The 2026 Edition of The Best Summer Camps in New Jersey is written by Vinny Parisi.
Finding the perfect summer camp in NJ can feel like a daunting task. After all, there are so many incredible options spanning from the Jersey Shore to the mountains of Sussex County. Luckily for families, the Garden State is packed with opportunities for campers to build confidence and make lifelong memories. Here is BestofNJ.com’s list of NJ’s Best Summer Camps.
Of course, for busy families the logistics are often just as important as the fun. That’s why our curated list of top NJ summer camps highlights the details that matter most: including programs with door-to-door bus transportation, extended hours, and lunch included. From gentle preschool summer camps designed for first-timers to leadership-focused teen programs, these are the spots to secure a worry-free summer. Read on to explore options for the top sleepaway camps, local day programs, and more for the upcoming summer season.
Quick Click Guide: Select a Region below to find The Best Summer Camps nearby.
| North Jersey | Central Jersey | Jersey Shore | South Jersey |
North Jersey Summer Camps
Featured From Bergen County:
Manhattan Fencing Center
Where: 84 Honeck St, Englewood | 8 Franklin Turnpike, Waldwick
Details: Manhattan Fencing Center offers a premier yet welcoming summer camp experience for fencers of all levels. Attendees range from first-time beginners to advanced and nationally-ranked athletes. Camps are available for ages 6+ and built around a unique training philosophy that blends fencing and chess. This unique pairing develops strategic thinking and strengthens focus, patience, and tactical awareness. Manhattan Fencing Center is the top saber program in the county, producing U.S. National Team members, NCAA standouts, and Olympic Champions. Campers are grouped by weapon, age, experience level, and USA Fencing rating, ensuring personalized instruction and appropriate training intensity for every athlete. In addition to fencing skills, students develop coordination, balance, discipline, decision-making, and mental focus in a positive and friendly atmosphere. Besides camp from June 22 – August 28, both members and non-members have access to year-round Open Bouting and professional coaching.
| Visit their Website | Follow on Instagram | Follow on Facebook | Call 201-503-4541 |
Camp Veritans
Where: Haledon
Details: Kids of all ages have plenty to look forward to at Camp Veritans. The camp offers an array of programs and activities for ages 3 through 16. From athletics to arts and crafts, kids can enjoy swimming, STEM projects, dancing, cooking, basketball, volleyball, and more. In fact, every Camp Veritans camper has an action-packed schedule tailored to their specific age group. Aside from traditional programs, they also plan special activities and trips. Other camp amenities include daily hot lunch and daily transportation to and from the campsite.
Harbor Hills Day Camp
Where: Mendham
Details: Harbor Hills Day Camp has been a top NJ summer camp for over 60 years. Since their first year of building connections back in 1963, they’ve been helping children build lifelong friendships and memories. Door-to-door transportation, daily lunches, and even a separate kitchen to accommodate special dietary needs are some key amenities. Camp programs include swimming, sports, creative arts, outdoor experiences, cooking, and more. Campers range in age from Pre-K all the way to 8th Grade, with unique programs for each.
Hudson Table
Where: Hoboken
Details: Hudson Table offers week-long kids culinary and baking camps. These immersive, hands-on experiences give young chefs the opportunity to cook and bake 4-5 dishes every day from scratch — including a snack and dessert — alongside professional chefs in a real kitchen. Campers build confidence, learn essential skills, and enjoy the tasty snacks and lunches they create. No prior experience is necessary to learn important culinary techniques including sautéing, sauce-making, fresh pasta, and baking fundamentals.
International Ivy
Where: Chatham | Morristown | Short Hills | Wayne
Details: International Ivy offers campers ages 5-14 a number of creative and hands-on learning opportunities. Popular subjects include Robotics, Video Game Creation, Computer Programming, Minecraft, Technology & Design, Science, Engineering, Math, Business, and Language Arts. Visual Arts and Humanities programs are also available. Classes are weekly, and families can enroll for individual or multiple weeks, with full and half days available. 2026 camp takes place from June 22 to August 14. Lunch and transportation are not provided.
Lindley G. Cook 4-H Camp
Where: Branchville
Details: This camp is part of Rutgers University’s L.G. Cook 4-H Youth Center for Outdoor Education. (Specifically, it is operated and managed by Rutgers Cooperative Extension.) Campers ages 8-16 spend either six (Classic) or 18 (Big Session) days on-site living at Stokes State Forest. The 100% tech-free environment features a jam-packed schedule filled with outdoor activities. Camp includes 3 full meals a day complete with entree and several side dishes. For outdoor lovers or those who want to unplug, this is the perfect option.
Central Jersey Summer Camps
Camp Riverbend
Where: Warren
Details: This 30-acre summer day camp on the Passaic River offers a seven-week program for kids 3-14. Their special clubhouse for Pre-K campers is the perfect introduction to classic summer camp fun. Activities include swimming, sports, a high-ropes course, river activities, cooking, arts and crafts, and more. In addition, teens Grades 7-9 take day trips and short overnight trips to the beach and mountains. During these trips, they take part in boating, cooking, climbing, and exploring. Camp Riverbend runs from June through August.
Rambling Pines Day Camp
Where: Hopewell
Details: Nestled in the Sourland Mountains, Rambling Pines offers camp programs for children in preschool up to Grade 9. Activities include swimming, mountain biking, arts and crafts, music, dance, horseback riding, ceramics, archery, and more. Rambling Pines provides door-to-door transportation (busing) and lunch included with tuition. Camp runs from June to August, and there is a two-week sign-up minimum. Popular activities include swimming, sports, board games, cooking, choir, dance, digital photography, and more.
Taubenslag Productions Summer Theater Camp
Where: Edison
Details: Taubenslag Productions is an award-winning summer theater camp with over 35 years in operation. The camp produces nine shows in eight weeks for students entering First through Ninth Grade. Productions typically focus on fast-paced, Broadway-style musicals. Rehearsals and performances take place in the morning, with swimming, games, and competitions in the afternoon. Campers can also focus solely on painting scenery, organizing props, or assisting with costume design. Summer camp runs from July through August.
Urban Sewciety Summer Camp
Where: Westfield
Details: This sewing camp is for kids ages 7 and up, and welcomes sewers of all skill levels. This includes those who have never used a sewing machine before. Campers choose a project each week from one of Urban Sewciety’s numerous categories. Some of the choices include quilting, bag making, pillows, stuffies, and appliqué, but there are many more. They also offer crochet classes. Half and full day sessions are available from June to August. Tiered discounts are available to anyone signing up for multiple weeks of camp.
Jersey Shore Summer Camps
Black Bear Lake Day Camp
Where: Millstone
Details: This 42-acre day camp for kids 3-15 allows each camper to create their own daily, personalized schedule. With a whopping 70+ subjects to choose from, campers have a wide range of activities to maintain their interest and develop new skills. Popular options include swimming, creative arts, performing arts, laser tag, science, trampolines, gymnastics, archery, boating, and horseback riding. Other favorites include mountain tubing, pottery, rocketry, and woodworking. Camp runs from June 29 through August 21.
Coastline Adventures Surfing School
Where: Mantoloking
Details: Coastline Adventures is the premier Ocean County surfing school for kids and adults alike. They offer kids surf camps, co-ed adult surf camps, and even an exclusive day-long women’s surf retreat. For stand up paddleboard enthusiasts (or SUP as the cools kids call it), they even do SUP Yoga and SUP Fitness classes. Kids ages 9-16 can choose between a single day, 3-day, or 5-day Surfing Adventure Camp. While no surfing experience is required, participants must be comfortable being in the ocean and know how to swim.
Cape May County Zoo Camp
Where: Cape May Court House
Details: While many camps open registration as early as January/February, Cape May County Zoo Camp opens registration in April. Kids ages 5-17 can enjoy a 4-day learning experience at the Dr. Alex Ernst Memorial Education Center on the Atlantic Cape Community College Campus, as well as on-site at the zoo. Guided zoo tours, crafts, and animal encounters with select ambassador animals are all part of the fun. The latter is probably the most exciting part for kids, as they can interact with a variety of different animals.
Frogbridge Day Camp
Where: Millstone
Details: Frogbridge touts itself as the “Disney World of Day Camp” which admittedly sets the bar astronomically high. Open since 1999 and still partying like it, Frogbridge Day Camp offers programs for ages Pre-K – 10th Grade. Their full camp programs are 5 days a week, with options ranging from 4 weeks to 8 weeks. Activities, overnight trips, and so much more are in store for campers from June 29 – August 21, 2026. It’s a fully-loaded schedule that aims to offset the sticker shock pricing, which ranges from $4,000 – $9,000.
South Jersey Summer Camps
Featured From Salem County:
Appel Farm Arts Camp
Where: 457 Shirley Rd, Elmer
Details: Appel Farm Arts Camp is celebrating 65 years! This overnight summer camp for ages 8-16 is set in beautiful, rural southern New Jersey. Appel Farm provides a safe space for campers to be themselves and explore art, free of judgment. The team values safety, community, personal growth and fun. Small class sizes allow mixed age groups to enjoy a variety of topics including music, theatre, technical theatre, dance, visual arts, photography, media arts, environmental arts, creative writing, sports, and swimming. Special classes — like Yarnology — are also introduced each summer based on the strengths of current staff. Campers also experience workshops, trips, campfires, performances, free time, and special events. Give a child the gift of creativity, kindness, and confidence this summer with 2- and 4-week sessions from July 5 through August 1. Appel Farm works to be an explicitly anti-racist, anti-sexist, trauma-informed, trans-inclusive and gender-affirming space for both staff and campers.
| Visit Their Website | Register for Camp | Follow on Instagram | Follow on Facebook |
Featured From Burlington County:
Cedar Run’s “Let’s Go WILD” Summer Camp
Where: 4 Sawmill Rd, Medford
Details: Campers ages 3 through Grade 8 can experience nature camp at Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge. Their Go Wild summer program lets kids walk in the woods, dig in the dirt, and wade in the water. Additional daily activities include various hands-on experiences and experiments, visits with native wildlife, and creative play sessions. Cedar Run boasts 3 miles of hiking trails, 171 acres of upland forests, and the 7-acre Cedar Lake. From their Picnic Pavilion camp headquarters, counselors review each day’s activities. These can range from visiting the Pinelands exhibits, the Wildlife Housing Area (with over 50 animal ambassadors), to open exploration. Their wide range of geological sites encompass swamps, forest, streams, and of course the lake. Campers who wish to return after Grade 8 can join the Counselor in Training program. With half day and full day programs priced per week, their are many flexible options for this day camp. Campers must provide their own lunch and transportation. 2026 dates run from June 22 to August 14.
| Visit Their Website | Register for Camp | Follow on Instagram | Follow on Facebook |
Liberty Lake Day Camp
Where: Bordentown
Details: Kids ages 4-15 can mark their calendars for June 22 – August 21, which is when Liberty Lake kicks off their 2026 summer camp. This day camp focuses on developing kids into the best version of themselves. Specifically, they emphasize teaching the “skills and qualities essential to becoming an exemplary human being” through their Star Points system. Campers can expect a variety of classic outdoor activities, a robust lunch menu — including days for pizza and BBQ — as well as bussing to and from camp.
Lil Sous Chefs
Where: Voorhees
Details: Lil Sous Chef is a year-round cooking school, but their cooking camps are especially popular. All classes are designed by Owner and Operator Chef Nina to create an entertaining and educational experience. For example, their “Cookie Dough & Cosmetics” class for ages 6+ guides learners through making edible cookie dough, pink lip gloss, and a dye-free sleep mask. As for their drop-off summer camps — offered on select dates in July and August — Nina’s programs are designed for ages 7-12 and provide breakfast, lunch, and dessert daily.
Tall Pines Day Camp
Where: Williamstown
Details: Tall Pines Day Camp has no shortage of activities (over 50 in total) and classic summer time fun. They offer campers options ranging from ceramics and creative and performing arts to cooking, arts and crafts, and woodshop. They also provide athletics activities like miniature golf, archery, basketball, gymnastics, boating, fishing, a ropes course, and ziplines. Tall Pines is open to children ages 3-14. For 2026, the day camp organizes weekly sessions that run continuously from June 29 to August 21.
Click Here To See More Best of New Jersey Lists.
New Jersey’s Best Summer Camps FAQs
Top Photo: Manhattan Fencing Center / Website