16 Overnight Summer Camps Near Chicago

Ready to send your kid to sleepaway camp this year? We're gathering parent recommendations for the best overnight camps near Chicago...or near enough to be worth the trip for an epic summer experience!

Parent reviews are essential to picking out the right overnight camp, so please add a review below if your kids have attended any of these. Chicago parents, if your favorite overnight summer camps in Illinois or around the Midwest aren't on the list yet, please suggest them as new recommendations to let the community know about them.

Find more summer fun on our full Chicago camp guide.


 

    Camp Manitoqua

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     (767.3 mi)

    Time

    Overnight option

    Ages

    Grade 2 -9

    Camp Manitoqua is a retreat from the everyday, and into a one of a kind overnight summer camp experience. With a focus on the Christian faith, campers will also enjoy campfires, team-building challenges, high ropes, ziplines, paintball, sports, outdoor education, nature studies, and more. Day Camps are also available.

    Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See

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     (775.2 mi)

    Time

    Overnight camp

    Ages

    Age 7-17

    Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See offers a variety of camp options. Camp activities include archery, arts & crafts, barn & garden, a challenge course, music, nature, outdoor living & cooking, photography, recreation. theatre, waterfront (pool & creek), zip lining, and much more!

    Offense-Defense Chicago Football Camp

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     (786.5 mi)

    Time

    Overnight option

    Ages

    Age 8-18

    Players at all experience levels can take their skills to the next level at these specialized football camps, where experienced coaches provide individualized instruction to help identify and correct any weaknesses in technique, along with drills and exercises to push them out of their comfort zones.

    Harand Camp of the Theatre Arts

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     (790.2 mi)

    Time

    Overnight camp

    Ages

    Age 7-18

    Harand Camp of the Theatre Arts was one of the nation's first co-ed, residential camps to combine singing, dancing, and acting with the fun of traditional camp activities. Campers will spend half the day in theater classes and the other half enjoying sports and elective activities, excursions, and all-camp events. Sessions culminate with large-scale performances in the state-of-the-art theater.

    Emagination Computer Camps

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     (794.4 mi)

    Time

    Overnight option

    Ages

    Age 8-17

    At Emagination Computer Camps, kids enjoy the perfect mix of technology learning and summer fun! Campers are assigned to small groups by age and enjoy hands-on learning from well qualified camp counselors. Kids stay in the college's dorms with supervision.

    YMCA Camp Duncan

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     (806.7 mi)

    Time

    Overnight option

    Ages

    Age 7-17

    Chicago YMCA's Camp Duncan is a great place for kids to get out of the city/suburbs this summer, and have a real summer camp adventure! With swimming, boating, ropes course, arts & crafts, climbing wall, nature hikes, campfires, sports, and so much more, campers will never want to leave.

    Beber Camp

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     (829.9 mi)

    Time

    Overnight camp

    Ages

    Age 7-17

    If you're looking for a Jewish camp packed with summer fun, Camp Beber is the place to be! This fun and supportive camp creates the perfect environment for kids to grow, learn, and just be themselves. Activities include: hiking, challenge course, swimming, arts & crafts, tennis, and so much more.

    Camp Timber-lee

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     (838.9 mi)

    Time

    Overnight camp

    Ages

    Grade 2-12

    Each summer, Camp Timber-lee hosts eight weeks of camp, with each week being uniquely designed for the different ages and interests! They have camps for grades 2nd through 12th, classic camp, and even specialty camps for those looking to spend more time doing their favorite activities.

    The University of Whitewater Gymnastics Camp

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     (855.2 mi)

    Time

    Overnight camp

    Ages

    Age 6-18

    This camp allows you to have fun and receive the instruction you need to improve your gymnastics skills alongside National Champions while training in a state-of-the-art facility. All ability levels are welcome, including those with no prior gymnastics experience.

    White Pines Ranch

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     (882.5 mi)

    Time

    Overnight camp

    Ages

    Age 8-15

    White Pines Ranch is a co-ed, sleepaway summer camp, uniquely located on a 200-acre ranch in the beautiful Rock River Valley 90 miles west of Chicago. They offer a traditional, classic camp program, where the activities include horseback riding, taking care of animals, archery, hiking, swimming, arts & crafts, capture the flag, orienteering, and a fossil hunt.

    Camp Kupugani

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     (889.7 mi)

    Time

    Overnight camp

    Ages

    Age 7-15

    Camp Kupugani is a family run, multicultural summer camp located less than 2 hours outside of Chicago. Programs include a girls summer camp and a blended camp, as well as mother/daughter and parent/child weekends. The camp features an array of outdoor activities like sand & mud volleyball, climbing walls, swimming pool and waterfront, archery, and more. Most importantly, campers have the opportunity to celebrate diversity in a fun, welcoming environment.

    YMCA Camp Benson

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     (924.5 mi)

    Time

    Overnight camp

    Ages

    Grades 1-12

    Camp Benson has been a favorite summer destination for more than 80 years! They offer overnight camp options from 4 to 14 days. They have lots of great options for safe, well-supervised, and “unplugged” summer fun for your kiddos.

    JCC Chicago - Camp Chi

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     (941.6 mi)

    Time

    Overnight camp

    Ages

    Grades 2-10

    Unplug from technology and experience a summer that is full of fun, friends, and unforgettable experiences at Camp Chi! Located on beautiful Lake Delton, Camp Chi offers programs ranging from 4 days-8 weeks, as well as 50+ camp activities designed to help kids explore new interests and foster a deeper connection to their Jewish identity.

    Chippewa Ranch Camp

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     (984.0 mi)

    Time

    Overnight camp

    Ages

    Age 7-15, girls

    A traditional overnight camp for girls, Chippewa offers 4- and 8-week sessions at its beautiful lakeside, forest-filled campgrounds, where activities range from fishing, windsurfing and sailing, to aerobics, tennis, and trampball (think volleyball+four square+trampolines!), as well as horses, archery, pottery, theater and much more!

    Camp Birch Trail

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     (1138.6 mi)

    Time

    Overnight camp

    Ages

    Age 7-15, girls

    A traditional camp for girls in beautiful Wisconsin, the days at Birch Trail are filled with activities like guitar, outdoor cooking, martial arts, and canoeing. The nights bring on after-dinner programs such as council fires and dance parties. And, no camp experience is complete without the tailored wilderness trips, which vary in length and destination according to age, ability and interest.

Primary photo:   Camp Manitoqua & Retreat Center

Upparent collects community-submitted recommendations and reviews, and any ideas that are shared reflect the opinions of individual contributors.

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