Summer camps filling up; make your plans now!
We know many families are still looking for activities for their children for this summer. Although camp sessions are starting to fill up, we still have a lot of good options, including some that are free.
Pickleball among new summer camps
The Wilson Parks & Recreation Department has been offering summer camps for a long time, including more than 60 years for the incredibly popular Williams Day Camp. Its six sessions are all completely booked, as are the four sessions of Sports Camp.
But there are several camps with slots left, including two sessions of a new pickleball camp. Pickleball Youth Camp will be for ages 8 and up and held at Gillette Sports Complex. The session will be June 9-13 and July 7-11, 9 a.m.-noon daily. Campers will be grouped by age and skill level. Fee is $55 for Wilson residents, $80 for others.
Also new this year is a camp designed to give your kids financial skills to kickstart a lifetime of good habits. Entrepreneurship Youth Camp will have two sessions for young people ages 11 and up. Sessions will be July 7-11 or Aug. 4-8, 9 a.m.-noon daily. Both sessions will be held at Recreation Park Community Center, 500 Sunset Road. The cost is $110 per session.
The attached flier gives much more details, but plans are to cover such topics in a kid-friendly manner as Steven Covey's time management principals and Dave Ramsey's foundations of personal finance. Goals are to teach young people how to budget and how to prepare for college costs. Email jcapelle0212@gmail.com for more information.
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Other camps include:
Summer Time Fun Camp, a traditional day camp with team sports, arts and crafts, swim lessons, field trips. All sessions for ages 5-8 are now waitlisted, but sessions for ages 9-12 have slots available for June 16-20, June 23-27, July 7-11, July 14-18 and July 21-25. These sessions are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily and held at Reid Street Community Center. Breakfast, lunch and snacks included. $90 per week for city residents, $135 for others.
Gymnastics Camp features flips, jumps, and tumbles at Recreation Park Center. The camp is limited to 40 participants. USA Gymnastics certified coach from Traditional Gymnastics leads the camp. Ages 5-14. Monday-Thursday, June 9-12, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., $70 for city residents, $105 for others.
Golf Camp is a beginner level camp that focuses on teaching campers techniques and the rules of the game. Ages 7-16. 9 a.m.-Noon, Monday-Thursday, Aug. 4-7 (the June session is booked). $55 per week for city residents, $80 for others. Wedgewood Golf Course.
Volleyball Camp will help participants learn basic skills or improve on their volleyball fundamentals. Ages 10-14. 9 a.m.-noon, Monday- Thursday, July 28-31 or Aug. 4-8. $60 for city residents, $90 for others. Wilson Recreation Park Center.
Anthony Atkinson Basketball Camp is hosted by former Barton College star and Harlem Globetrotter "Ant" Atkinson, now the head coach at Wilson Prep Academy. The camp will be June 23-27 with ages K-5th grade attending 9 a.m.-noon and grades 6-12 attending 1-4 p.m. Costs will be $150 for Wilson residents, $225 for others.
Cheer Camp is hosted by Hunt High School Cheerleading Coach Janet Pollock and will cover the basics of cheerleading. Sessions will be July 7-10 and July 21-24, 9 a.m.-noon daily. Wilson Recreation Park Center. Costs will be $75 for Wilson residents, $112 for others.
Line Dance Camp is instructed by Zartisha Davis. The session will be July 28-Aug. 1, 1-4 p.m. at Reid Street Community Center. Costs will be $30 for Wilson residents, $112 for others.
Wilson Parks & Recreation also offers a variety of swimming lessons and other summer activities. For more information on registration, call 252-399-2266 or go to this link.
Wilson Police Department PAL camps
Wilson PAL offers several camps during the summer that are meant to give young people something fun to do and give police officers a chance to build close ties to the community. These camps are always offered at no cost to the participants or their families, and they usually include meals and snacks and possibly transportation,
Here is the 2025 schedule:
Wilson PAL Football and Cheerleading Camp, June 16-20, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., breakfast and lunch included. The football camp is PAL’s largest and most chaperoned event of the year, bringing hundreds of young people (ages 9-14) to Toisnot Middle School. PAL recruits many former high school and college players to be instructors and to train the campers in fundamental techniques at all position groups. Many campers have gone on to play football in high school, college and even the NFL. The cheerleading camp runs along with the annual football camp and campers learn cheer and dance techniques.
Wilson PAL Baseball Camp, June 23-25, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., lunch and water bottle included. This camp will be held at Toisnot Middle School and is for boys ages 9-14. The camp covers basic baseball fundamentals and is meant to introduce participants to a game they may not have played.
Wilson PAL Softball Camp, June 26-27, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., lunch and water bottle included. This camp will be held at Toisnot Middle School and is for girls ages 9-14. The camp covers basic fundamentals and is meant to introduce participants to a game they may not have played.
Wilson PAL Soccer Camp, July 7-11, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., breakfast, lunch and water bottle included. This camp will be held at Gillette Sports Complex and will be for both boys and girls ages 9-14.
For further camp details or to pre-register, contact Courtney Jones at cjones@wilsonnc.org or 252-399-2318.
Youth Citizen Academy
Finally, a few spots remain for the Wilson Office of Human Relations' Youth Academy, which will be June 9-11, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., including provided lunch and snacks. This is designed for rising 9-12 graders in Wilson County to get the inside scoop on local government including possible job opportunities.
Participants will tour real city facilities, interact with multiple departments, and discover how your local government works — all while having fun! This is a free program. To register, call the Human Relations Office at 252-399-2308.
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