Summer Zoo Camps in the Bay Area
What’s more exciting for kids than a trip to the zoo? How about a week long summer camp at the zoo! Zoos in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Oakland Zoo, San Francisco Zoo, and CuriOdyssey, offer summer camp programs for children of all ages, where they’ll learn about wildlife, conservation, STEM, go behind the scenes, and much more.
Oakland Zoo ZooCamp
The Oakland Zoo offers ZooCamp for kids in kindergarten through 8th grade. Camp activities include zoo tours, animal close-ups, educational lessons, games, nature play, story times, song sessions, and behind-the-scenes experiences with zookeepers as well as an hour of lunch with free play time each day. Camp sessions take place from June 1–August 7 from 9 am–3 pm with before- and after-care available. The cost per session is $500 for Zoo members and $550 for non-members. Learn more at oaklandzoo.org/zoocamp.
San Francisco Zoo Conservation Camp
The San Francisco Zoo offers Conservation Camp for children in pre-K through 6th grade. Campers explore the zoo, play games and get hands-on with art and science activities, and learn about the zoo's animals and how they survive in a changing world. Camps take place from June 16–August 6 from 9 am–3:30 pm (9 am–noon for pre-K campers). After-care from 3:30–5 pm is available. The cost per session is $650 for K–6th camps and $325 for pre-K; members receive a $50 discount ($25 pre-K). Financial aid is available (applications close April 1). Learn more at sfzoo.org/conservation-camp.
CuriOdyssey Junior Keeper Camps, San Mateo
Aspiring zoo keepers can attend the Junior Keepers at CuriOdyssey in San Mateo. Campers will experience a day in the life of a zoo keeper, hike around Coyote Point to observe animals in their natural habitats, and have up-close encounters with some of the CuriOdyssey animals. They will make animal diets, create animal enrichment, and understand and advocate for animal conservation. Camps are for kids in TK–4th grade and run from June 8–August 14 from 9 am–4 pm or 9 am–1 pm for children entering TK and kindergarten. The cost is $635 per week for TK-K and $885 for 1st–4th grade. Learn more at curiodyssey.org.
