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Summer is a great time for children to relax, have fun and learn new things. A summer camp can be an excellent way for them to check all the boxes. However, with so many different camps, it can be hard to know where to start. We hope you enjoy our list of everything 2024 Arkansas Summer Camps!
Tips for Finding Summer Camps for Your Kid
- Start your search early. Summer camps fill up quickly, so start your search early for the best selection, even looking at dates in Jan. Ask your children’s friends’ parents what they are considering. It’s usually easier to plan summer camps when your child knows they will have a buddy there.
- Consider your child’s interests. What does your child like to do? Do they enjoy sports, arts, science or nature? There are summer camps that cater to all interests.
- Ask about the camp’s policies. What are the camp’s policies on discipline, homesickness and medical care?
- Consider your budget. Summer camps can be expensive, so consider the cost and other travel plans.
- Make sure your child is excited about going to camp. If your child is not enthusiastic about going to camp, they are less likely to have a positive experience. Overnight may be hard to convince them (or you!), so start with a partial day camp and ease into the experience.
- Keep a list this year for next summer. As you hear other parents talking about their summer or you come across a link, save it on your phone to easily find it next summer.
Once you’ve considered these factors, you can start narrowing down your choices. There are many great summer camps. Keep looking to find the perfect one for your child.
2024 Arkansas Summer Camps
If you do not see your community represented in the list below, you can check your local community to see if they are hosting day camps for children or even overnight camps for children from your community.
Organizations that typically host summer camp events include:
- Library
- Art, Music or Science Museum
- Churches and Kid Ministries
- Community centers or city offices
- Music, kitchen or toy stores
- State Parks and Nature Centers
- Art Studio
Day Camps
- Camp Caudle | Hector
- Camp Tanako | Hot Springs
- Camp War Eagle | Rogers/Bentonville
- Camp Wotapi (girls) | El Dorado
- Community Ed for children | Blytheville
- Crystal Bridges | Bentonville
- Ferncliff | Little Rock
- Children College | Hope
- Mulerider children College & Teen College | Magnolia
- Play & Fun @ K&J Toys | Fayetteville
- Summer Camps | Mid America Science Museum | Hot Springs
- Summer Day Camps | Bentonville
- Summer Discovery Camps | Museum of Discovery | Little Rock
- Summer at the Academy | Pulaski Academy, Little Rock
- Summer Camp Academy | A-State | Jonesboro
- Summer of Discovery Day Camp | Jones Science Center | Springdale
- Thaden School Camps | Bentonville
- UCA Summer Camps | Conway
- Vertical Horizons | Fort Smith
- Youth Summer Camps | Fayetteville
Special Interests
- Arkansas 4-H Camps | regional and online
- Art Camp | Harrison
- Band Camp | UCA | Conway
- Camp Invention | Fayetteville, Prairie Grove, Pea Ridge, Bentonville, Harrison, Berryville, Bella Vista, Fort Smith, Cabot, Conway
- Camp Wize Computing | Bentonville
- Ceramics Camp | UCA | Conway
- Choir Camp | UCA | Conway
- Code Ninjas | Bentonville
- Contender eSports | Fort Smith
- Cooking in Bloom | Little Rock
- Digital Filmmaking Camp (High School) | Arkadelphia
- Emerging Writers Institute | Little Rock
- Engineering Camps | U of A, Fayetteville
- Future Chef’s Food Camp | Brightwater | Bentonville
- Honor Symposium (teen) | Searcy
- Inventors & Scientists | Little Rock
- I.T. Careers Camp | UCA | Conway
- LEGO League Robotics | Fayetteville
- Musical Theater Camp | Fort Smith
- Piano Camp | UCA | Conway
- Robotics Camp | UCA | Conway
- SAAC Summer Camps | El Dorado
- Summer Laureate University | Little Rock
- The Studio Arts Center | Bald Knob
- Windgate Art School Camps | Little Rock
- Youth Baking and Culinary Camp | Pulaski Tech College | Little Rock
- Young Chef’s Culinary Camp | Rogers
- Youth Tech Sciences Camp | Pulaski Tech College | Little Rock
Overnight Camps
- Arkansas FCA Camp | Lonsdale
- Brookhill Ranch | Hot Springs
- Camp Aldersgate Medical Camps | Little Rock
- Camp Subiaco (boys) | Subiaco
- Camp Tahkodah | Floral
- Camp Tanako | Hot Springs
- Camp Wyldewood | Searcy
- Camp Winnamocka | Arkadelphia
- Cloverbud Camp (4-H) & Artisan Camp | Little Rock
- Ferncliff | Little Rock
- High Point Student Camp | Hot Springs
Church Camps
- ARAGO Camps | Little Rock
- Boggs Springs | Wickes
- Camp Mitchell | Morrilton
- Camp Ozark | Mt. Ida
- Camp Siloam | Siloam Springs
- Camp Trinity | Petit Jean Mountain
- Camp War Eagle | Rogers
- Engage Missions Camp |Spring Lake, Lonsdale
- Family Farm | Malvern
- Kannakuk Kampout | Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers
- Ozark Mission Project | Multi-site
- Praise Works & Joy Works | Arkadelphia
- Ponca Bible Camp | Ponca
- Super Summer Arkansas | Arkadelphia
Family Camps
- Camp Aspire | Little Rock
- Camp Trinity | Petit Jean Mountain
- Ferncliff | Little Rock
- Fort Rock Family Camp | Combs
- Shepherd of the Ozarks | Harriett
Sports Camps
- AAO Basketball Camp | Fayetteville
- Harding University Sports Camps | Searcy
- Arkansas Razorback Sports Camps | Fayetteville
- Ouachita Athletic Camps | Arkadelphia
- Reddie Athletic Camps | Arkadelphia
- Mulerider Athletics Summer Camps | Magnolia
- North Arkansas College | Harrison
- UAM Men’s Basketball Camp | Monticello
- A-State | Soccer | Basketball | Jonesboro
- Nike Basketball Camps | Multi-Site
- UCA Sports Camps | Conway
- Arkansas Tech Summer Camps | Russellville
- Breakthrough Basketball Camp | Multi-Site
- Youth Camps UALR | Little Rock
- Lyon College Sports Camps | Batesville
13 Helpful Tips for Packing for Summer Camp
- Make a list of everything your child will need.
- Break in shoes or boots before camp to save all the blisters.
- Send a fanny pack or sinch backpack – having something to carry their items in gives them an easy place to keep them together. Don’t send a big backpack; it gets heavy with camp treasures!
- Label everything. Label everything your child brings to camp with their name and contact information. **PRO TIP – Use the stickers you left from the school year to put inside shirts, water bottles, bags, etc.
- Pack light. Your child will carry their luggage, so ensure it’s not too heavy. **PRO TIP: Prepack clothes in gallon zipper bags with days labeled (and go ahead and include the socks and underwear)—take the guessing out of it for your children. Pack everything they need together in baggies and label them for the days they are gone.
- Teach your kid tips for keeping up with their stuff. Talk to them about what to do if their items get wet and how to lay them on a clothesline or the ladder on the end of their bed.
- Send belongings in a tub instead of a suitcase. Rolling in a tub instead of a suitcase is an easy way to get everything in one location, and it’s easy to store underneath their bed.
- Send a dirty clothes bag. If dirty clothes don’t have a place to land, they will land on clean clothes. They can keep the bag inside their suitcase, but it’s a way to separate everything.
- Send grocery sacks for wet things. They can throw this in their backpack with a change of clothes or return them to their bunks.
- Keep bedding simple. Nothing fancy, and always send something you are okay with getting messed up or left at camp.
- Send a journal or something for them to write down their thoughts, feelings and things they are learning. Having their paper will feel like a safe space whether they write to you, themselves or make drawings.
- Pack fun money in envelopes. Break up their cash so they don’t have to think about how much they spend. Make it easy on them so they don’t blow the bank the first night!
- Find out the camp mail (or email) process! This slight touch of home away from home will be crucial to their successful week away from you.
Cover image used with permission from Wesley Kluck, photography instructor at Ouachita Baptist University.
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