Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Summer Camps
Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation, 620 Laguna Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
About
Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Summer Camps offer more than 45 unique summer camp options where kids take part in activities such as sports, art, business, engineering, theater, and water safety. Campers can join focused programs including basketball, beach volleyball, ceramics, ice skating, LEGO engineering, nature science, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, boogie boarding, surfing, snorkeling, pickleball, skateboarding, soccer, tennis, swimming, acting, singing, and dancing. The program also includes Junior Lifeguards, Ocean Explorers Camp, and junior counselor programs connected to several camps.
• Ages: 5–17 years old
• Schedule: Registration closes at 11:30 p.m. on the Wednesday before each camp session, with camp options ranging from morning-only to full-day schedules and Junior Lifeguards offered in 2-week or 8-week sessions.
Parks and Recreation offers scholarships, free and low cost programs for all ages, youth scholarships for market-rate camps, inclusion services, an Adapted Recreation Program, and a robust inclusion support program for individuals with disabilities. Adjustable hoops and appropriately sized basketballs are used at Basketball Camp, and Beach Volleyball Camp groups campers on courts with others at the same level, from beginner to AAA. Bizzy Girls Entrepreneur Camp includes a pop-up store where campers display and sell their products, and Ceramics Camp teaches basic techniques of wheel throwing, hand building, and glazing. Ice Skating Camp includes lessons from professional coaches along with arts and crafts and outdoor activities during breaks. Junior Counselor opportunities are available at Ceramics Camp, Bizzy Girls Entrepreneur Camp, LEGO Camp, Nature Camp, Theater Camp, Junior Lifeguards, and Skate Camp, and the Junior Counselors program is open to 13–17-year-olds. Junior Lifeguards promotes youth ocean safety in Santa Barbara and includes age-appropriate workouts and competitions, LEGO Camp follows a curriculum designed by engineers and explores physics, architecture, and engineering, and Nature Camp includes singalongs, outdoor games, field trips, nature science, and a family night with skits and awards. Ocean Explorers Camp is structured around conservation, education, and exploration and includes multiple ocean and beach activities, Pickleball Camp is open to all skill levels and focuses on shot and volley techniques, serving and receiving, and game strategy, Skate Camp at Skater’s Point welcomes all skill levels, Soccer Camp includes daily scrimmages and focuses on fundamental skills and teamwork, and Tennis and Swim Camp includes a midday break at Los Baños Del Mar for recreational swimming. Parks and Recreation reports serving over 3,000 kids each year through these summer camps.
The department’s leadership team includes Parks and Recreation Director Jill Zachary and Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Jazmin LeBlanc, along with managers and supervisors for recreation, aquatics, youth and adult sports, tennis, parks, urban forestry, and capital projects. Santa Barbara has been designated a Tree City USA since 1980 and has held this designation for over 40 years, and it has been designated an official Bee City USA and Pollinator-Friendly City since 2018. Parks and Recreation coordinates with community partners to offer 35 miles of front country trails in the Santa Ynez Mountains, and every year the City of Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara Beautiful work with local schools to plant trees in observance of Arbor Day.
Last updated June 24, 2026.
• Ages: 5–17 years old
• Schedule: Registration closes at 11:30 p.m. on the Wednesday before each camp session, with camp options ranging from morning-only to full-day schedules and Junior Lifeguards offered in 2-week or 8-week sessions.
Parks and Recreation offers scholarships, free and low cost programs for all ages, youth scholarships for market-rate camps, inclusion services, an Adapted Recreation Program, and a robust inclusion support program for individuals with disabilities. Adjustable hoops and appropriately sized basketballs are used at Basketball Camp, and Beach Volleyball Camp groups campers on courts with others at the same level, from beginner to AAA. Bizzy Girls Entrepreneur Camp includes a pop-up store where campers display and sell their products, and Ceramics Camp teaches basic techniques of wheel throwing, hand building, and glazing. Ice Skating Camp includes lessons from professional coaches along with arts and crafts and outdoor activities during breaks. Junior Counselor opportunities are available at Ceramics Camp, Bizzy Girls Entrepreneur Camp, LEGO Camp, Nature Camp, Theater Camp, Junior Lifeguards, and Skate Camp, and the Junior Counselors program is open to 13–17-year-olds. Junior Lifeguards promotes youth ocean safety in Santa Barbara and includes age-appropriate workouts and competitions, LEGO Camp follows a curriculum designed by engineers and explores physics, architecture, and engineering, and Nature Camp includes singalongs, outdoor games, field trips, nature science, and a family night with skits and awards. Ocean Explorers Camp is structured around conservation, education, and exploration and includes multiple ocean and beach activities, Pickleball Camp is open to all skill levels and focuses on shot and volley techniques, serving and receiving, and game strategy, Skate Camp at Skater’s Point welcomes all skill levels, Soccer Camp includes daily scrimmages and focuses on fundamental skills and teamwork, and Tennis and Swim Camp includes a midday break at Los Baños Del Mar for recreational swimming. Parks and Recreation reports serving over 3,000 kids each year through these summer camps.
The department’s leadership team includes Parks and Recreation Director Jill Zachary and Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Jazmin LeBlanc, along with managers and supervisors for recreation, aquatics, youth and adult sports, tennis, parks, urban forestry, and capital projects. Santa Barbara has been designated a Tree City USA since 1980 and has held this designation for over 40 years, and it has been designated an official Bee City USA and Pollinator-Friendly City since 2018. Parks and Recreation coordinates with community partners to offer 35 miles of front country trails in the Santa Ynez Mountains, and every year the City of Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara Beautiful work with local schools to plant trees in observance of Arbor Day.
Last updated June 24, 2026.
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