Picture this: you’ve planned an epic trip across Canada this summer to explore the sights or visit family, but there are some museums and attractions that you *know* your kids aren’t going to love. Do you a) suffer through the whining and complaining or b) register them in a unique summer camp so you can spend a week exploring at your leisure?
If you picked Option B, then we’ve got some great ideas! Traveling as a family doesn’t have to mean doing everything together all the time. In fact, there are some EPIC summer camp experiences that kids can only experience in certain cities and provinces. Check out our top picks for unique experiences in each Family Fun Canada city to give your kids a memorable summer.
Grouse Mountain
Spend your days at The Peak of Vancouver! Grouse Mountain is offering not one, but TWO incredible options this summer. Grouse Mountain Adventure Camps are unique to the west coast and really dialled in to what kids find fun and exciting: adventure, survival, hiking, ziplining, nature art, and survival games. Plus, brand new to Vancouver this year is Grouse Mountain Bike Camps! Be among the first to ride Grouse Mountain’s brand new bike park, which is also the North Shore’s only lift-accessed bike park! Designed with varying levels in mind, Mavericks Mountain Bike Camp offers something for those who have never been to a bike park before, all the way up to thrill-seekers looking to increase their skill level.
Science World
You can’t miss the iconic Science World silver dome in False Creek! It’s become a symbol of Vancouver since the world came for Expo ’86 and it continues to be one of Vancouver’s top attractions– for good reason! Instead of spending just one day exploring Science World, register your child for a WHOLE WEEK of exciting, exploratory space camps! Inspired by NASA’s Artemis II mission, campers entering Grades 1 – 8 will learn new ideas from coding and robotics to fascinating facts about NASA’s rocket missions. Each week-long camp includes electrifying live science shows, demonstrations, and hands-on workshops about space. Of course, no camp is complete without fun camp games!Â
WildPlay Element Park
Jump, climb, zip, and swing your way into summer at WildPlay Element Parks Summer Camps! Nestled under tall trees in Maple Ridge, WildPlay is a 12-acre park sheltered from the heat of the sun and light summer rain. WildPlay’s Anti-Gravity summer camp empowers kids to face their fears and work towards achieving goals. Whether they are already conquering the high ropes or just working on climbing up, the experienced instructors will help them move forward and achieve their targets at their own pace. This treetop obstacle course is perfect for kids looking for adventure and growth.
Alberta Wildlife Federation
This Summer, Alberta Wildlife Federation invites them to embark on their choice of outdoor adventures in the Edmonton River Valley! Choose from four exciting camp themes in July and August. Each camp offers ample opportunities to spend time outdoors, with hands-on experiences designed to connect youth with the plants, animals, and environment around us. These environment-focused camps are equal parts fun and education, helping adventurers build the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to participate in outdoor activities in a safe and ethical manner—skills that can be carried forward to other areas of their lives!
Royal Alberta Museum
Inquisitive kids can learn more about Alberta’s rich cultural and natural history with brand-new Summer Camps at the Royal Alberta Museum! Each week-long camp offers kids aged eight to twelve the opportunity to explore their favourite museum exhibits (and beyond!) with behind-the-scenes activities, hands-on exploration of REAL museum objects and specimens, gallery storytelling, and plenty of crafts and games!
Alberta Aviation Museum
This summer your child can enjoy high-flying adventures during Summer Flight School at the Alberta Aviation Museum. Each five-day camp is packed with action, creativity, and adventure! Children will have the opportunity to become aviation experts by exploring the museum, sitting in the cockpit of unique aircrafts (one aircraft per day), designing and testing their own flying objects, and spending time on the museum’s flight simulators. Young flight enthusiasts will discover Edmonton’s rich aviation history and build an understanding of everything needed to take to the skies!
Alberta Ballet
Just because your traveling doesn’t mean your tiny dancers has to miss their favourite pastime! Join one of the Alberta’s most long-standing ballet companies for a summer of learning, dancing and growth. Alberta Ballet summer camps are offered for any child, ages 3 – 12, who loves to dance. No dance experience is necessary! The week-long camps mix dance, movement, and summer fun for your kids. Every day will include some dancing, but also crafting, games, and other adventures.
Bar JO Ranch
Spend your days on horseback in the Rocky Mountain foothills! No experience is necessary at Bar JO Ranch. Kids will learn horse safety and how to behave around horses, how to mount and ride, and more. Camps are available for children as young as 5 years and up to 18 years. Besides safety, basic riding skills, and overall common sense interaction with a horse, kids learn responsibility and empathy. Caring for horses teaches patience and problem-solving, plus kids can find like-minded friends and learn to work as a team as they develop the confidence that will support every area of their lives.
Heritage Park
Heritage Park Historical Village is one of Calgary’s top tourist attractions, showcasing nearly 100 years of history, from the 1860s to the 1950s. Send your kids back in time this summer for an experience they will never forget. Heritage Park summer camps bring history to life with hands-on adventures and pioneer play. It’s butter churning instead of blue jeans and blacksmithing instead of video games. Only at Heritage Park, Calgary’s largest living history museum, can your kids gain a personal perspective on history.
Right to Skate Skateboarding Camps
Cruise into summer learning how to skateboard! Did you know that skateboarding improves emotional regulation and is a great way for kids to manage their bodies? Right to Skate is dedicated to connecting youth with skateboarding and they believe skateboarding is for EVERYONE. Explore Saskatoon on wheels this summer with a totally unique camp for all levels of skateboarders.
Museum of Natural Sciences
Do you have a child who loves everything about dinosaurs? Look no further than the Museum of Natural Sciences Summer Camps at the University of Saskatchewan! Your children will explore the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods with hands-on science, drama, art, and physical activities. They’ll come home with stories about what they’ve learned and will be excited to return the next day for more adventure and discoveries. Dinosaurs are a big focus, but campers also learn about other prehistoric animals, Earth’s geologic history and how it has shaped our natural world today.
Diefenbaker Canada Centre Summer Camps
This summer, your kids can decipher secret messages, time travel, and explore history! Summer Camps include a week full of fun and adventure, where children ages 8 to 10 can solve mysteries and discover more about Saskatchewan through exciting activities and hands-on learning!
Harbourfront Centre
Kids across Toronto can spend their summer at the picturesque shores of Lake Ontario with Harbourfront Centre Summer Camps! Whether they want to join one of the wide range of marine camp programs or specialized programming, Harbourfront Centre offers campers a special place where kids can truly discover themselves. Campers can enjoy over 20 high-quality summer camp programs, such as Improv Theatre with The Second City, Science and Engineering with the Ontario Science Centre, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Circus Arts, Sailing and Canoe, or even Dungeons & Dragons!
Camp Brimacombe
There’s a new adventure to be had every week over the summer at Camp Brimacombe! Not only do the campers get to spend their summer in the beautiful outdoors, but to keep the kids engaged and excited, there’s a new and different theme each week. Throughout the summer months, campers participate in fun educational activities, all while exploring nature.
Toronto Circus Centre
TTC summer camps are the perfect way for junior circus stars to be physically active while having fun in a non-competitive environment. Kids will jump, spin, fly, and laugh as they build confidence trying different activities and discovering new talents. Experienced coaches, who are professional circus artists from all disciplines, share the joy of training up-and-coming circus stars.
Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron
At Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron summer camps, your child will enjoy full days of learning and improving their sailing and swimming skills, with the incredible skill set of working as a team, making new friends, and challenging themselves safely to achieve great things. Youth can experience being outdoors and on the water on the beautiful Northwest Arm, smaller class sizes, one-on-one coach time, new friends, interactive games and field trips, healthy lunches and canteen snacks (available for purchase), and so much more.
Maskwa Aquatic Club
Spend the summer in the great outdoors enjoying paddling, swimming, hiking and more. Stay active and fit while learning lots about the sport of canoe/kayak, making lifelong friends, and having a summer you’ll never forget! With Maskwa programs led by four full time, year-round coaches and a private, lifeguarded beach on site, your kids will be in good hands near and on the water. There is also a trailhead to the Birch Cove-Blue Mountain Wilderness Area where groups will hike and play, and a daily canteen on site for added convenience.
Pulsar Academy
Hey teens– this one is for you! The Pulsar Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the gap between STEM education and industry expertise to inspire the next generation of space leaders. This summer, they are hosting immersive, two-week programs designed as a university prep for high school students passionate about space and engineering.
Some summer camp experiences are so awesome that they are offered in cities across Canada! You KNOW your child is going to love this camp and want to attend every year, so here are some that are offered in multiple cities so you can sign up while travelling and again next year at home.
Alliance Française | Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Halifax
Now is the time to improve your French skills or start learning Canada’s second national language! Alliance Française has been teaching children since 1904 and has expertise and excellence in teaching French! The mission of Alliance Française is to offer French-language education programs to all ages and at all levels, promote local and international francophone cultures, and offer a welcoming space. Wherever you go in Canada, being able to speak French is a huge asset!
Canlan Sports | Vancouver, Saskatoon
Learn or improve your skills in one of Canada’s most cherished pastimes. Canlan Sports wants to get kids moving this summer. Ditch the screens, eliminate boredom, learn new skills, and get exercise every day. Not only will your pint-sized hockey lover spend their week working on hockey conditioning skills, but they will also be learning off-ice games and skill training as well. If your child is just beginning to skate, don’t worry, there are camps for them! Canlan Sports meets kids at their skill level and truly moves them along with their skating skill development.
Circuit Stream | Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto
A leader in technology education, Circuit Stream offers youth an opportunity to build skills for the future. With the rapidly changing field of technology, students not only need to master the skills to participate in an evolving workforce, but they also need to learn future-focused skills to anticipate shifts before they occur. Across Canada, technology skills are in high demand and Circuit Stream wants to prepare kids for the future.
Code Ninjas | Vancouver, Calgary, Saskatoon, Toronto, Halifax
Explore the world of coding, robotics, game development and STEM in exciting and engaging summer camps at Code Ninjas! A nationally beloved company, Code Ninjas is popular with kids for good reason. Each camp at Code Ninjas ensures that students have direct instruction and ample time for hands-on exploration and interactive learning. Code Ninjas, the world’s largest and fastest-growing kids’ coding company, employs Sensei’s (teachers) who are passionate about guiding students to learn the most current and applicable technology and skills to help them succeed in our ever-changing world.
Outward Bound Canada| Vancouver, Toronto
Outward Bound Canada offers summer camps of a lifetime for kids aged 7-18 years old. Their expedition groups spend anywhere from 7 – 32 days immersed in the great outdoors with highly trained instructors guiding them through life-changing experiences. Each expedition offers different trips and experiences, and the benefits of spending the days in nature are endless. Outward Bound Canada outdoor education programs teach the technical skills of kayaking, canoeing, and backpacking, encouraging kids to get off their screens and into the real world. Outward Bound Canada is more than just an outdoor summer camp; their programs emphasize building self-confidence, developing social-emotional skills, and fostering a love and appreciation for nature.
Royal City Soccer Club | Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Halifax
Get your soccer fix wherever you are in Canada! With more than 100 locations across Canada, the Royal City Soccer Club is the #1 grassroots registered, non-profit organization offering soccer day camps in the country. The Camp staff fill the summer camps with fun activities focusing on skill development, team games, and soccer scrimmages. And with half-day (morning and afternoon) and full-day options, there is bound to be a camp that works for your family’s needs.
Stagecoach | Calgary, Toronto, Halifax
Spend your summer on stage with Stagecoach summer camps! Channel your inner actor as you travel across Canada by participating in camps in Calgary, Toronto and Halifax. In each city, participants are guaranteed to have fun as they learn performance techniques from supportive instructors.
Steamoji | Vancouver, Calgary
Focusing on learning through fun, Steamoji Summer Camps expose campers to new technologies in fabrication, physical computing, engineering, and digital arts. If you want your child to be comfortable with leading-edge technology then this is the summer camp for you! Steamoji’s mission is to bridge the gap between classroom learning and a technologically advanced world; they train builders, makers, innovators, and entrepreneurs.
YMCA Summer Camps| Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon
You KNOW your child is going to have a blast at YMCA camps! This company is well-known and highly regarded, and with camp options in Vancouver, Edmonton and Saskatoon, families can be sure they offer the same top notch experiences regardless of what city they register in! Each YMCA offers different programs, so click on the city names above to find out what’s offered in each location!
Looking for more family fun as you make your way across Canada? From festivals to concerts, summer camps to popular attractions, each of the Family Fun Canada sites offers a full list of fun happening every day.
