LIST: Summer camps for kids in central Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For those looking to get their child into a summer camp, the time is now to sign up.

There are a variety of summer camps for kids in central Ohio, depending on interests and budget. Below are the summer camps offering this year.

*For more information on each camp, click the bold text to be redirected to its website. Please note: Not all summer camps are free and age restrictions vary for each camp.

Camp Chiller
The summer camp led by OhioHealth introduces children, ages 4-11, to ice skating and engages them in fun activities and projects. Find out more about the days and costs here.

The camp is offered at the following locations: 

• OhioHealth Chiller Dublin – 7001 Dublin Park Drive, Dublin, OH 43016
• OhioHealth Chiller Easton – 3600 Chiller Lane, Columbus, OH 43219
• OhioHealth Chiller North – 8144 Highfield Drive, Lewis Center, OH 43035

Camp Lionheart 
Camp Otyokwa, Hocking Hills | July 14-18
Camp Lionheart is a free, week-long, overnight grief camp for children and teens in Ohio ages 7-17 who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling or primary caregiver. The camp offers regular summer camp activities such as swimming, hiking, games and crafts while incorporating structured grief and trauma-informed group counseling sessions with trained, licensed professionals. 

Cincinnati Reds Baseball and Softball Camps
These camps are designed for children ages 6-14 of all skill levels. Each camper will be grouped by similar age and ability and will have 30 hours of small-group instruction from Reds Camps coaches. Campers will also receive a replica of a Reds uniform, a trip to Great American Ball Park and four tickets to a select Reds game. Find more information about the dates and costs here.

The camp has two locations in the Columbus Area:

• Worthington Christian Upper School – 1485 Lazelle Road, Westerville, OH 43081
• Hilliard Bradley High School – 2800 Walker Road, Hilliard, OH 43026

City of Columbus
Community centers in Columbus offer themed, week-long camps for youth ages 6-12. Campers experience many activities including, but not limited to, arts, crafts, sports, games, science experiments and nature exploration. Interested applicants can register for one session or for the entire summer.

The Outdoor Recreation summer camps allow children to participate in canoeing, creeking, fishing and building forts. Each week will have a unique theme structured around classic camp activities.

Columbus Academy 
This offers everything from the arts and sciences to athletics and outdoor adventures. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis for all programs. The program is open to students in Pre-K through 12th grade.

Columbus Children’s Theatre 
This week-long camp provides students with both onstage performance experience as well as backstage production experience in theatrical disciplines like scenic design, costuming and more. This year’s camp programs include themes such as “Descendants Jr.,” “The Witches of Oz,” “Matilda Jr.” and “Seussical Jr.” Each session costs $415.

Columbus Museum of Art
Summer Art Workshops in the CMA Center for Creativity encourage the exploration of ideas through imaginative play, exploration of art materials and lively gallery games. Reservations for classes will open on March 1 at noon, first come, first served. These workshops are for students entering grades 1-5.

Columbus School for Girls IDEAS camp
IDEAS Camps present new weekly themes and a variety of relevant technology, engineering, sports, arts, innovation and movement. These camps are designed for boys and girls in Pre-K to 8th grade. Click here to see a full list of the camps offered.

Columbus Zoo
Summer ZooKids is specially designed to offer your 3-year-old to entering kindergarten-aged child a stimulating opportunity to learn about the wonders of the animal kingdom in a socially interactive environment. Children will engage in hands-on activity centers, create an art project, have a snack, take a walk in the zoo and have a unique zoo experience. All sessions for grades 1-7 are full.

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
The conservatory offers programs for children between the ages of 3-8. Campers will explore the conservatory and its many gardens, harvest vegetables and interact with bugs.

Girl Scouts of Ohio Heartland
This camp is open to girls all around the state of Ohio, whether they’re in a Girl Scout troop or not. Girls will make new friends, try new things and have a blast at Camp Molly Lauman. The overnight summer camp programs are for those in grades K–12. 

If you’re just looking for a day camp, Camp Ken-Jockety and Camp Crooked Lane offer nine weeks of summer day camp programs.

JCC of Greater Columbus
The Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus offers a summer camp guided by Jewish values. Alongside summer camp at the lake, the center also offers specialty camps like basketball, soccer, artistic swimming, sewing and superhero camp.

Just Hoops
The Just Hoops summer camps help children focus on skill-specific basketball topics under the guidance of experienced coaches. Families can sign up for half-day morning summer camps for two days. Campers who want to attend more sessions can sign up for the bundle of four sessions.

The camp is offered at the following locations:

• Lewis Center location – 8612 Owenfield Drive, Powell, OH 43065
• Dublin location – 8500 Warner Road, Plain City, OH 43064

OSU Camp Recky
Campers ages 6-12 will have the opportunity to participate in two sports per week at Camp Rocky. The goal is to introduce children to a variety of sports. Key focuses will be on the basics while focusing on sportsmanship, teamwork and participation.

Otterbein University Sports Camp
Otterbein University’s Volleyball Day Camp is for athletes entering grades 1-9 who are looking to learn new skills and improve on current techniques.

Salvation Army
Camp SWONEKY is a summer camp for children ages 7-13 that is owned and operated by The Salvation Army. The programs include swimming, archery, boating and horseback riding. There is also a high ropes course, which includes a zip line and climbing wall, an 18-hole disc golf course and an animal farm. 

Westerville Community Center
The community center is offering several camps for children this summer. Some of the camps are specialized and focus on activities like archery, parkour, cooking, fashion, robotics and more. They’re also offering a summer day camp and Heritage Kids Camp for ages 6-12.