Houston summer camps recommended by parents

This article first appeared on jillbjarvis.com. Click here to view the article in its original format.

It’s clear from all the questions I get… Houston parents not only want to know what Houston summer camps are available, but they want recommendations from other parents.

Below is an updated list of camps recommended by Houston parents. And, of course, for 2021, this could all change quickly. Check each link for the latest details.

Free Houston Summer Camps:

Find the FREE summer programs HERE. Swimming lessons, sports camps, VBS and more.

Museums/Zoo Summer Camps:

Camp Zoofari (Houston Zoo, 6200 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, Texas 77030)

• For 2021: “We are hard at work planning our 2021 camp season. To stay up to date, please provide an email address below and we will reach out once we have additional information to share.”
• Week long camps for kids ages 4-14 years old.
• Registration opens in February.
• All camps are Monday-Friday. Extended day is available.

Houston Museum of Natural Science (5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston,Texas 77030)

• Week long camps for kids ages 6-12 years old.
• Registration opens in February/March.
• Camps are held Monday-Friday, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. Extended day care is also available before and after camp for an additional fee.

Houston Museum of Natural Science Sugar Land (13016 University Blvd., Sugar Land, TX 77479)

• Week long camps for kids ages 6-12 years old.
• Registration opens in February/March.
• Camps are held Monday-Friday, 10 am -3 pm. Extended day care is also available before and after camp for an additional fee.

Art/Theater/Music Summer Camps:

AFA Summer Music Festival (Kinder HSPVA, 790 Austin Street, Houston, TX, 77002)

• Details coming for 2021.
• The Summer Music Festival offers programs for students in grades 3-12.
• Orchestra & Chamber Music, Piano, Vocal, and Composition sessions that last from 1-5 weeks, including large and small ensembles, technique classes, master classes, studio classes, sectional rehearsals music theory, ear training, and other enrichment studies.

CyFair Music and Art (7103 Glen Chase Ct, Houston, TX 77095)

• Virtual and in person.
• Drama Kids, Piano, Guitar, Drums, Art, Kindermusik, Baby Sign Language

Glassell Junior School (Museum of Fine Arts, 5100 Montrose Boulevard, Houston, TX 77006)

• Ages 3-18.
• Details coming for summer 2021.

Houston Grand Opera

• It was virtual last summer. More details to come for 2021.
• Youth ages 13-18 are invited to embark on a journey to learn songs appropriate for auditions, develop fluency in the International Phonetic Alphabet, download the experiences from opera’s biggest stars, practice stage combat and movement to fight off villains, and strengthen acting skills in an online expedition of vocal prowess.

Main Street Theater (Multiple Houston Locations)

• Students take charge of all aspects of performance while the teachers (who are arts and educational professionals) provide guidance and know-how support to students (ages 4 – 18).
• Kids write and stage their original theater pieces, creating their own roles, lines, costumes, and props.

Overture School of Music (9039 Katy Fwy #201, Houston, TX 77024)

• Music studio in Memorial run by professional musicians.
• Piano, Suzuki Violin, Viola, Guitar, Ukulele and Harp Lessons.
• Students are taught by highly qualified and trained teachers with Master’s and Doctorate degrees in music.
• Year round music lessons, including summer, both in-person and virtual.

Playhouse 1960 (6814 Gant Rd, Houston, Texas, 77066)

• Information coming for 2021.

Stage Right Summer Camp (Spring Branch)

• Details coming for 2021.
• Bringing BROADWAY and New York Professionals to Houston to teach Texas kids- ages 5-18!
• What is Immersive Theatre? It is a unique and modern theatrical experience that breaks the barrier between spectator and performer by keeping the audience in close quarters and performing in a site-specific venue.

WITS Creative Writing Camp (Multiple Locations)

• For 2021: “Writers in the Schools and Rice School Literacy and Culture will host Creative Writing Camp in June and July 2021 for incoming Kindergarten-High School students. We are currently exploring virtual, hybrid, and in-person Creative Writing Camp programs, and we look forward to seeing your family in the summer.”
• Kinder – 12th grade.
• Very popular camp that opens registration the end of January, and usually fills quickly.

Outdoors/Animals Camp:

Blackwood Nature Camp (27144 Rock Island Road, Hempstead, Texas 77445)

• A week-long overnight camp for ages 8-14 located in Hempstead, TX.
• Build a relationship with nature and safely explore the great outdoors.
• Campers enjoy a variety of outdoor activities including classes such as natural dyeing, cane-pole fishing, and cooking. They play forest games, hike, swim, and explore. Kids learn about wildlife in workshops hosted by local experts, and go on educational field trips to places like St. Francis Wolf Sanctuary and Huntsville State Park. At night, they stargaze, tell stories, and roast s’mores by the campfire.

Houston Arboretum (4501 Woodway Drive, Houston, TX 77024)

• Details coming for 2021.
• Get outdoors with the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center this summer.
• The Arboretum’s Summer Camp is a great place for kids ages 4-12 to learn all about the natural world.

Nature Discovery Center (7112 Newcastle, Bellaire, TX 77401)

• Week-long camps with different themes.
• Camps are limited to 22 children each week, with 4 teen counselors assisting the Camp Instructor.

SPCA Critter Camp (900 Portway Drive, Houston, TX 77024)

• Planning happening now for 2021.
• Camp from 9:00am – 3:00pm. Grades 3-8.

TGR Exotics Wildlife Park (22115 Sherrod Land, Spring, TX 77389)

• Camps include a tour of the animals, snack, activity, craft and game.
• Topics may include Animal Costumes, Animal Defenses, Animal Senses, Animals in Motion, Animal Diets, Predator/Prey, Birds of a Feather and Bugs.

STEM/Academic/Language Houston Summer Camp:

EEEK! Science Summer Camp (Katy, Simonton)

• Science based activities centered around various themes for the day.

Language Kids (Multiple locations)

• Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French and English immersion summer camps.

Rainard School STEAM Camp (11059 Timberline Rd, Houston, TX 77043)

• Details to come for 2021.

STREAM Program (Houston Public Library)

• Camp was virtual in 2020. Plans being made now for 2021.
• Free week-long summer program that allows students the opportunity to participate in activities relating to each aspect of STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts and Math) each day of the week. K through 12.

University of Houston Summer Camps (Multiple Locations)

• Virtual and in-person camps.
• Many camps are offered. Check the website for all the details.

Virtual Tech Camps (Rice University)

• For students ages 7-19.
• Structured, weeklong sessions with 2 hours of live instruction per day + 2 hours of self-paced project development.
• Curriculum in Python, Java, Minecraft, Roblox, AI, Unreal Engine, Adobe, 3D modeling, and more. 5 students max per instructor, blending personalized learning and team interaction.

Dance/Gymnastics/Sports Houston Summer Camp:

The Artz (Heights)

• Join The Artz for the Aerial Circus Endeavor Summer Program.
• Keep your kids, ages 5-15, active with our multi-week camp as they fly high and gain confidence.
• Normal hours are from 8 am - 5 pm.
• Extended hours are available for an additional charge.

Handwriting & Yoga Camp (Solaris Pediatric Therapy)

• Details coming for 2021.
• Ideal for kids that are entering kindergarten or first grade, but can also benefit older kids that really never got a grasp on handwriting.

Hunter Dance Center (Heights)

• Dance Theater Camps and camps for kids. Ages 5-12.

Inspire Rock Climbing Camp (Cypress, Spring)

• These camps are developed to help the climber with technique, problem solving, planning and execution.

JC Sports Houston and JC Sports The Woodlands (Humble & The Woodlands)

• Five full days packed with activities including Soccer, Baseball, Football, Basketball, Glow in the Dark Soccer and Nerf Wars, EPIC Water Balloon Fights, Dodge Ball, Science FUN and more.
• Ages 4 to 13.

Quillan Recreation Center (Westchase)

• Camp Quillian is an American Camp Association accredited day camp that caters to children between the ages of 5-12, as well as Teen Camp for kids ages 13-14.

Rice Owls Sports Camps (Rice University)

• Details coming for 2021.
• Football, Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball, Basketball, Baseball, Track and Field, STEM-letics camps offered throughout the summer.

Rise Camp (Spring Branch)

• Rise offers a one-of-a-kind weeklong camp that features gymnastics, dance, music, and ninja: 4 different camps combined into 1.
• Each day campers cycle through these 4 disciplines, keeping them engaged and active for the whole week. Day camps are available to children from ages 5-12.
• Rise is located in Spring Branch at the Beltway and Hammerly.

Vitacca Vocational School for Dance (Montrose & The Woodlands)

• Children’s Dance/Ballet Camp is an exciting week of dance filled with a fun approach to ballet technique, which includes ballet class, choreography, and crafts focusing on an age appropriate children’s classical ballet.
• Through the music and plenty of dancing, dancers will have a fun-filled week exploring a favorite classical ballet. The week will conclude with a short, in-studio demo/performance.

Cooking/Baking Camps:

Main Course Cooking School (18750 Interstate 45 N. Spring, TX 77373)

• This is a cooking and dining experience.
• You will enjoy the fruits of your labor and eat the meal / dishes you make.

Rao’s Bake Camp (Spring and Beaumont)

• Fun learning experience to help your children explore the fun and thrills of baking.
• Kids will learn how to read recipes, follow directions, let their creativity blossom, and enjoy snacks and games!

Sur la table (Multiple Locations)

• Five days of fun making their favorite foods. Kids (ages 7-11) and teens (12-17) will put on an apron and learn to cook delicious recipes from scratch.

Urban Chef (3651 Weslayan St, Houston, 77046)

• A week full of cooking, baking, learning, and competition.
• Kids will learn all about ingredients, cooking methods, developing flavor and making recipes their own.

All-Around/Christian/Sleep Away Camps:

Camp ASAP! (Westbury Christian School)

• Students ages 3-10 enrolled in Westbury Christian School’s 9-week Summer ASAP! camp will have fun making friends and participating in hands-on Sports, STEM and Arts activities designed by real classroom teachers.
• Extended care included.

Camp Cho-yeh (Livingston)

• Christian Camp with activities like archery, paintball, horseback, riflery, blobbing, wakeboarding, tomahawk throwing and more.
• Ages 6 – 16 years old.
• Sleep-over camp.

Camp Deer Run (Winnsboro)

• A Christian summer camp in East Texas that exists to provide a camping experience.

Camp Eagle (Rocksprings)

• Sleep away camp for grades 1st – 7th.
• It’s where kids gather for unbridled fun and real outdoor adventures.
• No phones, devices, wifi in these woods.

Camp Lantern Creek (Montgomery, Texas)

• Girls camp for ages 7 to 17.
• Learn to change a tire, sing a song, laugh a lot, love nature, swim, make waves, win gracefully, lose gracefully, tell story, act, paint, make a mess, write a story, right the world, push boundaries, make friends forever, make your art and find your voice.

Houston First Baptist Daycation (Houston’s First The Loop Campus)

• Plans for 2021 still coming.
• Houston First Baptist Daycation for 5th grade and under and camp for 6th grade.

Kidventure (Multiple Locations)

• Running camps at multiple locations in Houston, Austin and Dallas for 20 years.
• Registration opens in February.
• Ages 3 – 15 years old.

Pine Cove (Columbus & Tyler, Texas)

• Christian Camp with day camps, overnight camps and even camps for the entire family!

Summer Youth Activity Program (Rice)

• Plans for 2021 still coming.
• Four sessions in June and July, for kids aged 6 to 11.

Texas A&M Sea Camp (Galveston)

• Sea Camp is a week-long residential adventure exploring the wonders of the marine and estuarine environments for campers ages 10-18.
• As a Sea Camper, kids will have access to research vessels, oceanographic equipment, laboratory facilities, and a professional staff enabling you to learn about the ocean through hands-on experiences.

Texas A&M Sports Camps (College Station)

• Aggie camps offer a wide range of instruction for both boys and girls, ages 8-18.

Victory Camp (Living Stone Church, 1407 Victory Lane, Alvin, Texas 77511)

• Christian camp in operation since 1992.
• Activities include: quad-zipline, swimming, rock walls, double waterslide, bumperboats, paddleboats, gym sports, field sports, and go-karts.

Do you have a recommendations for a Houston summer camp? Let us know!