Summer’s calling: here are 12 great summer camps in the Austin area

Kids can learn about outdoor skills, robotics, and more at camps across the Austin area.

To the left, a group of children stand on the Paramount's stage, in matching blue shirts and mid-dance. To the right, crowds of spectators watch them inside the historic theater.

Parents can purchase day passes for Steve & Kate’s Camp, where kids can practice art, coding, and theater.

Photo by Kate Susskind, courtesy Steve & Kate’s Camp

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We may be eight weeks out from the end of classes, but it’s never too early to get a head start on summer plans for the kiddos.

From art school to medieval studies, check out these 12 local summer camps for Austin kids.

Art and music camps

Paramount Education | The Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Ave.
Young ones interested in acting, singing, dancing, and performance will find a home at this collection of camps, which all end with a performance on the historic stage itself. Choose from a range of two-week sessions from Camp Paramount ($900), Story Wranglers ($850), and Songwriting ($800) programs. Scholarships are available.

Cordovan Art School | Multiple locations
Kids age 5-16 can choose to work on art based on 40+ themes — including video game art, superheroes, pets, and fantasy — using media ranging from watercolors to pottery. The dates and hours for this day camp vary based on the program, and start at $222.

Austin Chamber Music Center Summer Workshops | University of Texas’ Sarah & Ernest Butler School of Music, 2406 Robert Dedman Dr.
Kids age 7+ can learn music composition, play with other musicians, and expand confidence in teamwork and communication at this two week-long camp. Tuition begins at $550.

Education camps

Camp Tech Revolution | University of Texas’ Topfer Center, 2105 San Antonio St.
Children as young as 6 can learn coding skills, game design, and robotics, while older kids can tackle sports analytics, artificial intelligence, and space programs. Camps last throughout June and July and start at $639 per week — all-girls courses are also available.

Bluebonnet Summer Camp | Bluebonnet School, 10321 Boulder Lane
Bluebonnet School offers two week-long camps on subjects including Texas geography, farm-to-table cooking, and local art throughout the summer for kids between kindergarten and fourth grade. Sessions cost $325, and include lunches, snacks, and field trips.

Steve & Kate’s Camp | Multiple locations
Customize your child’s camp schedule by buying $110 day passes for any days you’d like. Unused days will be refunded in September, and you can also upgrade to a full-summer pass for $2,970, which includes as much as 39 days. Campers choose from activities including stop-motion animation, sewing, baking, and water play.

A young girl practicing a sewing project

Parents can purchase day passes for Steve & Kate’s Camp, where kids can practice art, coding, and theater.

Photo by Kate Susskind, Steve & Kate’s Camp

Outdoors + athletics camps

Kidventure | Multiple locations
Little ones between 3 and 16 can participate in yoga, rock climbing, and scavenger hunts. Sessions last through June, July, and early August at locations around Austin, and begin at $380 per week.

Elite University Summer Camps | Marshall Ford Fellowship, 5000 Marshall Ford Rd.
Whether your child is interested in horseback riding, veterinary science, or cooking, this camp offers a week-long program that’s right up their alley. Tuition begins at $415, but varies based on program.

Sleepaway camps

Camp Olympia | 723 Olympia Dr., Trinity
Sign up for one, two, or three weeks of lakefront fun at this sleepaway camp for kids age 6-16. Camp activities (of which there are 45+ options) include golf, outdoor skills, diving, woodworking, and puppy training. One-week programs begin at $2,285.

Camp Huawni | 954 Co. Rd. 4235, Timpson
This throwback sleepaway camp will allow your kids to unplug from technology and spend their time hiking, playing sports, tackling ropes courses, and enjoying water activities. Available sessions start at $1,495.

Sherwood Forest Summer Camp | 1883 Old Hwy. 20, McDade
If your child couldn’t stop watching “Brave,” this camp — self-proclaimed as “the most unique in Texas” — may pique their interest. Kids age 8-16 can take courses on viking lore, fae studies, and illuminated manuscripts, and even practice blacksmithing + leatherworking. Registration is $1,099 per camper, but take note, they also offer a three-day grown-up summer camp.