Summer Camps and Workshops for Kids

Artists Unlimited Inc., 223 N. 12th St., Tampa (813-229-5958). This center for creative thinkers is offering weeklong art camps for children ages 4-14 in areas such as candlemaking, cartoon drawing, mosaics, silk painting, printmaking, pottery, painting, drawing, photography and music. The Summer Arts Institute Program runs June 3 to Aug. 2, and prices for the camps range from $90 to $165.

Busch Gardens Zoo Camp, 3000 E. Busch Blvd., Tampa (813-987-5082). Busch Gardens, one of North America's largest amusement parks and zoos, has day camps for kids from preschool level through fifth grade, and all-inclusive resident camps for sixth graders. The camps emphasize the animal aspect of Busch Gardens, with hands-on encounters and conservation activities. Fees start at $115, and season pass holders get a discount. Camps take place between June 10 through July 26.

City of Clearwater Camps, The City of Clearwater Recreation Department offers a variety of camps for students ages 5-21 June 6-Aug. 10. Prices vary for each one, but most of the camps around $120 per two-week session for participant cardholders. Participant cards are $3 for Clearwater residents and $70 for nonresidents. Camps focus on sports, arts, theater, music and water activities. Camp sizes are limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to Clearwater residents. Camps take place at various recreation centers. Call 727-562-4800.

City of St. Petersburg Camps, St. Petersburg offers several Playcamps for grades 1-8, and Teencamps for grades 7-9. An eight-week Playcamp session costs $385. The city also offers a Playcamp session for disabled children ($346). Non-residents must also purchase a $100 non-resident card. Fee assistance is available for eligible St. Petersburg residents. Camps are held at 16 locations throughout St. Petersburg from June 10 through Aug. 2. Call 727-893-7441.

City of Tampa Camps, 1420 N. Tampa St., Tampa (813-274-8615). Tampa offers a wide variety of day camps at various locations for ages 5-13. Most camps are priced around $50, and run June 2 through Aug. 3. Themes include art, team sports, tennis, fishing, ecology and snorkeling, along with a day camp for children whose parents or family members are affected by HIV. Registration started in April, and space is limited.

Cypress Gardens Camp Cypress, State Road 540 West (off U.S. 27, 22 miles south of I-4), Winter Haven (800-282-2123). Cypress Gardens, a 200-acre tropical theme park, offers daily camps for groups of 10 children or more. Day camps include the Do You Know Your Animals show, the Great American Ski Team show, the Wacky Water Park and other attractions. Groups of 10 or more pay $10.50 per child, and $13.50 for adults. Reservations are required. Camps run May 1 through Aug. 31.

Florida Aquarium AquaCamps, 701 Channelside Drive, Tampa (813-367-4087). Held at various locations around Tampa, AquaCamps include interactive activities, crafts, Aquarium visits and field trips. Fees for full-day, weeklong camps begin at $130 for Aquarium members and $163 for nonmembers. Camps lasting 2-3 days are also available, starting at $25. Weeklong travel camps, residential camps and two-week sailing camps are also available. Ages are 3-15. Camps take place June 8-July 26.

Florida Gulf Coast Museum of Art, 12211 Walsingham Road, Largo (727-518-6833). Camp Create allows ages 6-13 to explore their creative and artistic talents in a fun, safe environment. The camps consists of two-hour classes, a full day being three classes. Media taught includes photography, painting, ceramics and sculpture. The museum offers two sessions: June 17-28 and July 15-26. The cost per class starts at $100, with a $15 discount for museum members.

Great Explorations: The Hands-On Museum, at The Pier, 800 Second Ave., St. Petersburg (727-821-8992). Great Explorations has camps for ages 5-12. Eight different weeklong camps includes themes like Secrets of Science to Space: The Final Frontier. For $95 (members) or $110 (nonmembers), kids enjoy daily activities at the museum, as well as excursions to Fort De Soto, Weedon Island and more. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but for an extra fee, kids can be dropped off as early as 7:30 a.m. and picked up as late as 5:30 p.m.

Largo Recreation & Parks Summer Camps, at various sites in Largo (727-518-3016). Largo Recreation & Parks offers several summer camps for kindergarten level up to 17-year-olds. Camps start June 10 and run through Aug. 2, and include Munchkin Camp, Highland Cool Kids and Back for More Teens. Sports camps for ages 6-17 include baseball, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, golf and bowling. Whole summer camps range from $300 to $580. Discounts apply for Largo Recreation Cardholders.

Lowry Park Zoo, 1101 W. Sligh Ave., Tampa (813-932-0245). Lowry offers more than 100 different camps, including offsite camps at area wetlands parks. Theme camps include G'day Mate, Native Florida, Zoo School and Eco-art. Camps are five consecutive weekdays, some half-day, some full-day. Camps cover kids in grades kindergarten through eighth. Camps take place from June 3 through Aug. 2. Fees run from $71 to $162.

MOSI Summer Science Camps, Museum of Science and Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa; University of Tampa, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa; Craig Park Center, 100 Library Circle, Tarpon Springs (1-800-995-MOSI). MOSI easily offers more summer camps than anyone else in the Bay area, covering Fishing Frenzy, Fossil Finders, Crime Scene Investigators, Creative WebWorks and Roller Coaster Physics. Activities start June 3 and run through Aug. 2. Fees begin at $17, with most of the day camps costing about $200. MOSI members get a discount. Space is limited. www.mosi.org.

Nature Camp Series, Moccasin Lake Nature Park, 2750 Park Trail Lane, Clearwater (727-462-6024). The Science Safari and Clearwater Parks and Recreation Department present this series, which offers seven five-day camps that include exploration of Moccasin Lake Park, games, crafts and activities aimed at introducing children to nature and science. Camps run from June 10 through Aug. 1 and cater to ages 6-11. Each camp is $135, with a $45 discount for Participant Cardholders.

Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater (727-791-7060). Spend the summer in the spotlight. REH offers Adventures in the Arts, a fun and educational camp for kids ages 3-17 interested in the performing arts, that includes dance, voice and theater lessons. Each one-week (from June 10 to July 26) offers a variety of classes — Dance Immersion; Stories From the Swans; Masks Makeup and Movement. Prices range from $100 to $475.

St. Petersburg Tennis Center at Bartlett Park, 650 18th Ave. S., St. Petersburg (727-823-2225). Professional coaches head up a camp for youngsters 5-17. Activities include tennis, soccer, tennis baseball, tennis volleyball, tennis footwork and fitness training. The camps cost $60 per week or $20 per day, and run June 10 through Aug. 2.

St. Petersburg YMCA Camp, The St. Petersburg Family YMCA arranges camps from June 10 through Aug. 2. Camps are open to the public, and cost $70 per week for the first child. This year, camps for ages 5-15 are held at Sexton and Campbell parks. Activities include field trips, arts and crafts, swimming, camping, athletics and character development. Call 727-895-9622.

Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 MacInnes Place N., Tampa (813-222-1111). TBPAC offers theater, music and art classes for ages 5-18. These classes are quite specific, geared toward budding young artists interests — Intro to Theater; the Art of Auditioning; Opera Camp; Sing, Sing, Sing; Intro to Classical Ballet. Classes take place June 10-14, June 17-28 and July 8-19, and costs range from $80 to $200.

Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay Camps These 21 camps run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, for ages 6-18. Activities include field trips, indoor game rooms, swimming lessons, computer labs, arts and crafts, and athletics. Participants must be members of a Boys & Girls Club, and prices vary from club to club. Call 813-875-5962 or your local Boys & Girls Club.

Tampa Museum of Art, 600 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa (813-274-8130). The museum offers weeklong, full or half-day Art Camps for age 7-13. Topics include Anime-niacs, Snapshots of Florida, A Yen for Art and It's Greek to Me. Camp runs June 3 to July 26, and range from $75 to $85 per morning or afternoon session, with midday sessions running $25.

Tampa YMCA Camp, Central City YMCA, 110 E. Palm Ave. (813-229-9622). For YMCA members only, this camp runs from June 3 until Aug. 6. For a $100 fee, YMCA members age 5-12 can participate in activities (sports, computers, cooking and dance) from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. every weekday. There's also a teen camp for kids 13-16. Individual YMCA memberships cost $100, while a family membership is $125. Scholarships are available to low-income families, and a one-time program membership can also be purchased for $30, which allows for nonmembers to join camps for $120.

University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa (813-974-4014). USF offers a ton of worthwhile summer programs and camps from May 13 through Aug. 11. Camps include John Hackworth's Soccer Camp for Boys and Girls, Mathematics and Science, Eddie Cardieri Baseball Camp, Designing for the Web, Summerplay and Spanish through the Art. Ages rage from 3 to 17. Costs range from $50 to $500 depending on the nature and duration of the program.

Westin Innisbrook Resort, 36750 U.S. 19 N., Palm Harbor (727-942-2000). This upscale resort offers three different golf camps for aspiring pros. Golf camps take place June 24-28 and July 15-19, and offers ages 10-17 instruction on the short game, full swing, course strategy and management, concluding with a junior tournament. The cost is $575, which includes lunches. The resort also offers a tennis camp for ages 6-17, starting June 10 and running through July 25. Tennis camp costs $140 weekly, $40 daily. Enrollment is limited.

Wildlife on Easy Street, 12802 Easy St., Tampa (813-920-4130). This big cat and wildlife sanctuary hosts five camp sessions throughout the summer. Participants tour the compound of 200 animals, including over 170 wild cats from around the world and learn how to care for farm animals such as llamas, peacocks, horses and swans. The art of butterfly gardening is introduced, and games, movies and arts and crafts are also included. The four-day camps, open to ages 7-15, run June 10 to July 11, and cost $125 per session plus a $25 material fee. Class size is limited.

This article appears in May 15-21, 2002.