It's never too early to start thinking about summer camps. Especially when registration for some summer camps are already open or closing soon or when they're free.
Free camps? Yes, there is such a thing as free camps. We've done quite some research to find camps in and around Austin (up to a 2.5 hr radius) that are not a financial burden to families, especially families that already have enough to worry about.
Please pay special attention to the age and other eligibility requirements. If your child does not qualify for any of the camps listed below, please share with those who do and/or consider volunteering or donating to any of the camps.
**Please note: Some of the camps are to be determined (TBD). We will update this list as soon as more information is available.**
Summer Playgrounds by Austin Parks & Recreation
Summer Playgrounds is a free drop-in program for children to participate in fun, supervised, outdoor activities during the summer months. Summer Playgrounds staff provide quality recreational experiences that promote creativity, teamwork and healthy lifestyles. Activities include organized sports, arts and crafts, games, team building and nutrition lessons.
- 2024 Camp Session Dates: June 10 - August 2, 2024, Monday-Friday, 9:00am - 5:00 pm
- Ages: 5 – 12
- Locations: Chestnut Pocket Park, James A. Garrison District Park, Mary Moore Searight Metropolitan Park, Patterson Neighborhood Park, Roy G Guerrero Metropolitan Park, Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
- Contact: 512-974-3922 or SummerPlaygroundsProgram@austintexas.gov
Website: No advanced registration required, but registration is required at the park site the first day of attendance.
Family Clean Creek Camp by the City of Austin Watershed Protection Program
Join your kids outdoors for 1-3 days of adventure and stewardship at Clean Creek Camp. We'll explore and beautify in and around Austin's creeks and caves. Groups with adult leaders are welcome!
Texas Premier Football Camp
Come join UT football greats Sloan Thomas, BJ Johnson and Roy Williams as Horns Giving Back partners with Neighborhood Longhorn Program for the 13th Annual Texas Premier Football Camp in Austin, TX at the Charles Alan Wright Fields at the Berry M. Whitaker Sports Complex, June 16th, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. and June 17th, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. All skill levels are welcome as this is a non-contact, position specific camp. Grades 1st through 8th are only allowed. ENROLLMENT IS FREE for Neighborhood Longhorns Program participants and their affiliates! Registration will include access to the two-day camp, meals, snacks, t-shirt, backpack awards ceremony presentation and lastly a chance to learn from some of the greatest Longhorns to play on the 40acres gridiron.
APD Youth Summer Camp
Youth Summer Camp is partnership with Kealing Middle School. Middle School aged children enjoy four weeks of free summer camp. Participants experience activities, such as bowling, swimming, volleyball and dodge ball and immerse themselves in the study of subjects such as art, history, social justice, the environment, leadership, decision making, and time and money management.
Austin YMBL Summer Sunshine Camps
Four sessions of camp are offered free of charge at both Zilker Park and Lake Travis throughout the summer. Each camp session runs for five days, with campers staying overnight in cabins. Transportation to and from camp is provided. Campers check in for camp and are picked up at the end of camp at the Zilker Park location. Camp activities include swimming, hiking, orienteering, canoeing, team building and challenge course activities as well as arts and crafts. Additionally, nutritious snacks and meals are prepared and served each day by the camps’ kitchen staff. Note that campers must qualify for the Texas public school free and reduced lunch program to be eligible to attend camp.
- 2024 Camp Session Dates:
Session 1: June 9 – 18, 2024
Session 2: June 23 – July 2, 2024
Session 3: July 14 – 23, 2024 (7-day option (only for 8 & 9 year olds): July 14-20 (concludes on Saturday morning))
Session 4: July 28 – August 6, 2024 - Ages: 8-15. Campers
must qualify for the Texas public school free and reduced lunch program
to be eligible to attend summer camp.
- Locations: Ages 8-11 will be at Zilker Park, and ages 12-15 will be out at Lake Travis
- Contact: 512-472-8107 or info@sunshinecamps.org
- Website: http://www.sunshinecamps.org
- Get involved: Volunteers and donations always appreciated.
Make every moment of summer camp unforgettable! Arm your little campers with the "My Friends and I" friendship book, a magical ticket to bonding and memory-making. As they pass the book among their new friends, each page becomes a cherished snapshot of laughter, friendship, and unforgettable moments, that they'll revisit over and over, reliving the joy of summer camp. Learn more about this great friendship book and get your copy at Life Is Better With Friends or on Amazon.
Academy for Women - University of Texas at Austin Department of Computer Science
The Academies for Women are free, one-week, virtual programs for high school women - for rising sophomores, juniors and seniors. The academies are designed to dispel myths about computer science and intrigue young women with the potential of computing and the excitement of problem solving. The academies includes team-building activities, educational sessions, and recreation. You must be a Texas resident to apply.
Academy for All - University of Texas at Austin Department of Computer Science
The Academies for All are free, one-week, virtual programs for high school underrepresented populations (African-American, Latino and Native American students). They are designed to dispel myths about computer science, intrigue students with the potential of computing and the excitement of problem solving. The academies includes team-building activities, educational sessions, and recreation. You must be a Texas resident to apply.
The academy is open to students going into 10th, 11th and 12th grades in Fall 2022.
In our unique one-week program, students will explore computer science through engaging hands-on sessions, diving into coding, project management, teamwork dynamics, and tech careers. Whether you opt for the Standard Edition with Arduino microcontrollers or the Machine Learning Edition with Python, you'll unlock new skills and perspectives as a member of a dynamic, inclusive community.
TACC Stem Programs
TACC is engaging K-12 students in meaningful, educational experiences that impact their lives, empowering them to be full participants in STEM innovation. We create relationships with students and their families far beyond one-time interactions.
The academy is open to students going into 10th and 11th grades in Fall 2022.
Camps include Code@TACC Cybersecurity, CODE@TACC ROBOTICS CAMP, CODE@TACC CONNECTED CAMP, and CODE@TACC ALUMNI.
Camp Brave Heart
Camp Brave Heart is a free bereavement camp for children and teens ages 6 – 17 who are grieving the death of someone close to them. It is a traditional, fun, high-energy camp combined with grief education, peer bonding, and emotional support led by grief support professionals and trained volunteers. Camp Erin Central Texas is a program of Hospice Austin and part of The Moyer Foundation’s national Camp Erin program.
Swimming, hiking, campfires, archery, sing-a-longs, crafts and a low-level ropes course are just a few of the activities that campers enjoy. Over the course of three days and two nights packed with recreational and therapeutic activities, campers hear each other’s stories, explore their grief in a safe and understanding environment, and learn ways to help them cope with their loss.
Texas Lions Camp for Children With Special Medical Conditions
TLC offers five sessions for families who have a child with special medical conditions. Different from many traditional approaches that may group children according to their diagnosis, TLC's program mainstreams children according to their age and gender and not according to their disabilities. This approach allows children not only to experience what it is like to overcome their own obstacles but also the challenges presented to other children who have a different diagnosis.
Camp Kesem
Camp Kesem runs over 90 weeks of fun, action-packed and 100% free-of-charge camps from coast-to-coast every summer. Serving children ages 6 to 16, our campers experience a warm and loving environment with other children who have similar life experiences. This community – as most of our campers experience – provides the foundation for confidence building, improved communication skills, enhanced life outlook and attitude.
Camp Agape
Camp Agape Bereavement Camp for Children serves children ages 7 through 12 who have experienced the loss of a loved one.
Camp Agape Texas is a unique and innovative faith-based summer camp program with all the fun of a normal summer camp including swimming, archery, and fishing, along with group-therapy activities to assist the children with their bereavement process. These activities incorporate the use of art, music, games and play therapies all with the theme of offering true HOPE for their future.
Camp Glimmer
Every summer, Camp Glimmer gives over 500 disadvantaged youth the opportunity to experience the joys of a first-class summer camp, absolutely free. We aim to create a unique experience that allows children to be themselves and learn in a safe and supportive environment. We encourage kids to know that just because they’re born into a situation doesn’t mean that they need to stay in that situation.
- 2024 Camp Session Dates: mid-June and ending the first week of August.
- Ages: 7 – 12. Participation is offered by invitation only to nonprofit organizations currently funded by A Glimmer of Hope Austin. Check with A Glimmer of Hope Austin for eligible nonprofit organizations.
- Location: Candlelight Ranch, 6408 Muleshoe Bend Trail, Marble Falls, TX 78654.
- Contact: austin@glimmer.org
- Website: http://glimmeraustin.org/camp-glimmer/
- Get involved: Volunteers and donations always appreciated.
CAMP CPals
Camp CPals is designed for families living with cerebral palsy as a way to relax and enjoy time as a family for a weekend. You will have fun, forget the stresses of daily life, and enjoy the company of other families.
- 2024 Camp Session Dates: May 3 – 5, 2024 (Fall Retreat November 1 – 3, 2024)
- Ages: 5 – 18 years old with Cerebral palsy (you are allowed to bring up to three siblings
within the same age range. At least one parent or guardian must attend.) - Location: Camp For All, 6307 Rehburg Rd. Burton, TX 77835
- Contact: (866) 74-CPATH or victoria@cpathtexas.com
- Website: https://cpathtexas.org/camp-cpals/
- Get involved: Volunteers and donations always appreciated.
Camp Cell-A-Bration
Camp Cell-A-Bration is a week long camp for 50+ campers ages 6-14 with Sickle Cell Disease. Many of our children with Sickle Cell Disease have suffered strokes, jaundice, pain crisis, chronic blood transfusions, surgeries, acute chest syndrome and damage to their internal organs. Although these children battle this life-threatening disease every day, we want to make sure they enjoy being KIDS!
Camp Discovery
Camp Discovery is a unique camp experience for children affected by cancer. During Camp Discovery children will experience perhaps the best week of their life by swimming, fishing, climbing, canoeing, laughing, dancing, singing, horseback riding, and simply being with other people who can relate to their situation.
- 2024 Camp Session Dates: July 14 – 20, 2024
- Ages: Camp Discovery is available to any child in Texas who is battling cancer, is between the ages of 7 – 16, and who does not have a residential camp available to him/her either in his/her geographical residence area or through his/her treatment center. Please ask your nurse, child life specialist, or physician for further details and please have them contact us if they have never heard of Camp Discovery.
- Location: 4100 San Antonio Hwy., Kerrville, TX 78028
- Contact: contact@visionworkscamps.org
- Website: http://visionworkscamps.org
- Get involved: Volunteers and donations always appreciated.
Camp David
Camp David is a week of adventure and discovery, designed specifically for pediatric burn survivors aged 7 – 16. Camp David is unique among burn camps because it also includes siblings and children of burn survivors whose lives are also severely impacted by burn injury.
Camp Ailihpomeh
The mission of Camp Ailihpomeh (Hemophilia spelled backwards) is to serve the needs of boys from age seven to seventeen with bleeding disorders, providing a camping experience for a group of children who have traditionally been excluded from participating in other summer camp programs. The experience of camping with other children in a natural outdoor setting strengthens the child’s ability to cope with the daily physical and emotional challenges of a disability and/or chronic illness.
- 2024 Camp Session Dates: July 14 – 19, 2024
- Ages: 7 – 17 (Camper must be followed at one of the participating Hemophilia Treatment Program (HTP) listed here).
- Location: Camp John Marc, 3247 County Rd 1105, Meridian, TX 76665
- Contact: info@camp-ailihpomeh.org
- Website: http://www.camp-ailihpomeh.org
- Get involved: Donations always appreciated.
Find Camp Ailihpomeh in our Camp Guide.
Camp Brainstorm
Camp Brainstorm is a dream opportunity for children with epilepsy located at Camp Aranzazu in Rockport, TX. It is a place to make friends, develop skills, and try new activities in a safe place..
Find Camp Brainstorm in our Camp Guide.
Camp Registration
Registration for the camps is now open. All camp information is subject to change. Before applying for any of the camps above, please review the camp websites for camp details and potential changes. And again, if your child does not qualify for any of the camps, please share with those who do and/or consider getting involved with any of the camps.
If we missed any camps, please let us know at hello@livegrowplayaustin.com.
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