Picking the right Atlanta summer camp for your child can be a big decision. There are many factors for parents searching for a camp for their children to consider, including the level of education, fun camp activities, costs, environment, and much more. To help with your decision-making, we’ve reviewed seven of the best summer camps in Atlanta.
In Atlanta you’ll find various overnight camps and summer day camps, so you can choose the one that best suits your child. Read our full guide on Amazing Summer Camps in Georgia too. While the state of Georgia has plenty of options, here are some more local Atlanta summer camps for your kids.
Best Atlanta Summer Camps
1. Steve and Kate’s Camp
Steve and Kate’s Camp offers day camps for boys and girls ages 5-12 at the Atlanta International School – Early Learning Center. Running from 8 am to 6 pm, kids can choose to participate in fun activities like water slip-n-slide, arts and crafts, soccer, outdoor games, performing arts, sewing, coding, and much more.
Their programs give kids the freedom to choose what they want while ensuring they feel welcome and supervised by an awesome and experienced camp staff. Each week offers something new for the campers, with things like puppetry, bounce parties, scavenger hunts, and their end-of-the-week pie throwing.
With their unique offering, parents can specifically select the number of days they want to send their children to camp or simply obtain a summer pass for the entire season. All the activities, lunch, and snacks are included with it.
2. Odyssey Atlanta
The Odyssey summer program differentiates itself as a different kind of summer program than most others. The six-week program focuses on educational enrichment, working with students on science, technology, art, engineering, and math.
The program teaches students about important topics, with scientific studies like the oceanic ecosystem, social topics like civic government, and cultural issues like equality all taught throughout a student’s years at Odyssey. The program even includes weekly field trips to places like history museums, aquariums, and film studios.
The specialty camps targets students in underserved communities from 1st grade through senior year of high school — families only pay a small registration fee out of pocket. The rest of the tuition is covered by donors to ensure the program is accessible to all students, regardless of financial standing.
3. Safari Camp
Safari Camp at Zoo Atlanta is a great camp for any animal-loving kid from ages 5 to 14. Campers learn about zoology, animal care, habitat conservation, and veterinary care. Students participate in STEM projects, hands-on learning projects, and even up-close animal encounters.
There are walks in nature through the surrounding parks and team-building exercises on the schedule for zoo adventurers! Each week session has different themes and activities, so whether your child spends a week there or all summer, they’ll have a blast with new learning each day.
There are camps available for three different age groups, with camp sessions available for Junior Rangers ages 5-7, Rangers ages 8-11, and Quest for children ages 12-14. There are discounts available for the camps to those with an existing zoo membership.
4. Camp Twin Lakes
Camp Twin Lakes is a great summer program for kids ages 7-17. Children of all different abilities and needs can have an enriching summer experience. With exciting outdoor experiences like horseback riding, stargazing, zip-lining, swimming, and hiking trails, kids can spend the summer getting outdoors, moving around, and building lifelong friendships with their fellow campers.
Kids can enjoy hands on activities and outdoor adventures at the multiple weekly sessions. Camp Twin Lakes offers weekly camps and is a great place for kids of all abilities to experience traditional summer camps.
Both camp settings are fully accessible, including incredible spaces like a wheelchair-accessible treehouse. Around 70% of camp costs are subsidized to minimize the financial burden for families in need so everyone can go to camp.
5. The Children’s School Summer Camp
The Children’s School offers a STEAM summer camp for children as young as three to rising seniors in high school. They’re a perfect option to avoid the dreaded summer learning loss and help kids stay on track academically.
These all-day camps are available for various weeks and include a different theme with specific activities. One week, your camper can be up and moving, dancing for their well-being, and another week, they can make their best mad scientist impression. There are even programs dedicated to gardening, cooking, water games, and popsicles.
There is something for everybody at The Children’s School. Teens can participate and grow as part of the Counselor-In-Training Camp which provides them with fun and leadership development opportunities. There are before and after care options for parents who need extra time each day.
6. Lake Allatoona YMCA
The traditional overnight camp at Lake Allatoona offers a variety of different programs for kids to spend the summer outdoors having fun. The Pathfinder program includes camp activities like tubing, archery, waterskiing, kayaking, drama classes, STEAM, and much more.
For older students in 7th to 8th grade, more advanced specialty camps are available in the Watersports program. It has a special focus on fun and exciting activities like wakeboarding, kneeboarding, and waterskiing. The Trailblazers program focuses on overnight camping and outdoor experiences. The Navigators program focuses on leadership skills — which involves working on a leadership training project over the course of camp.
There are summer camps available for children as young as first grade, with sessions available throughout the summer. Rates per week at this traditional camp vary for more advanced programs.
7. Ramah Darom
Camp Ramah Darom offers an incredible overnight summer camp experience for Jewish children from 2nd grade and up. With sessions ranging from five nights for younger children to an entire 8-week session for older kids and teens, there’s a chance for everyone to have a memorable summer.
The camp offers incredible activities like rock climbing, sports, horseback riding, hikes, music lessons, water sports, and arts. Kids also spend the summer learning about Jewish tradition, celebrating Shabbat together, and building a stronger community.
There is financial aid and scholarships available for families who need assistance. Sessions last all summer, so there’s lots of time to come and play. The campus is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where kids are surrounded by nature.
8. Greater Atlanta Christian School
The summer day camp offered by the Greater Atlanta Christian School has tons of different programs and sessions, perfect to fit into your schedule and your child’s schedule. With a broad range of options, camp offerings include chess, dance conditioning, cooking, football performance, and even Minecraft engineering, so there’s no shortage of fun activities. Students can even attend camps for academic help in writing, AP calculus prep and PSAT tutoring.
Summer camps are available for children from age 5 to 18, with varying sessions available throughout the summer, including half day camps. The high school is highly ranked in the state of Georgia for its academics, so you can feel comfortable knowing your child is being taught by top-notch instructors.
Middle school students and high school students can enjoy some of their educational programs during the school break starts to come back to school more ready than ever.
9. Circus Camp
For something a little different, you can send your child to Circus Camp in Dekalb county! It’s one of the more unique sports camps in the area. If they’ve ever been interested in studying aerial sports, this is a fantastic opportunity to get a crash course. They learn all the skills they’ll need while spending lots of fun time with friends and getting physical exercise. In addition to aerial sports, the programs offer fun drama classes and teach campers about the visual and performing arts in a welcoming, non-competitive environment.
Circus Camp is each day from 10 am to 3:30 pm and runs from the end of June through the end of July. Students ages 5 to 17 are welcome at Circus Camp! They offer aerial classes during the school year so your child can continue their learning after camp is over.
10. The Friends School of Atlanta
The Friends School of Atlanta offers different specialty camps in June and July to children ages 5 to 14. Parents can enroll their children in one of their science, critter, and art camps.
In addition to providing care in a safe and fun environment, the camp entertains kids with plenty of hands-on activities to spark their curiosity and nourish their minds. Children can choose between fashion design, yoga, theater arts, lego, video game production, biology, and other things to learn.
Aftercare is also available at the end of each day. The Friends School of Atlanta has been providing education to children in the area for almost 30+ years now, with a great group of instructors teaching kids of all backgrounds.