LARGO RECREATION & PARKS SUMMER CAMPS, at various sites in Largo, 727-518-3016 or 727-586-7455, largo.com. Largo Recreation, Parks & Arts offers a huge variety of weeklong summer camps and sports camps for preschoolers through 17-year-olds. May 22-Aug. 21. Prices and specific camp dates vary; visit the site for more info.
LEEPA-RATTNER MUSEUM OF ART SUMMER ART CAMP, Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, SPC-Tarpon Springs Campus, 600 Klosterman Road, Tarpon Springs, 727-712-5226, spcollege.edu/central/museum/camp. This camp — for ages 6-13 — offers an array of art experiences to its campers. Weeklong day sessions run July 6-10 and 13-17, and are $150 per week (museum members receive a $25 discount).
MARCIA P. HOFFMAN PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater, 727-712-2706, rutheckerdhall.net. Ruth Eckerd Hall's arts education institute offers a variety of classes for ages 3-18 in one- to four-week sessions. Areas of instruction include music, visual arts, dance and creative dramatics. Classes are designed to encourage creativity, imagination, self-expression and exploration of the arts. June 8- Aug. 7. Prices range from $135 to $575.
MOSI SUMMER SCIENCE CAMPS, Museum of Science and Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, 813-987-6000, mosi.org. MOSI easily offers more of a variety of summer camps than anyone else in the Bay area, with programs for pre-schoolers to grades 10. June 8-Aug. 21. Cost is $119-$450 per week; discounts apply for MOSI members. Space is limited.
NATURE CAMP SERIES, Moccasin Lake Nature Park, 2750 Park Trail Lane, Clearwater, 727-462-6024. The park offers a series of five-day camps that include exploration of Moccasin Lake Park, games, crafts, and activities aimed at introducing children to nature and science. Camps for ages 6-11 run June 8-Aug. 21. Call for prices.
NATURE'S CLASSROOM, 13100 Verges Road, Thonotosassa, 813-987-6940. The environmental studies center offers weeklong camps to Hillsborough County children grades 4 to 7. Activities include programs on outdoor survival, native flora and fauna, and photography. June 5-30, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. daily. Camps are $80 each, with one free camp sponsored by Florida Water Management. Call for details.
PATEL CONSERVATORY, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 MacInnes Place, Tampa, 813-222-1002, patelconservatory.org. Chill out with the Patel Conservatory's offering of summer programs, including an arts sampler, ballet camp, rock and hip-hop schools, and musical theater. Programs run June 8-Aug. 21. Prices range from $100 to $690; call or visit the website for details.
THE PIER AQUARIUM, 800 Second Ave. N.E., St. Petersburg, 727-895-7437. Students enjoy a basic marine education in addition to marine-related arts and crafts, and field trips on floating classrooms and to local museums, nature preserves and seashores. Activities June 9-Aug. 8. Ages and prices vary. Call to register; limited space available.
TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS BASEBALL CAMP, One Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, 727-825-3306. Youths 6-13 learn all the basics of baseball from the city's best baseball coaches. May 29-July 21, $200. Satellite hitting clinics occur at various locations June 12-23 ($60).
SUMMER SAILING AND WINDSURFING CAMPS, Clearwater Community Sailing Center, 1001 Gulf Blvd., Clearwater, 727-517-7776. Four different sailing options are offered to ages 8-18. June 8-Aug. 10. $250 (scholarships available) Call for more info.
SUNSCREEN FILM FESTIVAL SUMMER CAMP FOR FILMMAKERS, Studio@620, 620 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg, 727-420-0566, sunscreenfilmfestival.com. This two-week summer camp for youngsters gives them the chance to learn how to conceive, write, shoot and edit movies. The camp concludes with a mini-festival to showcase the resulting creations. creative output of the campers. July 6-17, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. $500 (includes equipment).
TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART, 600 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa, 813-274-7328, tampamuseum.org. The museum offers weeklong, full and half-day art camps covering a wide variety of media, including photography, drawing, sculpting and painting. Ages 6-10; June 22-July 31. $150 half-day, $225 full-day (members receive a $50 discount). Call for details.
TAMPA'S LOWRY PARK ZOO, 1101 W. Sligh Ave., Tampa, 813-935-8552, xt. 232, lowryparkzoo.com. At "Zoo School," students grades K-8 learn about nature, science and animals while trekking through the zoo, exploring the behind-the-scenes workings and cooling off in water play areas. Adventure camps include animal encounters, keeper talks, educational shows, game, crafts and more. June 2-Aug. 14. $145 per week members/$165 nonmembers.
TAMPA THEATRE, 711 N. Franklin St., Tampa, 813-274-8287, tampatheatre.org. The "Kids Make Movies" camp shows students how to create movies on Mac computers with iMovie and Garage Band programs using footage they shoot with film and digital cameras. Grades 3-12; dates and times vary depending on age. June 8-July 17. Cost is $165 per session.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa 813-974-2014. USF offers dozens of impressive summer programs and camps in a variety of subjects, including sports, music and science. There's also Summperplay, an interdisciplinary three-week program for students of the arts; courses cover theater, dance, web design, photography and fine arts, music, story writing and an introduction to Spanish through the arts. Prices range from $120 to $300. Camps occur June 1-July 31.