Does your kiddo love to hug trees? Make felt animals? Put on plays? Compose music? Groom horses? There’s a camp for that. Our interest-stoking, something-for-everyone quirky Northern Michigan day-camp roundup awaits.
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Parents up here know that getting a spot at a summer-long day camp is like competing in the Hunger Games. It’s no joke—working families rely on great summer camps for childcare when school lets out.
As a working mom, I had to scratch around for summer camp options for my tween son and uncovered a wealth of options that were totally under the radar—great day camps that celebrate kids’ unique needs and interests while keeping them busy, happy and curious.
The patchwork of sailing, biking, and chamber music (yep, that’s right) camps we stitched together helped give structure to the long summer weeks and provide some welcome relief from screentime and bored moping.
While these cool camps won’t take the place of an all-summer-long stretch of childcare, there are heaps of best-kept-secret camp adventures in every community that are inspiring and fun for kids, no matter what floats their boat.
Acting Camp with a Side of Shakespeare: Lakeside Shakespeare, Frankfort
Lakeside Shakespeare’s free Summer Acting Camps teach creativity and cooperation by exposing students to different ways to utilize their language, bodies and imaginations—all in a safe, creative space built for fun. This two-day workshop culminates in a performance on Lakeside Shakespeare’s very own stage on Tank Hill.
For Budding Mozarts: Archipelago Project, Traverse City
This musical education ensemble has a residency in Traverse City each summer, welcoming youth to a day camp program where they work with professional musicians to hone their craft and create original compositions. Ask any parent who’s had a kid go through it, and they’ll sing its praises.
From Whoa to Go: Ranch Rudolf Horse Camp, Traverse City
This is no pokey pony-ride camp—Ranch Rudolf offers multiple, progressive Western riding camps for kids ages 4 through 16 so your horse-crazy camper can learn, grow and advance with riders of similar abilities.
Camp for the Career-Curious: College for Kids, West Shore Community College, Manistee
If your child has a been there, done that attitude about the usual day camp schedule, these five-day camps cater to the most specific of interests. While some have a clear career focus—like previous offerings Adventures of a First Responder or Medical Minds—others help kids pursue creative interests, such as airbrushing and fantasy art.
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Biiiiicycle! Biiiicycle! Norte Bike Camps for Kids, Traverse City and Elk Rapids
Remember summers when you had your bike and only had to be home when the streetlights came on? Bike-centric nonprofit Norte dreams of instilling a love of biking as well as basic traffic, safety and bike handling skills in littles of all ages (including mountain bike camps for the older crowd). Half-day camps have kids pedaling all over creation, stopping for ice cream and playground visits on the way.
Some Strings Attached: Pathfinder School String Chamber Music Camp, Leelanau County
Calling all orchestra kids: Two separate weeklong sessions feature instruction by local string teachers and include studio sessions, group rehearsals, and plenty of fun and popsicles mixed in. Camp culminates in a rousing concert for parents and special people.
For Kids on the Go: Kids on the Go Multidisciplinary Camp, Traverse City
Kids on the Go is a free therapy day camp designed to provide physical, occupational, and speech therapy services for children with special needs. Programming is led by professional pediatric therapists and volunteers.
 Outdoor Adventuring in Boyne Country: Adventure Camp, The Highlands
A day camp with a true down-and-dirty outdoor adventure vibe, this program runs all summer with themes each week: Mother Earth week, ocean week, desert survival week… you get the drill. All weeks include swimming, music, dance, outdoor exploration galore.
Arts and Crafts All Day Long: Crooked Tree Arts Camp, Petoskey
We’re talking way beyond tie-dying and lanyards, here: focus on portraits, landscapes, needle felting, drawing animals and other themed camps for budding artists of all ages.
For Little Tree-Huggers: Grand Traverse Conservation District’s Nature Day Camp, Traverse City
This camp for kids ages 5 to 11 is designed to encourage curiosity in the natural world, allow exploration of natural areas, and promote a sense of stewardship in the next generation. Expect outdoor adventures aplenty but with a fat side of arts and crafts and games.
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