Entry No. 7 — the Fort Collins file — filed under: historic-camp
Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp
In 1913 two Smith College graduates — locals dubbed them "the mad ladies of Steamboat" — started teaching barefoot dance in an aspen grove, and never stopped. Perry-Mansfield is now the oldest continuously operating dance-and-theater camp in America: Merce Cunningham, Agnes de Mille, and José Limón all taught here; Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Biel were campers. Each summer the rustic Strawberry Park campus, on the National Register since 1995, opens its log-cabin theaters so you can watch tomorrow's dancers premiere work in the woods.
The move: Reserve seats for an evening showcase in the Julie Harris Theatre, then drive up the same county road to soak at Strawberry Park Hot Springs.
📍 Before you go The campus sits on County Road 36 in Strawberry Park, the same road that continues up to Strawberry Park Hot Springs, so the two pair naturally into one outing. Performances run only during the summer camp season and the small Julie Harris Theatre fills up, so reserve seats online ahead of time. Expect gravel parking, uneven dirt paths between log cabins, and chilly mountain evenings even in July — bring a layer.
- 📍 Steamboat Springs
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 40755 County Road 36, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4
last checked: 2026-06-11