Bemidji

The idea behind Concordia Language Villages is to create a study-abroad experience Stateside (it's part of Concordia College). Concordia offers fifteen different language-immersion programs—in Spanish, German, Finnish, Arabic, and more—for kids of varying ages and language levels. (There are year-round programs for toddlers even, but the summer sleepaway camps are typically for kids ages seven to eighteen, with shorter one- and two-week programs for younger students, and then longer four-week programs available for older kids.) The programs are organized by language, and the different language "villages" are spread between five locations in Minnesota. "Village passports" are stamped at "customs," campers engage in activities relevant to the language they are studying (whether that be fútbol or martial arts), and they enjoy "local" cuisine (whether that be Swedish meatballs or kimchi). Concordia also offers family, adult, and educator programs.