Summertime in the Chicago area is one of the most glorious seasons of the year. After a typical harsh winter and often damp spring, the city changes and transforms during the summer.
Many of the summer camps in and around Chicago, Illinois are held around the luxurious park district around Lake Michigan. The city offers many different types of camps and covers a variety of subjects including your traditional overnight options as well as STEM-based educational camps.
With so many options to choose from, we decided to make this easier for you and show you some of these amazing programs.
Best Summer Camps In Chicago
1. Swift Nature Camp
Swift Nature Camp is an overnight summer camp for boys & girls 6-17. At Swift, campers experience a whole new world with real adventures, true friendships, and memories that can last a lifetime. It’s a rustic, screen-free environment where kids and teens can fall back in love with nature.
They’ll get the chance to master new skills like archery, canoeing, fishing, and swimming. Whether they want to spend their free time caring for the dozens of animals at the Nature Center or work on their cannonballs in the swimming area, Swift Nature Camp has something for everyone!
What really sets Swift Nature Camp apart is the tremendous staff. They aren’t only the most fun group of people you’ll ever meet. They’re kind, patient, and exactly the kind of people you want your kids to look up to! Swift counselors and administrators create a community atmosphere where every camper feels welcome and appreciated.
Camp doesn’t just give kids a great time — it helps them to thrive and become better versions of themselves. If this sounds like the perfect experience for your child, reach out to Swift Nature Camp today!
2. Chicago Park District Day Camp
Chicago Park District Day Camps offer a vast range of activities across all age groups. The Chicago Park District stretches over multiple locations on the shores of Lake Michigan, encompassing spots like Millenium Park, Grant Park, and Lincoln Park.
Camps and activities are available for all ages. For non-adults, the camp categories are divided into early childhood, teenagers, young adult, and youth. Chicago Park District Day Camps cover a range of outdoor activites and indoor ones, utilizing the huge open parks, water bodies, and other facilities such as ice-skating rinks and a rock climbing area. Some of the activities include things like sailing, swimming, crafts, theater, and gymnastics.
Besides the regularly scheduled activities, the Chicago Park District holds three camps types: general interest, special interest, and sports camps. Due to the vast area covered, many of these camps can be accessed in specific neighborhoods. There are also special outdoor and environment-related programs such as education and gardening.
3. YMCA of Metro Chicago Summer Camps
YMCA of Metro Chicago, located close to downtown, offers a variety of housing, educational, and other learning programs for children and youth.
The main location for activities is at The Crown Family YMCA Center, on the near-west side of downtown, a few blocks away from the Loop district. There are also other residence camps spread across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
The young campers that attend day or overnight camps are separated into infant, pre-school, and school-age children.YMCA of Metro Chicago camps cover a wide range of programs, including Health and Wellness, which includes sports, gymnastics, and swimming. Art and Culture include music, dance, and theater.
YMCA of Metro Chicago runs day and overnight camps in the summer and winter. There are family camps, as well as retreats and conference facilities. Every summer camp is run in line with the general mission of the YMCA, supporting community programs, education, and care for the youth.
4. JCC Chicago Day Camp
JCC Chicago Day Camp is hosted by JCC, a prominent Jewish organization that teaches youngsters values pertaining to the Jewish ways of life.
Headquartered at Northbrook, the JCC offers Apachi Day Camps at 11 locations in the Chicagoland area. They are both within the city and in other suburbs like Evanston, Northbrook, and Lake Zurich.
JCC Chicago’s Apachi Day Camps typically run from 9-9:30 AM to 3-3:30 PM. The attendees include young children, but there are camps for families, teens, and adults. They also operate overnight camps at three locations. Some of the activities include sports and fitness, immersive education, Shabbat Programs, and the arts.
5. Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana Camp
The Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana offer both day and overnight camps in the Midwest. Girl Scouts GCNWI camps are located at four outdoor locations, two in Illinois, one in Indiana, and one in Wisconsin.
The day camps are for girls of all ages, from kindergarten through high school seniors. They are divided into separate grades and participate in activities according to their age. Day camps typically last from 9 AM to 3 PM.
There are also overnight camps and virtual camps in which girls can register on their own, with their troops or family. Girl Scout campers participate in activities customized for the various age groups. The activities align with what the girl scout programs typically teach – from cultural awareness to outdoor adventures and community events such as celebrating world religious/cultural events.
Girl scouts have a time-honored tradition, and the summer camps run by Girl Scouts GCNWI uphold the same standard. It’s the perfect place for young girls to build up leadership skills.
6. Digital Adventures Camp
Digital Adventures Camp offers STEM camps to improve a child’s technological development. There are three physical studio locations – Lincoln Park, Willamette, and Oak Park.
Apart from summer camps, they offer interactive online classes after school hours Monday through Friday and several time slots during Saturdays. It’s a great program for kids and teens ages 5 to 18.
Digital Adventures classes cover a variety of approaches to teaching kids how to code in programming languages like Scratch, Lua, HTML/CSS, and JavaScript with their advanced and interactive programs. Some programs focus on building a broad base of skills, while other classes focus in-depth on a single skill. They offer students a chance to develop their capability over nine different levels till they’re considered experts.
Some of their programs involve Minecraft, 3D printing, movie making and much more. Digital Adventures teaching goes beyond basic STEM, coding, or robotics training. They also help children with social and emotional skills.
7. KidzToPros
Looking for the best summer camp experiences for your child? How about combining fun-filled activities, academic enrichment, and exposure to tech-forward courses for the 21st century? KidzToPros has Chicago covered for exciting STEM, Arts, and Sports Summer Camps!
KidzToPros Summer Camps provide opportunities for every child: future innovators, budding artists, and promising athletes. STEM courses include tech-savvy curricula like LEGO Robotics, Minecraft Coding, and Makerspace engineering.
Arts camps let imaginations run wild with performing, creative, and digital arts. Sports camps help children learn valuable teamwork and leadership skills that will stay with them long after camp is over!
8. Adler Planetarium Kids Summer Camps
Adler Planetarium Kids STEM camps are a brilliant way to teach kids about science, astronomy, and space exploration.
It’s located at the gorgeous Museum Campus, which includes the Chicago Field History Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium. The lake and downtown views are spectacular around the building.
Adler Planetarium typically offers learning and immersive camp experiences on their premises for young students from pre k through 9th grade.
In their science labs kids can play and learn to use programmable robots, telescopes, and high-altitude balloons. Some of their popular programs separated by grades include Astro-botics Camp, Skyshow Camp, and Mission Near Space Camp.
Adler’s summer camps are not only about fun activities. The educational learning experience makes a significant impact on their lives and possible career choices.
9. Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Camp
The Nature Museum Camp is one of the best camps for children in the city. The in person summer camps are held at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, in the heart of the Lincoln Park greenery, adjacent to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It’s a great place for nature lovers who want to find a spot within the city to enjoy flora and fauna.
The Nature Museum camp is suitable for kids ages 5 to 8 years old. They are usually split into two groups – 5-6 year olds and 7-8 year olds. Their activities teach the young students how to live in harmony with nature and become more aware of the earth’s habitats and ecosystems.
The theme events that occur keep up with the finest traditions of learning about nature. There are multiple options for camps in Chicago, Il but you will be hard-pressed to find a better selection for kids when it comes to learning about the environment than this one.