and sailing on the Clipper City tall ship. Campers will get a disposable film camera (rather than a phone), to document their week in their own way, and will write postcards throughout the week to send to parents, grandparents, or friends. “Our dream is simple: to plant seeds,” Lauren says. “We never know which experience will become part of a child’s story.”
Editor’s note: Families interested in enrolling in Camp Seaport may email campseaport@gmail.com.