Just as soon as the holidays are over and the kids go back to school, it’s already time to start planning for the summer break. For a lot of Denver families that means summer camps, and there are so many to choose from. Some are all about getting outside and exploring, while other focus on different art aspects and some get your kid moving.
Keep in mind registration starts around the beginning of February for many spots, often letting members or city residents have first dibs a couple days earlier than open registration.
We know that many camps are pricey. So, look for scholarship offers and discounts as well. And, while this list isn’t absolute, it covers quite a few of the popular summer camps in and around Denver.
The church camps are usually the least expensive. Although we’re not including information on the many, many church camps — there are soooo many — they are a great choice for the budget-conscious parent.
If you know of any low-cost camps, please drop us a note at news@milehighonthecheap.com.
The Arts Camps
Book an art-filled summer camp at the Denver Art Museum. Photo by Linnea Covington
Denver Art Museum
The camps at the Denver Art Museum get broken into three age groups: 5 to 6, 7 to 8, and 9 to 11. Overall the themes remain the same, there are camps about art in nature, how to draw, learning about color and sculpture.
Each camp runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and include plenty of time in the museum to garner inspiration.
Cost: $350 for members, $380 for non-members
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: 100 W. 14th Ave., Pkwy., Denver.
Notable Kids Art Center
Get your kid out and acting durning these one-week camps for ages 5 to 15. Choose from musical theater or regular theater, focusing on tales from Harry Potter, The Princess Bride, Encanto and more. The event space also hosts visual art classes, and kids can take a half day, full day, or a combo day of art and acting. Bonus, at the end of the week the kids in the acting classes will have a performance showcasing what they learned.
Cost: $405 for full day, $205 for half day, siblings get $10 off registration
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: 5101 S. Dayton St., Greenwood Village.
Arvada Center
If your kid is 5 to 12 and loves a bit of drama and/or art, the Arvada Center has a slew of full- and half-day camps available. The best and most economic way to sign up for camp is to do it in three or four week blocks, and the venue offers combinations of visual art, musical theater, drama and music.
Cost: Tuition starts at $155 for a one-week, half-day class, and goes up to $1,400 for a four-week, full-day class.
Registration Opens: February 17
Location: 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada.
Craftsman & Apprentice
Craftsman & Apprentice hosts artsy summer camps. Photo by Jessica Dory
Ages 5 to 11 can spend the summer creating worlds out of cardboard, paint, hot glue, ribbons, corks, buttons and more at this Denver kids’ crafting studio. Themes include toys, crafty critters, fiber arts and more.
Cost: $510 per week, with 10% off multiple camps
Registration Opens: Now open, though most spots were full
Location: 1335 E 22nd Ave., Denver.
Science Camps
Rosie the tarantula loves to be held. Photo: Butterfly Pavilion
Butterfly Pavilion
Starting June 5 and through August 11, the Butterfly Pavilion hosts all the creepy crawlies and your children at camp.
There are five themes, which repeat once and include spider week, junior zookeeper and survival stories, where kids can learn about how insects adapt to survive.
Cost: Full day rate runs $295, and members save $30
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: 6252 W. 104th Ave., Westminster.
Lavner Camps
Join the tech revolution by having your child spend their summer learning about robots, coding, game design and more. The camps here cater to kids ages 6 to 16, and hours are 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Cost: $699 to $849 per week, and you can save $50 a week when signing up for two weeks, and save $100 a week when signing up for three or four
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: University of Denver, exact spot TBD.
Air & Space Camp
Ready for an aerospace adventure? At Wings Over the Rockies that’s exactly what kids ages 8 to 14 can expect in these week-long camps. The fun starts June 5 and goes until August 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
Cost: $399 per week, though members, returning campers and siblings get 10% off.
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: Wings Over the Rockies at 7711 E. Academy Blvd., Denver.
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Take a summer camp the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Photo by Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Explore the natural world all summer with these full-day camps. The museum caters to grades Kindergarten to 6th, featuring camps all about astronauts, animals, fossils and more.
Cost: $305 per week for members/$335 non members
Registration Opens: Currently SOLD OUT for the 2023 season
Location: 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver.
Mad Science
These camps are designed for ages 6 to 12, though sessions such as Red Hot Robots and Advanced Robotics camps are more appropriate for ages 8 to 12.
The instructors are mostly college students pursuing degrees in education or science and teachers off for the summer.
Themes include chemistry, space science, forensics, engineering and more. Each camp is a week long, though times can vary.
Cost: $215 to $355 per week
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: Multiple locations inside local venues and schools in Broomfield, Denver and Littleton.
Sports Camps
Learn to golf this summer!
Golf Westminster Camp
Get out and on the green with this kids’ golf camp. More details are coming, though the company suggests joining Spirit Club for immediate updates.
Cost: TBD
Registration Opens: March 1
Location: TBD
RMF Soccer Camp
From July 17 to July 21, this pro-run soccer camp will come to Colorado. It’s run by experienced Spanish UEFA coaches, and goes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Kids from 6 to 16 can sign up.
Cost: $549, and includes uniform
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: Aurora Sports Park at 19300 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora.
Aerial Cirque Over Denver
If your child is thinking of joining the circus, or just wants to bend, twist and soar through the air, this is the camp for them. Dates run from May 29 through August 14, and include morning and afternoon camps (9:30 a.m. to noon and 12:30 to 3 p.m.) for ages 6 to 16.
Cost: $250 for five-day, 2.5-hour classes
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: 4605 Quebec St., Denver.
Apex Denver Parkour Camps
Gain some mad skills this summer with a parkour camp for ages 6 to 11, or for teens.
Cost: $80 per day, 9 a.m. to noon, or 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: 700 W. Mississippi Ave., Denver.
A Little Bit of Everything Camps
Discovery Link Summer Camps
Discovery Link, a program through Denver Public Schools, offers summer camps for students aged 5 to 12 at various locations throughout Denver. Select locations also offer ECE summer camps for students aged 3 to 4 years old.
Summer camps will include outdoor programming and engaging activities in the visual and performing arts, sports, science and cultural exploration. All programming will incorporate Social Emotional Academic Learning and student relationship building.
Cost: Grant-funded camps are FREE to students who attend or live within the school’s boundary. Fee-based camps are $48 per day. Go here to find a list of school locations and see which are grant-funded vs. fee-based.
Registration Opens: Now open
Locations: 14 DPS Schools. See website for locations.
YMCA
Adventure, sports, art, dance, cooking and even more camps are hosted by the YMCA at various locations throughout the city. Most of the specialty camps are for ages 7 to 14, but there’s also a day camp available for ages 5 to 15.
Cost: Between $199 and $349 per week
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: Various locations, check the YMCA website for details.
History Colorado Center
This summer, the History Colorado Center offers eight weeks of summer camp for kids ages 6 to 12. They learn and create together through hands-on activities that bring history to life and connect to our larger world. Weekly themes range from history mysteries, to storytelling, to mad science, and more.
Cost: $250 per week with automatic tuition assistance. That means if any of the following applies to you, assistance will be automatically subtracted from your tuition!
Those on Free/Reduced lunch save 40%. Enrolling multiple children saves you 10%. History Colorado Members, including History Buff Fourth Grade Members save 10%. And if you register before May 12 you save 10%.
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: 1200 N. Broadway, Denver.
Book a summer camp on a farm. Photo by Linnea Covington
Colorado Academy Summer Programs
Choose from a range of camps hosted by professionals, from sports to arts to academic. Each course is broken into morning or afternoon, and by the week.
For full care there are day-long camps, or chose both a morning and afternoon camp, which could include swimming, cooking, martial arts, LEGO building, horseback riding, golf, watercolor and more.
Camps start June 5 and go until July 28, catering to kids entering PreK up to 12th grade.
Cost: Prices fluctuate a lot depending on what activities your kid wants to do. In general, each half-day, weekly course runs $270, up to most expensive at $660 for the learning to ride a bike camp hosted by REI.
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: 3800 S. Pierce St., Denver.
Boulder Parks & Recreation
So much fun can be had this summer, from farm adventures to swim camp to gymnastics. The camps are for ages 4 to 17, and start the week of May 29 and end August 18. Most of the camps are five days long, so fill up your schedule with a variety of activities.
Cost: Residents of Boulder can save quiet a bit of money on these camps, which range from $195 up to $710.
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: Various locations in Boulder.
Commerce City Parks & Recreation
Youth Camp Venture is a traditional camp for children ages 6 to 10 and offers arts and crafts, STEM, active play, swimming and field trips. Camp takes place primarily outside at Eagle Pointe Rec Center.
Adventure Trek is an outdoor adventure program that provides a new experience every day. Those ages 11 to 15 travel offsite for hiking, survival skills training, water activities and nature-based programming.
Cost: $140 per week for residents, $165/week for non-residents. You can download registration forms in English or Spanish in advance here or pick up at Eagle Pointe or Bison Ridge Rec Centers.
Registration Opens: February 15
Location: Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City.
Parker Fieldhouse
Ages 5 to 13 can join this camp for themed games, activities, crafts and a ton of fun at the Parker Fieldhouse. Campers will be separated into age groups 5 to 6 years, 7 to 9 years, and 10 to 13 years. Expect swimming days and field trips too.
Cost: $47 per day for residents, $52 per day for the rest, plus $10 extra for swimming and field trip days
Registration Opens: February 20
Location: 18700 Plaza Dr., Parker.
Westminster Parks & Recreation
Sports, aqua activities and plenty of good old fashioned fun make up the summer camps with the Westminster Parks & Recreation centers.
Cost: TBD
Registration Opens: Currently SOLD OUT for the 2023 season
Location: TBD
Foothills Parks & Recreation District
Stay tuned for all the fun camps being offered by this Parks & Rec organization. More information coming in March.
Cost: TBD
Registration Opens: March TBD
Location: 6612 S. Ward St., Littleton.
Education Electrified
Two two different full-day (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) week-long summer mystery camps.
Spend the week helping to unravel an ancient Egyptian mystery in Ancient Egypt Camp or travel back in time during the American Revolution to solve a puzzle that could change history as we know it.
Ideal if your child loves mysteries and escape rooms and you want an educational environment.
Cost: $250 per week.
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: Woodrow Wilson Academy, 8300 W. 94th Ave., Westminster.
Humans2Nature Youth Camp
FREE summer camp for kids ages 5 to 14. Teens 15 to 18 for agree to volunteer at the camp get $35 and accommodations. Held July 16 to 28, 2023.
Cost: FREE
Registration opens: Now open
Location: 5374 Blackhawk Way, Denver.
Kent Denver School
Children ages 4 to 18 have the opportunity to fill their summer with innovative, creative and hands-on learning in the arts, athletics, on the farm and through technology.
There are so many different week-long camp options, and kids are sure to get excited to join the NASA engineering camp, hang out with Minecraft fans, play basketball and more.
Cost: Most week-long camps are $410, and some have extra material fees.
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: 4000 E. Quincy Ave., Englewood.
Avid 4 Adventure
Starting in pre-K and up to 7th grade, kids can take this full- or half-day camp where they spend the time outside. There are many camps to choose from, such as paddle boarding, mountain biking, survival skills and more.
Cost: Prices range from $899 to $1,449, depending if you want one or two weeks
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: Various spots
Dream Big Day Camp
There’s a program for everyone here, and all ages too starting at PreK and going up to 11th grade. Have your kids learn to cook, do yoga, rock climb, practice archery and so much more.
Pick from the three sessions, including June 5-23, June 26 to July 14, and July 17 to August 4.
Cost: $1,914 for a three-week session, or $650 for one week.
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: Denver Jewish Day School at 2450 S. Wabash St., Denver.
Overnight Camps
Canoeing is one activity kids may do at an overnight camp. Photo by Depositphotos
Avid 4 Adventure
For two weeks kids get to bask in nature, away from their parent, at either Camp Windy Peak near Bailey, or Camp Blue Sky near Evergreen. The kids sleep in cabins and build their skill sets in nature and with outdoor sport activities.
Cost: $2,999 per camper
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: Various spots
Cheley Colorado Camps
If your kid is 9 to 17, send them off to a 27-day overnight camp in Estes Park. Full term is June 13 to August 6, or chose a half term from June 13 to July 9, or July 11 to August 6.
Activities include horse back riding, water sports, art and plenty of outdoor adventure.
Cost: $6,950 for on term, or $13,900 for the full season
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: Cheley Colorado Camps at 3960 Fish Creek Rd., Estes Park.
Camp Granite Lake
Located in the mountains about an hour from Denver, the camp covers 135 acres including a private lake. It’s a co-ed camp for grades 2nd to 9th.
Choose from two sessions, either June 19 through July 8, or July 10 through July 29. There are also mini-camp options for grades 1st through 4th, covering the week of July 31 or August 7.
Cost: $4,475 for the two-week camps, or $1,275 for the one week camps.
Registration Opens: Now open
Location: 11902 Camp Eden Rd., Golden.