2025 Chicago Summer Camps (Gathering Reviews)

Camp Red Kite is a summer theatre camp tailored specifically to the unique interests and needs of children on the autism spectrum. The program is led by a team of artists, and special education teachers dedicated to creating a safe, welcoming, and comfortable environment. Their aim is to encourage self expression, social engagement, creative exploration, and above all, fun! Camp culminates in a final showcase and potluck lunch to share the Camp Red Kite experience with family and friends.

With multiple Chicago area summer camp locations, Chicago Bears Youth Football Camp has something for everyone! Kids will learn football and life skills from NFL Alumni Chicago Bears as well as professional coaches. Instruction focuses on proper techniques for running, throwing, catching, defending, form blocking, form tackling and exploding out of a stance. This is a non-contact football camp.

This high flying camp teaches kids to juggle, climb, balance and have fun on a variety of circus apparatus such as the German wheel, silks and trapeze. Professional circus staff work with program alumni to teach kids in a fun and safe way. Campers will practice different circus skills skills each week, and usually include aerial silks, trapeze, lyra, tightwire, gym wheel, mini trampoline, tumbling, partner acrobatics, clowning, rola bola, diabolo, stilts, juggling and more. Kids show off their new abilities in a free performance for friends and family at the end of each week.

Megan Schumaker Murphy said:  Highly recommend. CircEsteem’s community of amazing coaches and teen junior day camp counselors can’t be beat. CircEsteem is one the most inclusive spaces I’ve ever been in and they helped my shy, anxious kid to become comfortable with performing and trying new things.

Does your child eat, sleep and breathe sports? Then Hi-Five Sports Camp is the place to be! Activities include baseball, soccer, flag football, basketball, floor hockey, lacrosse, volleyball, swimming, golf, tennis, and more. No matter their skill level, kids learn to play hard, work as a team, and have fun! Bus transportation and after camp care options available for an additional fee.

Explore a variety of dance styles including Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Musical Theater, Contemporary & Modern at this family run summer dance camp. Each camp week has new classes & new choreography with fun & encouraging dance teachers, and campers perform multiple dances at the end of the week for family & friends.

Calling all ninja warriors! If your kids love running, jumping and climbing at their favorite Chicagoland parkour gyms, then these specialty camps are for them! Offered at the multiple Ultimate Ninja locations in the Chicago area, kids will push their physical and mental boundaries in a fun and nurturing environment while learning proper techniques, engaging in structured obstacle circuits, and enjoying plenty of open gym time.

Soar to new heights at The Actors Gymnasium Summer Camp! These unique summer camps for Chicagoland kids are perfect for youth who want to strengthen, stretch and flex their creative muscles. Campers learn unique circus and aerial skills: juggling, tumbling, trapeze, tightwire, stilts, and more. Beginners and experienced circus artists are both welcome. Financial aid is available.

North Shore Country Day's summer camps in Winnetka offer an array of fun activities like archery, gymnastics, rock climbing, tennis and creative play. Please note that there will not be any access to a pool for summer 2025.

Participants in Oasis day camps are encouraged to build their "emotional, social, creative, and athletic" abilities through traditional day camp activities and adventures hosted both on and off site. Special guests also visit the camp each week to lead additional learning activities, from dance to reading to STEAM project building. Parents love that extended hours are included in the base price of camp.

Zoo Camp is the perfect opportunity for your child to connect with animals and nature in a variety of fun and exciting ways. Children explore the zoo through play and learning with skilled camp counselors. There's so much to see and do, and each weekly session offers unique experiences. This animal camp fills up fast each year, so be sure to sign up early!

Chicago Botanic Garden offers exciting and enriching camps that incorporate nature exploration, inquiry-based activities, games, hands-on projects, and planting.

Rootz offers specialty summer camps with half and full day options, including programs such as sewing camp, hip hop camp, cheerleading camp, and musical theatre camp.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County offers many different camps for kids throughout the county. Most nature camps are offered at Fullersburg Woods Nature Center, though many are also at the Mayslake Peabody Estate, Willowbrook Wildlife Center, Kline Creek Farm, even the Danada Equestrian Center to name a few. Many of the camps focus on science, technology, engineering and math.

Located in Northbrook on 11 beautiful, wooded acres, Decoma Day Camp has been helping kids make wonderful summer memories since 1949! Campers enjoy an array of fun activities like sports, archery, mini golf, dance, a ninja warrior course and circus arts. Kids are enrolled for a minimum of 4 weeks, but those weeks don't need to be consecutive!

This fifty-year-old Lake Forest camp teaches sportsmanship and team work through typical day camp activities. Kids learn to take safe risks, build confidence, and make friends, for a total experience that parents have called "transformative". Typical activities include sports, swimming, and ropes courses. The youngest campers are supervised at a 3-1 camper to counselor ratio. Families can opt in to bus service, extended day care, lunch, and overnights for tweens and teens for an additional fee.