March 2025
The Triangle boasts some top-notch public spaces, from beautiful lakes, parks, and pools to community centers featuring climbing walls and clay studios. Our area’s cities, towns, and counties offer a wide array of parks & rec camps, giving kids a chance to enjoy these spaces to the max with half-day, full-day, and even overnight camps.
Parks & rec camps also tend to be among the more budget-friendly options in the region, but with a wide array of special themes, field trips, and activities, they’re anything but basic. Many also have generous operating hours, making them especially great for families with longer commutes or less flexible work schedules.
Plus, quite a few open later in the season, so they can be great options for the procrastinators among us. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to get the scoop on timely camp updates, and check out these great options for affordably awesome camps!
1. Raleigh Parks Summer Camps
Summer Camp | Downloadable Brochure
| Locations: | Over 40 locations throughout the city. See the full list. |
| Ages: | 4 – 17 depending on session |
| Hours: | Up to 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM depending on session |
The City of Raleigh offers a huge variety of theme and specialty camps for preschool, youth, and teens ages 4-17 at over 40 locations throughout the city. Sessions cover all weeks of the summer and many camps have generous hours of operation, up to 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM at affordable prices. The camp schedule is designed to fill the gaps in school calendars, offering track out and other special dates for coverage throughout the summer. Financial assistance is available to families based on need.
2. Durham Parks & Rec Camps
| Location: | Three traditional camp locations: • Edison Johnson Recreation Center • Holton Career & Resource Center • WD Hill Recreation Center Two half-day camp locations: • Walltown Recreation Center • Campus Hills Recreation Center |
| Ages: | 5 – 17 depending on program |
| Hours: | Up to 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM depending on session |
Durham Parks & Rec camps serve kids ages 5-17 at multiple locations for traditional full-day camp, half-day camps, and teen camps. Traditional camp offers wide hours to accommodate lots of schedules, going all the way from 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM. Durham’s camps are also budget-friendly, coming in well below $200 even for a week of full-day camp, and reduced-cost registration is available on a sliding scale fee model based on need. MyDurham Teen Zone Camp is even free, providing a safe space for teens ages 13-17 to explore new interests, meet friends, and stretch their creativity at the Durham Teen Center and the Weaver Street Recreation Center.
3. Chapel Hill Parks & Rec Camps
Summer Camp | Website | Downloadable Brochure
| Locations: | Several parks and schools around Chapel Hill, especially: • Chapel Hill Community Center • McDougle Middle School • Hargraves Center |
| Ages: | 5 – 17 depending on program |
| Hours: | Up to 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM depending on session |
The Town of Chapel Hill offers full day camps and specialty camps for kids ages 5-17 at several local schools and community centers throughout the summer. Choose from a variety of themes such as Arts Camps, Adventure Camps, Sports Camps, and Adapted Camps. Some full-day camps offer coverage from 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM Monday through Friday. Some unique options to Chapel Hill are rock climbing at the Chapel Hill Community Center and clay camp at the Community Clay Studio. Chapel Hill provides financial assistance through a form at the end of its downloadable brochure for families based on need.
4. Cary Parks, Rec & Cultural Resources Camps
Summer Camp | Website | Downloadable Brochure
| Locations: | Several parks and schools around Cary, including: • Bond Park Community Center • Middle Creek Community Center • Herbert C. Young Community Center • Mills Park Elementary School • Cary Arts Center • The Hive • Page Walker Arts and History Center |
| Ages: | 5 – 18 depending on session |
| Hours: | Up to 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM depending on session |
The Town of Cary has over 300 camp offerings for kids of all ages ranging from traditional summer camp to boating, tennis, wilderness survival skills, bluegrass mandolin, golf, pottery, acting, glasswork, STEM, sports, and much more. With so many camps, dates, and times to pick from, the “Camps by Week” view on page 36 of the downloadable brochure is a helpful way to find offerings that work for your family, in addition to a search of their database. The Town of Cary offers scholarships through an application process for families based on need.
5. Orange County Recreation Division Camps
Summer Camp | Website | Downloadable Brochure
| Location: | Orange County Central Recreation Center 302 W Tryon St., Hillsborough, NC |
| Ages: | 3 – 13 depending on program |
| Hours: | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM for full-day programming 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM or 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM for half-day programming with extended care options up to 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM |
Orange County Recreation Division Camps provide a rich mix of themes that change weekly for kids ages 3-13 out of the Orange County Central Recreation Center in downtown Hillsborough. Camp is offered 9 weeks of the summer, omitting the week of July 4th. Themes include sports, STEM, crafts, cooking, music, and more with a handy at-a-glance schedule on pages 4-5 of the downloadable brochure. By choosing a morning and afternoon camp theme, parents can create a full-day schedule tailored to their child’s interests. These camps are easy on the budget, with most full-day schedules totalling $160 per week.
6. Wake County Parks & Rec Camps
| Locations: | Five Wake County Parks: • Harris Lake County Park • Lake Crabtree County Park • Historic Yates Mill County Park • Crowder County Park • Beech Bluff County Park |
| Ages: | 4 – 15 depending on program |
| Hours: | 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM for full-day sessions at Beech Bluff County Park 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM for most other sessions |
Wake County offers camp during 6 weeks of the summer where kids can enjoy their natural surroundings at five different county parks. Activities focus on outdoor exploration and discovering each park, with sessions rotating among the county parks and serving different age groups each week.
7. Chatham County Parks & Rec Camps
| Location: | Northwest District Park 2413 Woody Store Rd., Siler City, NC |
| Ages: | 5 – 12 |
| Hours: | 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM |
Chatham County Parks & Rec offers 8 weeks of traditional style summer camp for kids ages 5-12 starting in late June. Camp is held in the rural setting of Northwest District Park and features swimming, boating, fishing, archery, crafts, and games. The camp has generous operating hours that accommodate working parents and the price is hard to beat at just $70 per week, but spots are limited to families that reside in Chatham County.
8. Apex Parks, Rec & Cultural Resources Camps
| Location: | Four Apex parks and community centers: • John M. Brown Community Center • Halle Cultural Arts Center • Pleasant Park • Apex Community Park • Apex Senior Center |
| Ages: | 5 – 15 |
| Hours: | 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM for Fun Days Summer Camp For other camps, mornings often start at 9:00 AM and afternoons often end at 4:00 PM; check session for details. |
The Town of Apex offers a variety of full-day and half-day options for kids ages 5-14 at four locations around town. The Fun Days Summer Camp is a traditional summer day camp available 7 weeks of the summer for an affordable $120 per week for Apex residents. Morning and afternoon theme camps at the same location can be combined to create a full-day camp experience. Activities include sports, STEM, performing arts, visual arts, and cooking. There is a handy online Program Guide with a quick view of camp offerings.
9. Holly Springs Parks & Rec Camps
| Location: | Three Holly Springs parks and community centers: • Hunt Recreation Center • Bass Lake Park • Holly Spring Cultural Center |
| Ages: | 6 – 15 |
| Hours: | Up to 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM for traditional summer day camp options. For other camps, mornings start at 9:00 AM and afternoons end at 5:00 PM. |
The Town of Holly Springs has several camp options covering 9 weeks of summer for kids ages 6-15, including traditional summer camp along with specialty themes such as cooking, STEM, performing arts, games, and visual arts. Morning and afternoon theme camps at the same location can be combined to create a full-day camp experience. They have a snazzy interactive Program Guide to see all the camps at a glance.
Know more Parks & Rec camps that deserve a shout-out? Share ‘em in the comments to help others find awesome camps!
Camp photo credits: 1. City of Raleigh, 2. Durham Parks & Recreation, 3. Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation, 4. Cary, North Carolina, 5. Orange County Recreation Division, 6. Chatham County Parks & Recreation, 7. Holly Springs Parks & Recreation.
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