If your child’s already thinking about summer camp, it might be time to start looking into early registration. Some camps accept applications as early as December, so you can take care of the registration process now and have plenty of time to prepare before the summer starts.
Check out these Baltimore-area camps with early registration in December and January. From classic day camps to specialty camps focused on one area of interest, there’s a lot to explore!
Open for Registration
Baltimore Center Stage Summer Camps
Baltimore
Theater camp where campers perform in shows for their families at the end of each session
{ Registration currently open; early bird pricing through Feb. 13 }
centerstage.org/education/camp_bcs
BT Camps
Reisterstown
A Jewish day camp featuring Jewish learning and services integrated into a summer camp curriculum
{ Registration currently open }
btcamps.org
Gilman Summer
Baltimore
Kids at this Gilman School camp can choose from a variety of specialties, including sports, art and academics.
{ Registration currently open }
gilman.edu/experience/afternoon-summer/gilman-summer
Horizon Day Camp
Baltimore
A seven-week-long day camp for children with cancer and their siblings
{ Registration currently open }
horizondaycamp.org
Red Hot Summer Camps at Roland Park Country School
Baltimore
Week-long camp offering a variety of specialty camps
{ Registration currently open }
rpcs.org/summer
River Valley Ranch Summer Day Camps
Manchester
Christian camp with outdoor experiences, including water games and a climbing tower
{ Registration currently open }
rivervalleyranch.com/summer-camps/day-camp
Soccer Camp Baltimore – Arsenal USA Soccer Camps
Baltimore
A football development camp for boys and girls with training from Arsenal academy coaches; trip to London
{ Registration currently open }
arsenalsoccercampsus.com/soccer-camp-baltimore
The Y in Central Maryland Day Camp
multiple locations throughout Maryland
Has indoor, outdoor and outdoor adventure camps, as well as camps specifically for pre-K students and teens
{ Registration currently open }
ymaryland.org/programs/traditionaldaycamps
Opening in December
Summer at Calvert
Baltimore
Weekly themed camps covering everything from learning to ride a bike to fashion design
{ Registration opens in December }
calvertschoolmd.org/community/calvert-summer-programs/summer-at-calvert
Park Camps
Baltimore
The Park School of Baltimore’s day camps, offering a weeklong day camp or specialty camps in sports, adventure, learning to ride a bike and more
{ Registration opens Dec. 12; register by Jan. 31 for Early Bear discount ($50 off) }
parkschool.net/park-camps
Opening in January
B Funk Dance Company Summer Dance Camp
Ellicott City
Dance camp that also incorporates arts and crafts and other activities
{ Registration opens early January }
instagram.com/bfunkdanceco
Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
Baltimore
Academic camps; students in fifth through 12th grades can experience living on campus.
{ Registration opens early January }
cty.jhu.edu/programs/on-campus
Lure of the Wild Nature Camps
Catonsville and Roland Park
Kids will be surrounded by nature at this fully-outdoors, child-led summer camp.
{ Registration opens early January }
lureofthewild.com/summer-camp
Summer at Friends
Baltimore
Friends School of Baltimore-based camps with offerings including a traditional day camp, arts camps and a computer science camp
{ Registration opens early January }
friendsbalt.org/community/summer-at-friends
Genesee Valley Summer Camp
Parkton
Campers can fish, hike, interact with farm animals and take on challenging ropes courses at this adventure camp.
{ Registration opens Jan. 2 }
geneseevalley.org/summercamp
More to Explore
As more summer camps announce their registration dates, many will be opening for registration from January through March. Here are just a handful of camps to look out for this winter.
For even more options to fuel your camp search, visit baltimoreschild.com/campdirectory.
{ Overnight Camps }
- Y Camp Hashawha Overnight Camp / Westminster
- Fort Roller and Frontier Town Camps at River Valley Ranch / Manchester
- Adamah Adventure Camp at Pearlstone / Reisterstown
- Puh’tok in the Pines / Monkton
- Camp Airy / Thurmont and Louise / Cascade
{ Specialty Camps }
- Summer Explorers at the National Aquarium
Baltimore { Nature } - Camp Invention
locations throughout the Baltimore area { STEM } - Art Camp at Coppermine Fieldhouse
Baltimore { Art } - Dance Camp at Hampden Dance Arts
Baltimore { Dance } - Movement Climbing Gym Summer Camp
locations throughout the Baltimore area
{ Rock climbing }
{ New Camp }
Damascus Summer Camps’ Summit Lake Campus
Damascus, a Catholic organization that hosts youth and adult retreats and summer camps, will be opening a new location in Emmitsburg this summer. The Summit Lake campus is the first Damascus Summer Camp to open on the East Coast. Its other two camps are in Centerburg, Ohio, and Brighton, Michigan.
The Centerburg, Ohio, camp started with 63 campers when it first opened in 2001 but has gone on to welcome thousands of campers each summer. Damascus Summer Camps leadership started looking into expansion opportunities in 2020 and opened a second campus in 2023, with the Emmitsburg property purchased in 2024.
The camp will offer many fun summer activities, such as adventuring on a ropes course and water activities in the campus’ lake, as well as a daily mass and Christian studies. In addition to campers, local clergy are also invited to the camp to help out and work with the children attending.
This summer will consist of eight one-week sessions divided between middle school students in sixth through eighth grades and high school students.
Registration is currently open. For more information, visit damascus.net.
