Chautauqua Institution Youth & Family Programs
Boys' and Girls' Club, 63 S Lake Dr, Chautauqua, NY 14722
About
Chautauqua Institution Youth & Family Programs include pre-school, day camp, sports instruction, informal youth centers, enrichment classes, entertainment, reading, and experiences in the arts. Children and teens can take part in Beginner Optimist Sailing, 420 Sailing, Intermediate Sailing, Saturday morning races, swimming, junior golf camps and clinics, and group tennis instruction. The Youth Activities Center (YAC) operates as a drop-in center with a snack bar, televisions, games, table tennis, and pool tables.
• Ages: 2–17 years old
• Schedule: The Youth Activities Center (YAC) offers food service from Noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and is open evenings Monday through Thursday starting at 5 p.m. for YACtivities.
• Price: The Youth Activities Center (YAC) snack bar has daily lunch specials at “kid” prices.
Chautauqua’s programs for youth include activities from pre-school to day camp, from sports instruction to informal youth centers, from enrichment classes to entertainment, and from reading to experiences in the arts, and encourage youth to grow in independence, make choices, take responsibility and celebrate family time in the community of Chautauqua. Chautauqua Children’s School was built in 1921, with additions in 1926, 1947 and 1969, followed by a full renovation and expansion in 1994, and Group One began in 1997. Chautauqua Children’s School pioneered the concept of nursery school education, and Boys’ and Girls’ Club is considered the oldest day camp in the United States. The Chautauqua Golf Club offers junior golf camps and clinics for ages 4–17, and the Chautauqua Tennis Center offers group instruction for ages 4–18 with racquets available to borrow at no charge during junior tennis programs, along with options for private lessons and junior memberships. All Sailing Department programs are conducted from the John R. Turney Sailing Center, private sailing lessons may be arranged, and Saturday morning races are part of the sailing offerings. The 25-yard indoor pool at the Turner Community Center is open year-round, and the Chautauqua Tennis Center is located directly behind the Turner Community Center.
Every Wednesday of the season, Education Wednesdays provide free admission for Chautauqua County students, faculty, administration and staff. Historian and author David McCullough has said, “There is no place like it. No resort. No spa. Not anywhere else in the country, or anywhere in the world.” Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has said, “Things are different here. You feel it the moment you pass through the gates. Here, we have a glimmer, an active, muscular, American utopia, here in this place, inquisitive, ecumenical, feeding mind and body and spirit.”
Last updated February 6, 2026.
• Ages: 2–17 years old
• Schedule: The Youth Activities Center (YAC) offers food service from Noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and is open evenings Monday through Thursday starting at 5 p.m. for YACtivities.
• Price: The Youth Activities Center (YAC) snack bar has daily lunch specials at “kid” prices.
Chautauqua’s programs for youth include activities from pre-school to day camp, from sports instruction to informal youth centers, from enrichment classes to entertainment, and from reading to experiences in the arts, and encourage youth to grow in independence, make choices, take responsibility and celebrate family time in the community of Chautauqua. Chautauqua Children’s School was built in 1921, with additions in 1926, 1947 and 1969, followed by a full renovation and expansion in 1994, and Group One began in 1997. Chautauqua Children’s School pioneered the concept of nursery school education, and Boys’ and Girls’ Club is considered the oldest day camp in the United States. The Chautauqua Golf Club offers junior golf camps and clinics for ages 4–17, and the Chautauqua Tennis Center offers group instruction for ages 4–18 with racquets available to borrow at no charge during junior tennis programs, along with options for private lessons and junior memberships. All Sailing Department programs are conducted from the John R. Turney Sailing Center, private sailing lessons may be arranged, and Saturday morning races are part of the sailing offerings. The 25-yard indoor pool at the Turner Community Center is open year-round, and the Chautauqua Tennis Center is located directly behind the Turner Community Center.
Every Wednesday of the season, Education Wednesdays provide free admission for Chautauqua County students, faculty, administration and staff. Historian and author David McCullough has said, “There is no place like it. No resort. No spa. Not anywhere else in the country, or anywhere in the world.” Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has said, “Things are different here. You feel it the moment you pass through the gates. Here, we have a glimmer, an active, muscular, American utopia, here in this place, inquisitive, ecumenical, feeding mind and body and spirit.”
Last updated February 6, 2026.
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