Whether your child wants to enjoy academics and arts, or sports and athletics camps, Lexington has what you need. Here is a sampling of summer camp options for kids of all ages throughout the Lexington area.
Camp Carnegie
Camp Carnegie is a series of educational, half-day camps for rising sixth through eighth grade students at the Carnegie Center. Experienced, passionate instructors lead fun, hands-on activities at the Carnegie Center while field trips and visits with community leaders deepen learning experiences. Camps encourage summer learning and teach life skills or introduce campers to fascinating fields that could lead to future careers. Visit carnegiecenterlex.org for more information.
Camp Horsin’ Around
Camp Horsin’ Around enriches the lives of children whose health is compromised or who have special needs by collaborating with organized groups to provide an outdoor camp adventure.
Camp Kesem
Camp Kesem is a child’s friend through and beyond a parent’s cancer. Throughout the school year, the Kesem team raises funds to send children ages 6-18 who are affected by a parent’s cancer to a free week-long summer camp. This is a student-run organization that welcomes members from all backgrounds.
Camp Kesem holds a special place in HJ’s heart, as our late designer, Kellee Edwards, was fortunate to send her daughter Kate there to make special memories in the summer of 2017.
Kellee wrote at the time, “Kate calls it cancer camp. It’s Camp Kesem for kids whose parents have cancer. After 10,021 hugs and 27 pep talks (some to Kate, some to me), she’s off, and I’m really gonna miss her. We’ve pulled out all the stops. The list said she could bring a musical instrument. Kate has three: a Mexican drum, a maraca and a recorder. She was allowed to bring a disposable camera. I sent two, plus one for underwater. I sent maze books and stickers and a journal and different colored pens. Thank God the camp prohibits taking snacks. I don’t know how John would’ve carried the mini-fridge up that hill.”
“But I offer no apologies for my overdone behavior. This could be my life’s equivalent of sending my daughter off to college, so it was a really big deal.
Camp Shalom
Camp Shalom was established in 1968 with the goal of bringing together Jewish kids in central Kentucky for four weeks of fun through an enriching experience. Themed weeks for July 2024 include Nature Week; Mission Impossible; The Arts; and the Olympics.
Cathedral Domain
“The Domain” is located one and a half hours southeast of Lexington, KY. It covers 800 acres in the mountains of Lee County and is adjacent to the Daniel Boone National Forest.
The Cathedral Domain is accredited by the American Camp Association. Being an ACA-Accredited® camp means the Cathedral Domain meets up to 300 national standards for health, safety, and program quality.
Camp programs include athletics, hiking, caving, arts and crafts, dancing, fishing, rappelling, archery, rock climbing and more.
The Cathedral Domain recognizes that more than 1 in 4 children in Kentucky are living in poverty. The Cathedral Domain does provide scholarships to campers in financial need, and it is their policy that NO camper is turned away due to financial hardship.
For many years, expenses have been subsidized by the Cathedral Domain and the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington. Tiered pricing is well below the national average, and the quality of the camper experience remains high. Facilities include a recreational pavilion, playground, activity field, pool, archery range, nature center, rock climbing and repelling stations, hiking, fishing, and much more.
Frederick Douglass Youth Soccer Camp
The Frederick Douglass Youth Soccer Camp in June will be directed by Coach Megan Adkins (girls’ Varsity Coach) and Coach Blake Parker (boys’ Varsity Coach), assisted by their staff, various college athletes, All State High School athletes, and FDHS soccer student athletes.
The 2024 Youth Soccer Camp will feature: State of the Art Facilities, GK Training, Camp T-Shirts, and a Pizza Party on the Final Day of Camp. Early Bird Registration Rates are available on or before April 14, 2024.
La Bonne Vie Cooking
Cooking camps are engaging, educational, hands on, and lots of fun. The La Bonne Vie team will be cooking up a storm with your kiddos, and maybe even sending some tasty treats home for Mom and Dad too.
Lexington Children’s Theatre Summer Camp School
Lexington Children’s Theatre is offering a comprehensive program of Summer Theatre School opportunities for ages 4-18.
The Little Gym
The Little Gym offers summer day camps in three hour sessions, with a new theme every week, right here in our neighborhood!
PARKS AND REC
Lexington Parks & Recreation offers a wide variety of summer camps each year (nearly 20) including: ArtKids Camp; Camp Kearney at Jacobson Park; Castlewood Community Center Camp; Equestrian Camp at Masterson Station Park; Golf and Recreation Camp; Tennis and Swim Camp; and more.
Rugged Research
Rugged Research is a national nature-based outdoor education organization founded by Rocky Mountain Park Rangers designed to spark curiosity about the natural world. Kentucky has diverse ecosystems, which the program uses as a giant learning laboratory to help students fall in love with nature and learn about the impact of their actions on the environment. June’s morning sessions are held at different parks throughout Lexington.
Stepping Stone’s Horse Summer Camp
Each day, kids ages 6 to 12, will learn and experience something new, while learning the valuable responsibilities of taking care of a horse, equine safety, and riding with confidence.
UK STEM CAMP
UK’s STEM Camp is for those who are looking to have positive, hands-on experience with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics content. The curriculum focuses on authentic investigations in real STEM settings with STEM professors and their research topics as well as daily computer programming experience through robotics. No prior STEM, programming experience or love for STEM required.
Walnut Hill Day School
Walnut Hill offers morning camps (9 am to 1 pm), Mondays thru Thursdays, for little campers ages 3 thru 7.
This article appears on pages 8-10 of the April 2024 issue of HJ. To subscribe to digital delivery each month, click here.
