Chesterfield Countyʼs Fun in the Sun day camp (Photo courtesy Chesterfield County)
The region’s parks and recreation departments provide a variety of affordable options so every child can experience an enriching summer vacation.
Chesterfield County
“Campers get a wide variety of adventures and programs to enrich their summer and keep them engaged, so learning and friendships continue to grow while summer fun is maximized,” says Shelly Goodman, marketing and communications supervisor at Chesterfield Parks and Recreation.
Fun in the Sun, a day camp for kids ages 5-12, is among Chesterfield’s many offerings. It’s hosted three times each summer at six county locations; each two-week session costs $150. Also scheduled are four historical programs for ages 6-12 at Henricus Historical Park and an arts, movement and music camp for adults 18 and up who have disabilities. Camp Red Tail Hawk is a popular nature camp for kids ages 8-10. Registration begins April 20 at chesterfield.gov/parks.
Hanover County
Hanover County’s programs “are led by department staff and contracted instructors in order to offer the most diversity on subject matter,” says Marcy Durrer, the county’s deputy director of recreation services. She noted that partial and full-day options will be offered for school-age children, but additional details were not available at press time. Registration opens March 1 at hanover parksrec.com.
Henrico County
Henrico Recreation & Parks will host “Let’s Grow, Henrico!” a free camp for the county’s rising first through seventh graders, from June 22 to July 30. “Camp participants will ‘grow’ by playing, creating and laughing in a safe and enriching space,” says Pam Kempf, media manager for the department. Three sessions will last two weeks each. Registration opened Feb. 17 at henrico.gov/rec.
New Kent County
New Kent County’s popular Summer Recreation Camp runs June 15 to July 31 at Quinton Elementary School. The full-day camp keeps kids busy with activities, themed weeks and field trips. It’s open to rising first through fifth graders; rising sixth grade students will be considered. The fee is $125 per week (subject to change). New Kent also offers one- or two-day minicamps from June 1 to Aug. 21 for rising first through fifth graders (cost to be determined) as well as various sports camps. Registration opens in early March at newkent-va.us/307/parks-recreation. Contact nkpr@newkent-va.us to request a sliding fee scale.
City of Richmond
Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities offers various summer camps for children ages 6 to 17. “These camps are designed to keep children and teens active, engaged and learning through the summer months, often with options in arts, outdoor adventures and general day-camp fun,” says Tamara Jenkins, the department’s public information manager. Registration opened in mid-February at go.rva.gov/rvaparksreg.
