Kids and families in San Diego are so lucky to have such an amazing array of Summer Camp options!  When school is out, or nearly out, parents often scramble to find childcare for their kiddos. Summer Camps provided this much-needed service while also providing a fun, enriching experience during school breaks.

Whether your kids require all-day camp or half-day, many San Diego museums and attractions offer both options.  The camps li

ted below are all within a close distance of Downtown San Diego.

Zoo Camp  The San Diego Zoo offers amazing camps for grades Pre-K through 12th grada. Each camp is five days from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (

except for the half-day Pre-K camp, from 9 a.m. to noon), with extended-day options for an additional fee.  The Zoo offers their traditional camp, which include visiting Zoo exhibits, bus rides, crafts and

 activities, as well as Adventures in Art camps, which have more of a focus on Art. No 

matter the age, your child is sure to enjoy this special Zoo experience! 

Balboa Park Camps  Balboa Park offers a wide variety of summer camp options, allowing parents to choose subject-area specific camps.  If your child has a specific interest, or is curious about a new subject, this is a great place to look!

Half-day camps:

San Diego Air & Space Museum  For kids grades 1st-12th, campers will build model airplanes, create rovers, launch model rockets and fly simulators.

Fleet Science Center For grades Pre-K thru 8th grade, campers explore, experiment and discover through hands-on science projects on topics like forensics, physics, the human body, robotics, chemistry, space and more!

Spanish Village Art  For your budding artist, grades 2nd-6th, Spanish Village offers both morning and afternoon half-day camps with a different medium each day, including painting, ceramics, polymer clay and more! Classes are capped at 15 students.

San Diego Civic Youth Ballet  For ages 4-10, morning and afternoon camps are offered and groups are capped at 15 kids.  Camps begin with a daily ballet class and also include activities like arts & crafts, jazz classes, performance rehearsals and field trips to other institutions within Balboa Park.

Other half-day camps are offered at the Japanese Friendship Garden, San Diego Model Railroad Museum, the San Diego Automotive Museum and the Natural History Museum for Pre-K and Kindergarten campers.

Full-day camps:

Natural History Museum The Nat offers an extensive variety of full-day camps (9am-4pm) for grades 1st-10th and half-day camps for pre-k and Kindergarten.  These camps teach kids about the natural world with fascinating activities and experiments about animals, dinosaurs, reptiles

, sea monsters & beauties, and more!

San Diego Junior Theatre San Diego Junior Theatre offers full-day camps for grades 1st-12th, with half-day camps for pre-k and kindergarten. Campers will have four classes each day: acting, voice, dance, and a theatre specialty topic, and there are presentations for families on the last day of every camp session.

San Diego Art Camp   For grades Kindergarten-8th. Campers will be exposed to a wide variety of different art forms including photography, digital media, ceramics, music and dance.

Other full-day camps are offered at the Museum of Photographic Arts, The San Diego Museum of Art and The San Diego Art Institute.

The New Children’s Museum  Camps for ages 4-12, with both half-day and full-day camps depending on age. The museum’s motto “think, play and create” is woven through the activities offered to campers.  Each week has a theme and the activities and art projects are related to the theme.

Camp Fire San Diego – Camp Cahito If you’re looking for an outdoor camp, Camp Cahito in Balboa Park may be just what you’re looking for.  Accepting campers as young as 3-years-old (for the half-day Lil Stars camp) all the way to age 18 for Teen Camps.  

Campers will hike, do archery, play outdoor games and sports, do arts & crafts and more! Also offered, are specialty camps with themes that include Jr. Ranger, Archery, Wizardry of Chemistry, Art, Jewelry making, and more.

There are many more Summer Camp options available all over San Diego county.  If you have a specific camp theme in mind, chances are it is available in San Diego.  A quick Google search will likely turn up several options. And your kids are sure to be happy campers!