When school is out for the summer there are many ways to fill your kid’s days. The internet has endless ideas of projects to do, experiments to try and meals to make for your kids during summer months.
I am betting a bunch of you also send your kids to camp. It can be a church camp, sports camp, or some type of learning camp. In fact, last week Isaac went to Apple Camp at our local Apple store for a free three-day camp where he learned how to make and edit videos.
Every year, more than 11 million people in the U.S., both children and adults, head off to camp. With the amount of camps to choose from, that number is not surprising.
Whether your kid wants to get better at coding, is dying to swim with sharks or likes pretending he is a secret agent, there is a camp out there for him.
Out of the Box Summer Camps
Let’s be honest, most summer camps feel like daycare with marshmallows. Same tired crafts, the same lukewarm canoeing, and the same sad hot dogs.
But your kid? They’re not basic.
They’re curious. Sensitive. Maybe weird in the best way. Maybe obsessed with robots or dreams of Broadway or wants to survive the zombie apocalypse (just in case).
So why not send them somewhere that feeds that spark?
Here are 5 outrageously cool, out-of-the-box summer camps in the U.S. that’ll make your child’s summer unforgettable—and might even buy you a few weeks of guilt-free silence.
This camp is certainly a nod to our tech-savvy times. During this camp, kids learn about robotics and programming at the TechKnowHow. One option for kids between the ages of 10 and 14 is to take the Game Design Coding Camp, during which they will create an action video game.
There are coding camps designed specifically for girls, too, which strive to give girls equal opportunities in the field of computer science. Girls Who Code lasts for seven weeks, during which high school juniors and seniors pair up with the best female engineers in the industry to learn about web design, mobile development and robotics.
1. Astrocamp (Idyllwild, California)
For the space nerd, future astronaut, or cosmic dreamer.
Think space suits, telescopes, zero-gravity simulations, and legit science experiments—not just looking at stars, but building rockets and learning how to breathe on Mars.
It’s like if NASA and summer camp had a baby.
🌌 Ages: 8–17
🚀 Website: astrocamp.org
2. School of Rock Camp (Nationwide)
For the kid who turns every spoon into a microphone.
Yes, it’s real. And yes, it rocks. Whether your child sings, shreds, or just bangs on things, they’ll learn actual music theory and performance from real musicians—and end the week performing live on stage like a rockstar.
🎸 Ages: 7–18
🎤 Website: schoolofrock.com
3. Steve & Kate’s Camp (Multiple States)
For the freedom-loving, unscheduled, creative wild child.
No rigid schedules. No rotating stations. Kids choose what they want to do each day—from coding to fashion design to making stop-motion films. It’s like Montessori meets Burning Man (without the dust or nudity).
🎨 Ages: 4–12
👾 Website: steveandkatescamp.com
4. Zombie Survival Camp (New Jersey)
For the slightly spooky, strategic, outdoorsy adventurer.
Yes, this exists. Kids learn archery, build shelters, filter water, and train for the (imaginary, we hope) zombie apocalypse. It’s scary-good fun with real survival skills baked in.
🧟♂️ Ages: 10+
🪓 Website: zombiesurvivalcamp.com
5. ID Tech Camp (Nationwide at Universities)
For the tech wizard, gamer, coder, or digital visionary.
Forget glorified screen time. This is high-level stuff: artificial intelligence, game development, robotics, and even YouTube production—hosted on real university campuses like Stanford or NYU. Bonus? It looks great on a college app.
🧠 Ages: 7–18
💻 Website: idtech.com
BONUS CAMP
Shark Camp
During the 24-day Fiji Shark Studies program, kids learn about shark conservation while scuba diving with bull sharks and silver tip sharks. They also head to a local village for community service.
This article was written and provided by Fiona Moriarty of Hipmunk, the ultimate platform for all your travel needs.
