2025 Indianapolis Summer Camps (Gathering Reviews)

Cool Creek Nature Center offers an engaging summer camp experience for children, focusing on outdoor exploration and environmental education. Camp activities include creek stomping, nature hikes, arts and crafts, and team-building exercises, all designed to foster a connection with nature.

Dawn Denning said:  Cool Creek Nature Center is a favorite place for my kids to visit! Tons of animals, artifacts and information for my kids to learn, touch and enjoy during each visit. Luckily, they offer a summer camp for them to attend! Whether it's half days for the younger kids or full days for your tween, Cool Creek will keep them engaged and outdoors! Kids are only allowed to register for 1 week of camp.

Gathering a spectacular staff to serve as role models is central tenet of React, which sees theatre as a means for young people to improve themselves, and react to the social issues that impact our world. Their summer classes are diverse and varied, depending on your camper's age and interests.

Overnight option

Jungle Jams at Carmel's Center for the Performing Arts uses music and animals to teach kids about positive character qualities while introducing rhythm and groove through percussion and rhythm activities. Your child will make music, play instruments, sing and actually make 3 instruments to bring home. The week long camp ends with a 30 minute Drum Circle Celebration.

The Civic Theatre presents summer theatre camps for budding actors, singers and dancers! Campers will receive professional instruction in a fun and creative environment. Family and friends will be invited for an end of camp performance!

Start your summer with Central Indiana Academy of Dance's popular young dancer day camps featuring themes such as Frozen and Fairytale Princesses.

Working with professional artists, campers will explore new media, improve their artistic skills, learn to express themselves creatively and gain a deeper appreciation for the visual arts. Each week campers work in professional-quality studios and have exclusive access to the Art Center’s galleries. Campers will also gain inspiration from the 9 ½-acre outdoor art garden, ArtsPark, which is filled with murals, installations and outdoor sculptures.

At Off the Wall Sports Summer Camp, campers are kept active with a wide variety of activities including soccer, basketball, volleyball, flag football, whiffle ball, kickball, tag, relay races, and much, much more! Sign up for one day or the whole summer!

Camp Little Red Door at Bradford Woods and also in the city has week-long camp opportunities for Indiana children who are in active cancer treatment or remission. It is a chance for children (and siblings) to have the same camp experience as any other child and to interact with other children facing similar experiences. Camp activities include swimming, canoeing, archery, horseback riding, zip lining, nature education, rock climbing, arts and crafts, campfires and more! They host day camp, overnight camp, and family camps.

Park Tudor School offers academic enrichments in STEM, speech, coding, writing, health, Legos, etc. Traditional camp themes also include performing arts, athletics, crafting, and more.

The Indiana Repertory Theatre's Summer Camps are designed to bring theatre to life for children! They offer various different camps based on the age, abilities and interests of your camper, including musical theatre camp, improv, stage combat class and neurodivergent option to Intro to Acting.

Campers at Indianapolis Ballet's Summer Camps will dance the day away! Boys and girls can enjoy ballet and tap instruction, storytelling, craft projects, and a daily snack break. An informal recital will feature choreography, props, and scenery created by the campers. The older boys and girls in the full day camp will combine ballet, tap, art and music instruction to spark creativity, build confidence, and strengthen dance skills. Campers will take field trips and make their own costumes to wear during their end-of-the-week performance.

Do you have an aspiring fashion designer in your home? A kiddo interested in solving crimes? Maybe a future chef or magician? If you have kids at home who want to try something new or further explore a unique path, the Indiana State Museum could make their summer great! Various camps are available each week.

Girls Rock is a day camp for girls, non-binary, gender expansive, and trans youth that focuses on music including instruments & songwriting. Youth participate in workshops that build self-confidence, assertiveness & leadership. At the end of the week, campers will put on a concert playing their original songs along with the band.

Whether they will be honing their wilderness survival skills, saving the planet or checking out bugs, a whole lot of outdoor fun will be happening! Each week, your child can discover new things that will teach them about the ecological system of Indianapolis.

Coach Thad Matta Basketball Camps for Boys are held at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse on Butler University's campus. Butler Men’s Basketball head coach Thad Matta and his staff oversee all aspects of the camp, using their expertise, guidance and leadership to increase each camper’s abilities in the game of basketball. Boys will be assigned to a team according to ability and grade level. Girls are encouraged to check out Coach Austin Parkinson’s Basketball Camp, to support the women’s basketball program.