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The Parent Trap Birthday Party: Itinerary, Welcome Bags & More!
If you grew up watching The Parent Trap on repeat, dreaming of attending Camp Walden, eating Oreos dipped in peanut butter, and spending your summers with Hallie and Annie, this birthday theme is for you!
We decided to bring a little Camp Walden magic to life with CAMP MOLLY, a four-day, Parent Trap-inspired birthday weekend!
From personalized welcome bags and a custom camp itinerary to movie-inspired meals, friendship bracelets, pool games, and plenty of beach time, we wanted the entire weekend to feel like a grown-up version of the summer camp we all wished we could've attended.
And when we say we committed to the theme, we mean we committed!
We're talking Oreos and peanut butter, Parker Knoll wine, toy lizards, a breakfast inspired by Chessy, and even a few references to the infamous Isolation Cabin.
The best part? You don't need to be celebrating a birthday to recreate this theme. It would be just as fun for a bachelorette party, girls' getaway, or weekend with your best friends!
We're sharing our entire Camp Molly itinerary, all the little details that brought the theme together, and links to our favorite finds so you can plan your very own Parent Trap-inspired celebration!
Welcome to Camp Molly!
One of the first things we decided when planning the weekend was that we needed our very own camp name.
Since we were celebrating Molly's birthday, Camp Molly was the obvious choice!
We loved the idea of giving the entire weekend a summer camp feel, complete with a personalized itinerary, welcome bags for our campers, and activities inspired by one of our favorite childhood movies.
Our goal was simple: create a weekend filled with fun activities, a few nostalgic movie references, and plenty of opportunities to spend quality time together.
Creating Our Parent Trap-Inspired Itinerary
Of course, every good summer camp needs an itinerary!
Instead of simply listing breakfast or dinner, we found ways to incorporate references to the movie throughout the schedule.
Some of our favorites included "Breakfast, à la Chessy," "Hey, Did I Hear Cornbread and Chili?" and "Pack Your Duffels!"
We found inspiration for our itinerary through an editable Etsy template, which made it easy to create something personalized for Camp Molly.
Our Four-Day Camp Itinerary
Here's a full rundown of how we spent our Parent Trap-themed birthday weekend!
Thursday: Welcome to Camp Molly!
Our first day of camp was all about getting settled, soaking up the sunshine, and kicking off the birthday festivities!
12:00 PM | Lunch at the Ritz-Carlton Naples
We kicked off the weekend with lunch at the Ritz-Carlton Naples, because we figured Meredith Blake would approve of starting a birthday getaway with a little luxury!
Fun fact: The iconic scene where Nick Parker falls into the pool after seeing Elizabeth James was actually filmed at The Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey, California! While we weren't at the exact filming location, we couldn't resist incorporating a little Ritz-Carlton magic into our weekend.
It was the perfect way to begin our girls' weekend before heading into all the summer camp activities we had planned.
3:00 PM | Pool Afternoon
First, we had one very important Parent Trap-inspired surprise for our guest of honor! Remember the iconic scene where Meredith Blake has a silver bell that she pulls out of a little red box?
Naturally, we had to recreate it! We gifted our birthday girl her very own silver bell tucked inside a red box, giving her the perfect way to summon her fellow campers all weekend long. After all, what's a Parent Trap birthday without a little Meredith Blake energy?
With our guest of honor officially equipped with her bell, we spent the afternoon lounging by the pool, swimming, soaking up the Florida sunshine, and settling into vacation mode.
7:00 PM | Camp Molly Pizza Night
For our first evening, we kept things simple with a pizza night!
We ordered pizza from Cosmos and spent the evening hanging out, catching up, and getting excited for the rest of the weekend.
It was a relaxed way to welcome everyone to camp before our first full day of activities.
Friday: Breakfast, à la Chessy & Beach Day
Friday was when we really started incorporating some of our favorite Parent Trap references into the weekend!
10:30 AM | Breakfast, à la Chessy
If you've seen The Parent Trap, you know Chessy deserves her own moment.
We started the morning with a breakfast inspired by Hallie's favorite meal: chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and eggs!
Sometimes the smallest details are the ones that make a themed celebration feel extra special!
12:00 PM | Beach Day
After breakfast, we packed up and headed to the beach! We spent the afternoon soaking up some sun and enjoying time together before heading back for another movie-inspired meal.
6:30 PM | Hey, Did I Hear Cornbread and Chili?
In The Parent Trap, Chessy welcomes Hallie home to California after her summer at Camp Walden with a comforting meal of chili and cornbread.
We ended Friday evening with our very own chili-and-cornbread dinner, which was such a simple but recognizable nod to the movie.
And of course, we made sure to have plenty of Oreos and peanut butter around throughout the weekend. Because can you really throw a Parent Trap-themed birthday party without them?!
Saturday: Pool Games, Friendship Bracelets & Camp Dinner
Saturday was our biggest day of camp activities! We wanted to incorporate a few classic summer camp experiences that would bring back some childhood nostalgia.
11:00 AM | Beach Games & Friendship Bracelets
We kicked off Saturday morning with games and crafts at the beach!
For our craft activity, we made friendship bracelets, which felt especially fitting for a weekend centered around celebrating friendship.
It was also such an easy activity to plan. All we needed were bracelet-making supplies, and everyone could create something personalized to take home.
2:00 PM | Pool Day
After our morning activities, we headed back to the pool!
We didn't feel the need to fill every hour with something different. Sometimes an afternoon in the sun with your best friends is exactly what you need!
7:00 PM | Camp Dinner
We wrapped up Saturday with a special birthday dinner at Keewaydin's!
After a day of camp activities, crafts, and beach time, it was fun to get ready and head out for an evening celebrating the birthday girl. It was our final full evening together, making it the perfect way to end the birthday festivities before everyone headed home.
Sunday: Pack Your Duffels!
All good things must come to an end! Sunday was officially our departure day, which we affectionately called "Checking Out of the Isolation Cabin."
If you remember Hallie and Annie's time in the Isolation Cabin at Camp Walden, you know exactly where the inspiration came from!
To make it easier to recreate your own Parent Trap-themed celebration, we've rounded up our Amazon finds in one place!
From welcome bag essentials and nostalgic snacks to party supplies and camp-inspired goodies, you can browse our collection below.
Tips for Planning Your Own Parent Trap-Themed Birthday Weekend
After putting together our own Camp Walden, there are a few things we'd recommend if you're thinking about recreating the theme!
Give your camp a name!
This was one of the easiest ways to make the weekend feel personalized. Once we decided on Camp Molly, we could incorporate the name into our itinerary, welcome bags, and other details.
Find ways to reference the movie throughout the weekend.
You don't need to recreate every scene! Little things like Oreos and peanut butter, chili and cornbread, toy lizards, and Parker Knoll wine are fun ways to make the theme recognizable.
Include a few classic camp activities.
Friendship bracelets and pool games were perfect for our group, but you could also plan card games, a movie night, or other activities your friends would enjoy.
Make your welcome bags practical.
Some of our favorite items were things everyone could use during the weekend, like canvas totes, koozies, and water bottles.
Leave time to relax.
We loved having a schedule, but we also made sure to leave plenty of room for downtime. The whole point was to celebrate Molly and spend time together, not rush from one activity to the next!
And most importantly, have fun with it! Part of what made planning so enjoyable was getting creative with the little details and finding ways to bring our favorite childhood movie to life.
Until Next Summer!
What started as a fun birthday theme turned into four days of celebrating, laughing, relaxing, and making memories with some of our favorite people.
There's something so special about revisiting the movies we grew up loving and finding ways to bring that nostalgia into our adult friendships.
But beyond the themed welcome bags, movie references, and camp activities, our favorite part of the weekend was simply getting to spend quality time together.
As adults, it's not always easy to find time for an entire weekend with your best friends, which made this celebration feel even more special. And honestly, who says summer camp is just for kids?!
Whether you're planning a birthday, bachelorette party, or just need an excuse to get your girlfriends together, we hope Camp Molly gives you a little inspiration to create your own Parent Trap-themed celebration.
Because you're never too old for summer camp, friendship bracelets, and Oreos dipped in peanut butter.
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