Houston Summer Camps Recommended by Parents

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. Check each link for the latest details.

If you want to suggest a Houston summer camp, tell us!

Jump to:

• Free Houston Summer Camps
• Museums/Zoo Summer Camps
• Art/Theater/Music Summer Camps
• Outdoors/Animals Camp
• STEM/Academic/Language Houston Summer Camp
• Dance/Gymnastics/Sports Houston Summer Camp
• Cooking/Baking Camps
• All-Around/Christian/Sleep Away Camps

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)

• Immersive experience for children ages 6-14.
• Campers explore the Zoo, meet our animals and make new friends while learning about wildlife and how to protect them in the wild.

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

• Kids can experience a summer of education and adventure.
• Geared for kids ages 6 – 12.
• Registration opens in February/March for everyone. (Earlier for members.)
• 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. (Earlier for members.)
• Camps are held Monday-Friday. Extended day care is available.

Art/Theater/Music Summer Camps

Creator Camp (Katy, Richmond, CyFair, Memorial)

• Creator Camp is West Houston's premier creative summer camp. Over the course of three days students will learn hands-on and in real-time, creating Movies with Special effects, Green Screen effects, Claymation, Lego animation, Sound Effects and more!
• Each day, your child will come home with a new film, video or animation that they created themselves, learning from industry level instructors utilizing new and emerging video technology.
• On the very last day, the Creator Camp instructors will transform the Camp into a mock Oscars Film Festival where your child will pick their favorite film that they made over the 3 days to be shown on the big screen!
• Several locations including Katy, Cypress and Richmond and each Camper will receive a free shirt, Oscar Trophy and Goody bag.
• Spots are limited and fill fast.
• Discount: $30 Off when you use the code "JILLBJARVIS" at checkout

Cordovan Art School (Katy, Spring, Sugar Land, The Woodlands)

• Get in the "ART ZONE" this Spring and Summer with creative camps at CORDOVAN ART SCHOOL!
• Select from over 40 super fun themed camps that change every week! Live Animals, Video Game Art, Super Heros & Villains, Fantasy Art, Space Art, Pets, Pokemon, Sea Life, Anime, & more!
• Experience mixed media of all kinds!
• Cordovan is excited to be expanding from many years in the Austin area, to promote the Joy of Art in the communities of Katy, Spring, Sugar Land, and The Woodlands!
• Ages 5-16, All Skill Levels, Half & Full Day Caps, Extended Care Available.
• Let this be the summer your child gets in the "Art Zone"!

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

• Geared towards kids ages 4-13 years old.
• Drama Kids, Piano, Guitar, Drums, Art, Kindermusik, Baby Sign Language

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

• Geared toward ages 3-18.

Houston Grand Opera

• Two opera camps in the summer of 2022, and a third produced by AFA.
• Camps are for students in grades 3-12 and take place in downtown Houston.

Kidcreate Art Studio (Greater Heights)

• For kids 4-12 year old.

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.

WITS Creative Writing Camp (Multiple Locations)

• 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)

• 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)

• In-person, week-long adventures will include Vet Camp, Animal Rescue and Forensics, and Jr. Pet Pals.
• 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.

Free Pet Camp for Kids

• Kids 7 to 12 years-old can enjoy a FREE, immersive learning opportunity through the Best Friends Foster Pet Camp.
• Campers will be paired with a furry camp companion for four to six weeks and be invited to participate together in a series of online and in-home activities and challenges designed to teach the camper about animal care, safety, enrichment, and compassion.
• Campers will also learn virtually from animal experts with Best Friends Animal Society fostering any child’s dream of a future career in animal welfare!
• All the food, supplies and veterinary care are provided for free.

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.

STREAM Program (Houston Public Library)

• 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)

• 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.

Hunter Dance Center (Heights)

• Dance Theater Camps and camps for kids. Ages 6-8.

Inspire Rock Climbing Camp (Cypress, Spring)

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

JC Sports Houston (Humble)

• 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)

• 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.

Westbury Soccer Club (Bayland Park)

• U5 through U14.
• Full and half day options available.
• Extended care and lunch options available.

Cooking/Baking Camps

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.

All-Around/Christian/Sleep Away Camps

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.

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)

• 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!