The Summer Camp Scramble

From traditional, slower Southern summers to exciting field days spent digging up crabs in the marshes, several local resources help parents balance home, extended learning, and play

By Jade Neptune

Not so long ago, children spent most of their summers on porches. They snipped and canned green beans, counted cars, and spent long, hot days in front of box fans. Amanda Hofmann of WilmingtonMom, a blog for local parents, remembers those days fondly.

“I grew up about 20 minutes from my great-grandma and stayed with her in the summers,” Hofmann said. “She was probably in her 80s or 90s, and I would kick it with her. I loved it.”

They played games that her great-grandma would always let Hofmann win. They watched “Wheel of Fortune.” They practiced what it meant to be neighborly and watched the summers go by.

“My great-grandma lived in this little town where she could just walk to a bunch of friends’ houses,” Hofmann said. “Honestly, I got a lot of my community base from her.”

Those summers taught Hofmann more than how to can beans. She grew up watching her great-grandmother volunteer at the hospital, bake cakes for neighbors and drop in when someone was in need. That became part of the foundation for WilmingtonMom.

Every Parent’s Neighbor

Today, Hofmann is raising young children in Wilmington — alongside the 26,000 parents who follow her online. In 2026, kids aren’t vying for a spot on a front porch. Their parents are combing through lists like the comprehensive one she releases each winter to find a coveted spot in a summer camp. Hofmann has adjusted to meet that demand.

“The majority of people who reach out are working parents, and their kids aren’t in school, so they’re looking for somewhere to send them during the 8-to-6 range,” Hofmann said. “The issue is that a lot of camps are half-day camps. So that’s tricky for parents with the logistics.”

Her 2026 Summer Camp Guide — with well over 100 options — separates camps by experience category and duration. Listings are organized under headings such as arts, equestrian, nature, religious, sports, STEM and traditional summer camps, then divided by timing: half-day, full-day and overnight. Those features are key for parents juggling summer schedules.

Living in Wilmington also means options that many areas don’t have, thanks to the region’s geography — and for Hofmann, that’s part of the appeal.

“There are a lot of cool youth camps around here just because of where we live,” she said. “I would say the remainder of folks are just like me. They stay at home with their kids and they want to give their kids an experience week so that they can still learn while they’re not in school.”

Hofmann had her first child shortly before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, navigating new parenthood in a world that felt unfamiliar to everyone. Finding community with other parents became essential. Now, she enjoys seeing Wilmington through her children’s eyes.

“I love walking the loop in the summer because there’ll be camps where all these young kids are out there with life jackets on, digging in the marsh and picking up crabs,” she said. “They’re just having the time of their lives, and they’re learning so much.”

Taking Summer Camps to the Sand

Many of the most popular camps in the Wilmington area are tied to life on Wrightsville Beach. Two standouts each year are UNCW’s MarineQuest and the Town of Wrightsville Beach’s Jeremy Owens Junior Lifeguard Camp.

“Everyone always raves about MarineQuest,” Hofmann said. “As my kids get older, it would be so cool to send them there. It’s top tier because UNCW has its marine biology program — we are so lucky to live in a town with them.”

The Jeremy Owens Junior Lifeguard Camp gets kids out of the house and into the water — with a mission. Named for Capt. Jeremy Owens, the Wrightsville Beach lifeguard captain for 15 years who died in 2020, the camp teaches children ages 9-17 the basics of ocean rescue and safety.

Katie Carus-Childers, the town’s director of parks and recreation, said the camp is consistently among the most popular when registration opens each year.

“We’re a beach community. I don’t know of any other camp that is like ours,” Carus-Childers said.

For parents looking for a range of programs offered across the workday, she said the town’s options can be a strong starting point.

“A lot of summer camps are in the mornings, but there are other sessions and programs that we offer in the afternoons,” she said. “We also have a lacrosse camp that is in the evenings, which is very popular.”

The town’s website includes a digital catalog of camp offerings that can be sorted by location or day of the week and organized by interest, from youth strength training to performance camp. Carus-Childers also prioritizes communication with families as summer progresses and encourages parents to reach out with questions during registration.

“It’s online registration, but parents will still have questions, and we send out a lot of communication about the start of camp, rainouts, things like that, so we interact a lot in that way,” she said.

Outside, Really Outside

For some families, the dream camp isn’t indoors at all — it’s the kind that sends kids home sandy, salt-streaked and proud of what they learned. Kay Lynn Hernandez, owner of Wilmington Outdoor Adventures (WOA), has built her business around a simple idea: Get kids outside — really outside, where they can feel the tide, read the wind and spot the wildlife — and they gain confidence and a connection to the Cape Fear that lasts.

Hernandez leads guided tours most of the year. In summer, she turns her attention to young adventurers with weeklong camps that blend play with practical skills and a deeper understanding of local waterways and coastal ecosystems.

Her summer lineup offers something for a range of ages. Coastal Kids Camp includes a five-day rotation of field trips: an introduction to kayaking, ocean swimming, boogie boarding, disc golf and ranger-led hikes and presentations, plus a ferry trip to Southport. She also offers Seaside Squirts, created after parents asked for a younger option. The camp, for ages 6-7, debuted last summer and quickly became a standout, returning this year with two sessions.

For older campers, ages 10 and up, the four-day Kayak & Surf Camp combines paddling and surfing with a day trip to Masonboro Island to ride waves, play games and explore before kayaking back. She also runs shark tooth-hunting tours for ages 7 and up, pairing the hunt with a kayak outing on Barnards Creek and the Cape Fear River.

WOA is also one of several partners working to expand outdoor access. This summer, WOA is expected to lead three weeklong camps with ALL in the Water, a nonprofit that connects kids in marginalized communities with swim, surf, and paddling lessons. Camp participants first complete swim lessons through NSEA Swim several months in advance.

Advice From Parents Like You

Every child is different — in needs, interests and schedules. Even with guides like WilmingtonMom and tools like Campy and the town’s catalog, parents and camp organizers share one key piece of advice: Start early.

“Everyone was thinking about Santa Claus, and I was thinking about summer camps,” Hofmann said. “But the craziest thing is there are parents that stay up on New Year’s Eve night to register their kids for summer camp because these camps are such a hot commodity that they will sell out overnight.”

Carus-Childers said she has already seen a rush of registrations — even as snow covered the ground in early February.

“Registration is open now and some of our camps are already almost half-full,” Carus-Childers said. “Register early.”