Charlotte is the most popular and outdoor-friendly city in North Carolina. It offers a tonne of family-friendly attractions and activities.
It’s also home to plenty of summer camps and there’s no better place for your kids to spend their time off school than at these fun programs. Lush forests and beautiful lakes surround Charlotte, NC, so there are many great spots for children to explore the outdoors.
Whether you’re looking for an overnight summer camp or day camp, there’s something for every parent. These are some of the best summer camps in Charlotte that you can send your children to.
Best Summer Camps in Charlotte, NC
1. Charlotte Academy of Music
The Charlotte Academy of Music runs various great summer camps in the Charlotte area that aim to build children’s self-confidence, social skills, and creativity.
The Splash summer camps change yearly and can include anything ranging from Pokemon to Harry Potter. The Charlotte Academy of Music also holds music camps and programs based on movies like the Avengers and Encanto.
Activities that take place include singing, dancing, painting, learning musical instruments, arts and crafts, plus much more! As you can see, there’s a vast range of choices here, so your child is bound to find something they like.
The summer camps each run for a week throughout June, July, and August and are suitable for children ages 4-18. Some camps have an age requirement, so it’s a good idea to do some research before choosing.
A professional artist teacher runs each camp, and there’s no screen time either so that you can get your children away from technology.
You should also see our Raleigh summer camps list.
2. Discovery Place Nature
If your child’s a fan of nature and wildlife, then Discovery Place Nature is one of the most suitable places in all of North Carolina. The camp aims to inspire kids to create a stronger connection with nature by getting them involved in exciting hikes and outdoor recreation activities. But, the highlight for most children is the close encounters with animals!
Discovery Place Nature offers half-day and full-day camps, depending on the child’s age. The half-day camps run from 9:00 am to noon or 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, while the all day camps run from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
These summer camps include Backyard Buddies, Underwater Wonders, Wild, Wild Woods, and CSI: Critter Scene Investigation. They also run the Queen City Critters camp, another popular option! They can do everything from stargazing, hiking, observing animals, birdwatching, and creating things.
Discovery Place Nature offers the perfect environment for your child to get involved with the outdoors, with its many hiking trails and landscapes like Little Sugar Creek and Freedom Park.
3. Children’s Theatre of Charlotte
The Children’s Theatre of Charlotte offers some fantastic arts summer camps for creative kids ages 3-18. These are day camps and full-day programs, depending on the child’s age.
This is one of the best summer camps in Charlotte, North Carolina, if your child is a fan of the arts, as professional artists teach them acting, dancing, singing, and other artistic pursuits.
So children get the most out of this experience, camps are grouped by age and student grades. The early childhood camps are only a week-long, while the ones for older campers are two weeks long.
Although specific activities and workshops differ depending on how old your child is, there are many fun things to do for all age levels. During their time here, they can get involved with art, dance, drama, and music classes.
The Musical Performance Camp and the Summer Teen Studio camps involve working on a musical or theater production. Teenagers can pick the specific production they want to practice and learn.
4. Carolina Hoopfest
Carolina Hoopfest offers 3-day camps that help improve your child’s basketball skills and let them get involved in games. This sports camp is for athletes ages 6 and up and accepts both girls and boys.
A typical day in the camp generally starts with a shoot-a-round before having a group warm-up. Then the day transitions into other additional exercises and group games/competitions.
After lunch, your children can compete in more games and finish off the day with live scrimmage. The basketball camps are run by high school and college basketball players. They provide a fun and welcoming atmosphere for players of all skill levels.
Carolina Hoopfest camps run Monday through Wednesday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. If you sign up multiple kids for camp, you can get a free sign-up with three friends.
You should also see our Asheville summer camps list.
5. First Tee Greater Charlotte
First Tee Greater Charlotte offers amazing golf summer camps to create golf skills throughout their camps. They offer three options: weekly classes, all-day camps, and half-day camps.
The camps are designed for children ages 5-18, and the programs differ depending on age. Not only does this camp aim to improve your child’s sports skills, but it also builds transferable skills that can be used in other aspects of life.
Participants who complete one or more full days get a certification for their participation. Children also can advance to further levels, create motivation, and set a challenge for themselves.
At camp, children spend plenty of time outdoors doing something they love and making new friends with similar interests.
6. Camp Rockmont
Camp Rockmont is located two hours from the city of Charlotte and just one hour from the mountain town of Burnsville. It’s a Christian summer camp specifically for boys and aims to provide a summer of outdoor adventures while allowing them to make friendships that last a lifetime.
The overnight camp is surrounded by lakes, mountains, and forests, providing plenty of opportunities for outdoor and indoor activities. Aside from adventure trips and wilderness skills, campers can partake in a variety of instructional activities. This includes archery, swimming, canoeing, mountain biking, ceramics, kayaking, and rock climbing. They also offer sports like soccer and basketball.
Camp Rockmont offers a variety of summer camps that last anywhere between 1 to 4 weeks. This includes the classic camp for ages 7-16 and the base camp and the summit camp for ages 11-16. They even offer a starter camp for first-time campers that lasts a week and gives children the chance to get involved with all the activities, to see if it’s for them!
Camp Rockmont challenges boys physically and allows them to improve their emotional and spiritual well-being. There was a reason why we also listed it on our top camps in North Carolina page.
7. Charlotte Chess Center
Not every child likes to spend their summers outside. Some kids prefer to learn indoors by getting involved with games and competitions. This is where the Charlotte Chess Center comes in.
Their summer camps are led by some of the most experienced chess instructors in the region. Charlotte Chess Center provides fantastic chess education while regularly updating its curriculum to the benefit of the campers.
They run weekly chess summer camps from June to August, and players of every ability are welcome as long as they’re ages 5-12. This includes complete beginners or intermediate individuals.
The camps typically run from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm and are broken up into activities and lessons, plus a lunch break. With a great reputation and talented instructors, this is an excellent option if you’re raising a chess enthusiast.
8. Urban Promise Charlotte
Urban Promise Charlotte works with children in low-income communities and runs summer programs built for them. Elementary school students and middle school students can attend their six-week programs to develop academic skills and spirituality.
At their summer programs, campers can develop leadership skills, communication skills, self-confidence, and improve their grades. College interns help run the program and teach kids a variety of skills while also making things fun by singing, acting, and leading daily activities.
The day camp sessions last from 8:15 am to 4 pm. Parents can drop kids off as early as 8:15 am for breakfast. After lunch, children can choose from cooking, art, cooking, dance, drama, fitness, and gardening classes. From 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, students get involved in fun activities.
Urban Promise Charlotte also runs Fun Friday, which consists of fun field trips to other places!
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