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 and day camp options, sports instruction, informal youth centers, enrichment classes, entertainment, reading, and experiences in the arts. Youth can take part in activities such as Gentle Yoga, gluten-free baking, computer skills, art, dance, music, writing, language, sailing classes including Beginner Optimist Sailing, 420 Sailing and Intermediate Sailing with Saturday morning races, swimming, junior golf camps and clinics, and group tennis instruction. The Youth Activities Center (YAC) operates as a drop-in center for kids and features a snack bar, televisions, games, table tennis, and pool tables.
• Ages: 2–17 years old
• Schedule: The Youth Activities Center (YAC) is open for food service Noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 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 in historic settings ranging from pre-school and day camp to sports instruction, informal youth centers, enrichment classes, entertainment, reading, and arts experiences, and they encourage youth to grow in independence, make choices, take responsibility, and celebrate family time in the Chautauqua community. 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. 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 CLSC Young Readers Program focuses on the enjoyment of good reading, and the Special Studies curriculum offers interactive courses that engage youth in lifelong learning. The Chautauqua Golf Club offers junior golf camps and clinics for ages 4–17, and the Chautauqua Tennis Center offers group tennis instruction for ages 4–18 with racquets available to borrow at no charge, along with options for private lessons and junior memberships. Private sailing lessons may be arranged in addition to the sailing classes and Saturday morning races. The 25-yard indoor pool at the Turner Community Center is open year-round, and the Chautauqua Tennis Center is located directly behind this facility. The Chautauqua Opera Company, founded in 1929, presents more than 30 operatic events each season, including three mainstage productions, concerts, weekly artsong recitals, opera performances for young audiences, Young Artist open-mic nights, and Opera Invasions, and is North America’s oldest continuously operating summer opera company and the fourth-oldest opera company after the Metropolitan Opera, Cincinnati Opera and San Francisco Opera. Chautauqua Institution’s 2026 Season runs June 27–August 30. Every Wednesday of the season, Chautauqua County students, faculty, administration and staff receive free admission. Copies of the Green Sheet are available at the Colonnade, Welcome Center, Visitors Center, Book Store, and Library.
“There is no place like it. No resort. No spa. Not anywhere else in the country, or anywhere in the world,” according to historian and author David McCullough. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns states, “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 May 28, 2026.
• Ages: 2–17 years old
• Schedule: The Youth Activities Center (YAC) is open for food service Noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 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 in historic settings ranging from pre-school and day camp to sports instruction, informal youth centers, enrichment classes, entertainment, reading, and arts experiences, and they encourage youth to grow in independence, make choices, take responsibility, and celebrate family time in the Chautauqua community. 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. 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 CLSC Young Readers Program focuses on the enjoyment of good reading, and the Special Studies curriculum offers interactive courses that engage youth in lifelong learning. The Chautauqua Golf Club offers junior golf camps and clinics for ages 4–17, and the Chautauqua Tennis Center offers group tennis instruction for ages 4–18 with racquets available to borrow at no charge, along with options for private lessons and junior memberships. Private sailing lessons may be arranged in addition to the sailing classes and Saturday morning races. The 25-yard indoor pool at the Turner Community Center is open year-round, and the Chautauqua Tennis Center is located directly behind this facility. The Chautauqua Opera Company, founded in 1929, presents more than 30 operatic events each season, including three mainstage productions, concerts, weekly artsong recitals, opera performances for young audiences, Young Artist open-mic nights, and Opera Invasions, and is North America’s oldest continuously operating summer opera company and the fourth-oldest opera company after the Metropolitan Opera, Cincinnati Opera and San Francisco Opera. Chautauqua Institution’s 2026 Season runs June 27–August 30. Every Wednesday of the season, Chautauqua County students, faculty, administration and staff receive free admission. Copies of the Green Sheet are available at the Colonnade, Welcome Center, Visitors Center, Book Store, and Library.
“There is no place like it. No resort. No spa. Not anywhere else in the country, or anywhere in the world,” according to historian and author David McCullough. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns states, “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 May 28, 2026.
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