154 camps found • Ages 3–18 • Prices from $7/week
Oakland's summer camp scene reflects the city's creative, community-driven character. The market spans an unusually wide range — from the well-resourced programs clustered around Rockridge and Montclair to community-focused, sliding-scale programs in Fruitvale and East Oakland. Families who dig into Oakland's camp ecosystem often discover that the city punches well above its weight for quality and variety.
Lake Merritt is Oakland's central camp anchor. The Rotary Nature Center at Lake Merritt runs nature education programs that introduce kids to the lake's wildlife and urban ecology — genuinely unique in the Bay Area context. Feather River and other paddling programs use the lake for kayak and canoe instruction. The Oakland Museum of California runs summer programs adjacent to the lake, leaning into art, history, and California identity.
The Oakland Zoo in Knowland Park hosts one of the most popular summer camp programs in the East Bay. Zoo camps blend wildlife education with hands-on science and run from late June through August. These programs book out fast — typically by March — and serve ages 4–12.
In the hills, Redwood Regional Park and Joaquin Miller Park serve as the backdrop for several outdoor adventure and wilderness skills camps. These programs are popular with Montclair and Piedmont-adjacent families, though Piedmont itself is a separate municipality. Rock climbing instruction through organizations like Touchstone Climbing also runs summer camps accessible from Oakland.
The Temescal neighborhood has become a hub for arts and maker-oriented camps, with several small-batch programs in ceramics, printmaking, and digital media that are hard to find elsewhere in the Bay Area. For STEM-focused families, a number of coding and robotics programs operate in the Uptown and Grand Lake areas.
Oakland Unified School District runs summer learning programs at select sites with subsidized pricing. Oakland Parks and Recreation offers sports and recreation camps at neighborhood parks — a strong entry point for families on a tight budget. Financial aid is more widely available across Oakland's camp ecosystem than in most Bay Area cities, reflecting the community's commitment to accessibility.
Last updated: 2026-05-03
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Campers engage in immersive role-playing games and questing, building social skills and creativity through interactive storytelling.
Bushrod Park
Outdoor soccer summer camp in Oakland for children ages 5-14. Skills training, drills, scrimmages, and team sports. Weekly soccer camp sessions for East Bay kids. Beginner to intermediate levels, experienced coaching staff, outdoor athletics.
12000 Campus Dr
A messy art camp celebrating imagination and sensory exploration through dripping, splattering, and layering paints.
3245 Sheffield Ave
Campers investigate the physics behind athletics, exploring heart rate, balance, and movement through experiments and active games.
3245 Sheffield Ave
At 3DMAKERCAMP, kids engage in hands-on STEM activities like 3D printing, robotics, and graphic design, fostering creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
2744 East 11th Street
Axé Oakland's mission is to heal, nurture, and build community through movement and culture.
3700 East 12th Street
Steve & Kate's Camp in Oakland. Self-directed day camp where kids choose from coding, sewing, filmmaking, sports, baking, and more. Flexible scheduling with drop-in options.
Animators explore storyboards, set making, and character design using clay, Legos, and drawings to construct a short video using Stop Motion Studio Pro.
Oakland, CA 94612
With day and boarding options, Oakland’s five-week summer camp combines an intensive academic program with the joys of traditional summer fun for kids ages 5 through high school. In 2026, it runs June 22 - July 23.
Axé Oakland's mission is to heal, nurture, and build community through movement and culture.
3700 East 12th Street
Enroll in Summer Day Camp at Children's Fairyland in Oakland, California! Enjoy a fun-filled experience with activities, outdoor play, and unforgettable memories.
The Oaklandside's Summer Playground Programs offer a diverse range of arts, language, music, outdoor, sports, STEM, and theater activities for Bay Area children aged 5-12.
The Oaklandside's Summer Skate Camp in the Bay Area offers a program for ages 5-12, focusing on skating while incorporating diverse activities from arts, language, music, outdoor, sports, STEM, and theater.
Camp out under the stars at Children’s Fairyland’s Summer Sleepovers in Oakland. Families are invited to pitch tents inside the park and enjoy an unforgettable overnight adventure filled with dinner, rides after dark, a live puppet show, special evening entertainment, popcorn, a bedtime story, and a continental breakfast in the morning.
An introductory LEGO engineering camp designed to spark creativity and interest in building and mechanics.
40 Dulwich Rd
A two-week intensive where children create a theatrical production from start to finish, exploring performance skills, stagecraft, and prop building, ending in a show at Aesop’s Playhouse.
Oakland, CA 94612
Weekly thematic sessions where campers explore the magical 10-acre park through play, nature, arts, and storytelling. Activities include rides, puppet shows, and hands-on projects related to themes like magic, inventions, and nature.
Oakland, CA 94612
A comprehensive performing arts experience including circus arts (aerial silks, trapeze), musical theater, and hip-hop dance. Campers engage in creative crafts and twice-weekly field trips, culminating in a full stage performance with scenery and costumes.
3840 MacArthur Blvd
Dribbling, passing, shooting, footwork drills, offensive moves, scrimmages, and skill-building with experienced coaches
3800 Mountain Blvd, Oakland, CA, 94619
Daily field trips via public transit to museums, science centers, parks, and galleries with hands-on art and science
5701 Cabot Dr, Oakland, CA, 94611
A real overnight camping adventure at Camp Herms focusing on wilderness survival, fire-building, and outdoor skills.
Camp Herms
A transport-based adventure where campers journey to farms, forests, and rivers to learn essential wilderness survival skills from expert guides.
Bushrod Park
Axé Oakland's mission is to heal, nurture, and build community through movement and culture.
3700 East 12th Street
Bay Area Role Playing Games hosts D&D games for all ages in the Bay Area, offering camps, private sessions, and birthday parties in a safe and inclusive environment.
4920 Telegraph Ave B
Nature journaling, garden science, reading and writing games, art projects, bug hunts, and outdoor play
116 Montecito Avenue, Oakland, CA, 94610
YMCA summer camp with swimming, sports, arts, and outdoor activities. Financial assistance and member discounts available.
Overnight weekend camp with archery, ropes course, arts and crafts, campfires, group games, and night hikes
248 3rd St., #1142, Oakland, CA, 94607
Bay Area Role Playing Games hosts D&D games for all ages in the Bay Area, offering camps, private sessions, and birthday parties in a safe and inclusive environment.
3718 MacArthur Blvd
Explores the principles and techniques of improvisation to bolster creativity and communication skills in a safe, supportive environment.
3840 MacArthur Blvd
An intensive theater experience for older children featuring fast-paced rehearsals, professional production quality, and field trips for older campers.
3840 MacArthur Blvd
Showing 30 of 154 camps
Oakland summer camps range from free (OUSD learning programs, city park programs for qualifying families) to $600/week for specialty arts or science camps. The average private day camp runs $300–$450/week — generally lower than SF or Palo Alto. Many providers offer financial aid; ask directly or look for the badge on KidPlanr.
Oakland's camp scene skews more arts-forward and community-rooted than Silicon Valley cities. You'll find more ceramics, printmaking, theater, and community-focused outdoor programs. The Oakland Zoo camp, Lake Merritt-based nature programs, and Redwood Regional Park wilderness camps are genuinely unique to Oakland.
Yes — Rockridge and Temescal have some of the highest camp density in Oakland. Several arts programs, a strong YMCA presence, and private school summer programs cluster in this corridor. The Rockridge BART station makes drop-off convenient for families commuting from other East Bay cities.
More Oakland camps offer financial aid than in most Bay Area cities. YMCA East Bay, Oakland Museum of California, Oakland Zoo camps, and many independent providers have scholarship programs. Start applications in January — most financial aid decisions are made by March.
Most Oakland camps open registration in January or February. The Oakland Zoo camp and Oakland Museum programs open in late January and fill quickly. City recreation programs often open in March. Check KidPlanr for registration links and camp-specific opening dates.
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