When School’s Out, Time for Camps!
Ah, spring. When kids begin counting down the days until school lets out for summer, and parents frantically search the web for any and all summer camps. Luckily, the Seven Mile Beach has parents covered with a wide variety of camps throughout the summer. Sports? Check. Surfing? Check. Nature? Check. And more! Take a look at some of our favorite camps featured below and go to their websites to register fast, as spaces fill up quickly!
Avalon & Stone Harbor Basketball Camp
Dates: Avalon, July 5-8 and Aug. 8-11; Stone Harbor, July 18-20
Time: Avalon Week 1, 10am-noon; Avalon Week 2, 5-7pm; Stone Harbor, 12:30-2:30pm
Location: Avalon 8th Street courts; Stone Harbor 82nd Street complex
Cost: Avalon $205, Stone Harbor $150
How to Register: casiellobasketball.com/avalon; casiellobasketball.com/stoneharbor
Ages: Grades 3-8, girls and boys
Skill Level: All skill levels.
Equipment Needed: A drink to stay hydrated!
What to expect: Next season starts now! Join T-John Casiello and his USA Basketball-certified team for this summer’s premier basketball camp in Avalon and Stone Harbor. With a primary focus on having fun, campers will enjoy a modern approach to instruction with unique skill training and drills that will focus on player fun and improvement. Live play games will be the backbone of camp, with small-sided 3-on-3 and full-court 4-on-4 and 5-on5 games for each age level.
Highlights: Campers will learn directly from the professionals during this basketball camp, with the opportunity to have professional players attend as guest speakers including Boston Celtics player Nik Stauskas!
Recess NJ
Dates: Aug. 1-4, Aug. 8-11, Aug. 15-18
Time: 9am-noon
Location: Stone Harbor recreation fields
Cost: $325/week
How to Register: recessnj.com
Ages: 4-9, girls and boys
Equipment Needed: Labeled water bottle
What to expect: Recess is back for another high-energy outdoor exercise program for children ages 4 through 9. The focus is on being active and staying fit, all while campers have a great time moving, playing, and staying healthy! Campers will experience a morning full of fitness exercise, relays, obstacle courses, sports, and games, and the incorporation of a healthy lifestyle and daily lesson plans that keep kids engaged and having a great time. It’s summer, let the kids be kids, and enjoy a camp focused on fun and fitness!
Highlights: Parents, dress for mess! These camps tend to get a bit silly … all the time! The last day of camp always ends with a water day featuring water balloon fights, water guns, and core summer memories!
Black Bear Lacrosse
Dates: Avalon Session 1, July 5-9; | Avalon Session 2, Aug. 9-13 | Sea Isle City Session, July 25-29
Time: Avalon, 9am-noon; Sea Isle City, 9-11:30am
Location: Avalon, 10th Street Fields; Sea Isle City, Dealy Field
Cost: Avalon, $275/week; Sea Isle City, $195
How to register: blackbearlacrosse.com/camp-registration
Ages: 4-14, boys and girls
Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Equipment Required: Girls – mouthpiece, stick, goggles. Boys – mouthpiece, helmet, shoulder pads, gloves, stick. Equipment other than a stick can be rented for an additional $75/week. You should also bring a reversible pinnie, but it can be purchased for $15.
What to expect: Black Bear Lacrosse camps have been hosting coed summer camps for 15 years in Avalon and Sea Isle City, teaching campers the skills and fundamentals of the sport in a fun-filled environment. Players of all skill levels are invited to participate with a detailed camp curriculum broken down into four areas: FUN in Fundamentals Curriculum, Speed and Agility Sports Training, Position-Specific Training, and Team-Specific Skill Development. Through each stage in the curriculum, campers will learn the proper technique and fundamentals of the game, and further develop their lacrosse IQ.
Highlights: This exciting camp is run by top local coaches and college players. Director Jon Heisman is an Eastern Pennsylvania Hall of Fame Coach, and Girls Director Leslie Graham is the Ocean City High School coach.
Villanova Soccer Camps
Dates: Sea Isle City, July 5-8; Stone Harbor, July 11-14
Location: Sea Isle City, Dealy Field; Stone Harbor Recreation Field
Time: Half day, 9am-noon; Full day, 9am-3pm
Cost: Half day $399; Full day $419
How to register: vusoccer.com/villanova
Ages: Futures (rising 1st-4th grade) and Juniors (rising 5th-9th grade); Developmental Camp available for rising 9th-12th grade.
Skill Level: All levels welcome!
What to Expect: Villanova men’s coach Tom Carlin leads up these summer soccer camps, offering campers of all skill levels a fun and enthusiastic camp experience. Campers will be mentored and trained by top club and college coaches and players, with 4-on-4 and 7-on-7 camp matches, technical development, skill training for agility, balance, and coordination, and a fun day on the field!
Highlights: The training curriculum for Nova Soccer Camps follows “The Nova Way,” incorporating the four pillars of developing one’s inner self: cooperation, self-determination, self-confidence, and self-motivation. Campers will receive valuable insight on teamwork, friendship, respect for the game, confidence, and the ability to feel great and work hard for teammates and coaches.
Star Hollow Stables Summer Camp
Dates: Weekly, June 27 through Aug. 29
Location: Star Hollow Stables, 311 Hagan Road, Cape May Court House
Time: 9am-12:30pm
Cost: $375/week
How to register: starhollowstables.com
Ages: 5 and up
What to Expect: Star Hollow Summer Camp offers an exclusive camp experience with a limited number of campers each week. Campers can expect to learn from owner/instructor Abby Revoir, featuring one-on-one lessons on riding, barn management, horse care and nutrition, equine first aid, horse handling, and grooming.
Highlights: Campers will have the opportunity to meet Biscuit, a Star Hollow Stables favorite. He is just as sweet as he is cute, and a camp favorite!
Summer Nature Camp at The Wetlands Institute
Dates: Weekly, June 29-Aug. 22
Location: The Wetlands Institute, 1075 Stone Harbor Blvd., Stone Harbor
Time: Ages 5-13, 9:30am-2pm; Age 4, 9:30am-noon
Cost: Ranges $105 to $275 per session
How to register: wetlandsinstitute.org
Ages: 5-13; Age 4 features special programming on select dates
What to Expect: Get back to nature with the kids this summer with the popular Summer Nature Camp at The Wetlands Institute. Kids will enjoy a week (or more) of activities geared to each weekly theme. Activities include hands-on science experimentation and exploration, games, field trips, beach visits, arts and crafts, and more. Each week’s theme varies with exciting new activities and exploration opportunities including Creation Nation: The Art of Nature; Explore the Shore: Seaside Science; Water, Water Everywhere; Creepy Creatures, Amazing Features; Animal Helpers; Life in Cold Blood; Habitat Explorers; Marvelous Marine Mammals; Creation Nation: Eco Trails & Treasures.
Highlights: For children ages 5-13, programs include field trips and beach days, so kids can enjoy the sun, sea, and toes in the sand, all while learning about the environment around them. Class space is filling up quickly, so register today!
Avalon Surf Camp
Dates: Monday-Friday, June 27-Sept. 2
Time: 9-11am
Location: 12th Street beach, Avalon
Cost: $475 for weekly camp
How to register: avalonsurfcamp.com
Ages: 7 or older, boys and girls (must be comfortable in the water)
Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced lessons are offered
Equipment Required: A bathing suit! Avalon Surf Camp provides everything else, including the wetsuit.
What to expect: Campers ages 7 and up will enjoy a full morning of surfing with experienced instructors certified by the International Surfing Association. No skill level is required, and campers will be categorized by colored jerseys based on surfing ability and experience from beginner to advanced. Campers will receive ocean, beach, and surfing instruction, including waterman skills and lessons on rip currents, undertows, and ocean conditions. Sign up your kids for the fastest-growing sport worldwide, surf’s up!
Highlights: Certified instructors are required to have a minimum of five years’ experience. The camp isn’t just about catching the waves, it’s about respecting ocean behavior and Mother Nature, and becoming a waterman.
Shore Sports Camp
Dates: Stone Harbor, July 11-14, July 18-21; Avalon, Aug. 1-4
Time: 9am-noon
Location: Avalon and Stone Harbor recreation fields
Cost: $190
How to register: shoresportscamps.com
Ages: 5-14, boys and girls
Skill Level: All skill levels are welcome.
Equipment Required: Water bottle and sneakers
What to Expect: Shore Sports Camps has been hosting camps on the Seven Mile Beach for 34 years and continues to be the largest and longest-running camp at the shore. All skill levels are welcome, and campers can enjoy fun activities, character development, and instruction by certified Positive Coaching Alliance coaches. The primary purpose of this camp is to create an appreciation and enjoyment of athletics, a sampling of multiple sports, teamwork, social skills, leadership, sportsmanship, and character development.
Highlights: Enjoy nationally ranked guest coaches in a variety of sports including soccer, basketball, team handball, touch football, yoga, ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, track and field, capture the flag, and more!
Shore Soccer Camp
Dates: July 25-28
Time: 9am-noon
Location: Avalon 11th Street Recreation Field
Cost: $190
How to register: shoresportscamps.com
Ages: 5-14, boys and girls
Skill Level: All skill levels are welcome.
Equipment Required: Water bottle, soccer ball, shin guards, cleats, or soccer shoes.
What to Expect: Shore Soccer Camp returns to Avalon for its 34th season, structured to teach individual technique and small-group tactics. Campers will have hands-on demonstrations, drills, and exercises created to further enhance game play and skill level. The activities are designed to reinforce daily teaching themes, and campers will also enjoy small-sided league games.
Highlights: Campers will enjoy daily awards and prizes, league games, and fun award ceremonies throughout the week. Sign up now, this camp sells out every year!
