Franklin Park Conservatory Summer Camps

Franklin Park Conservatory Summer Camps include hands-on activities such as exploring the Conservatory, outdoor play, and exploration around the Conservatory. Campers take part in gardening, garden exploration, and harvesting vegetables from the garden, and they discover seeds and roots, vegetables and fruits, wiggling worms, butterflies, and bugs. Activities also include interacting with real bugs, learning about insects, counting bugs, searching for color in the Conservatory’s gardens, outdoor explorations, searching for pollinators of all kinds, and hands-on art and science investigations. Campers can create spin art, tie dye a camp t-shirt, build a bird’s nest, make butterfly crafts, follow germination from seed to plant, plant, tend, and harvest straight from the gardens, turn garden veggies into tasty treats, use materials from the garden for art and science, learn how to use natural materials in art, and use all their senses to discover the smelly, the sticky, and the unsightly. Conservatory Camps provide a safe space for all campers, foster new friendships through active, outdoor play, and explore the wonders of the natural world through gardening and learning about insects.

• Ages: 3–8 years old
• Schedule: Week-long sessions with half-day morning and afternoon options and full-day options; morning and afternoon camps are half day, and camps for ages 5–6 and 7–8 are full day
• Price: Before Camp Care: $52 for a full week. After Camp Care: $42 for a full week. Ages 3 & 4 Morning Camp: $157, $137 for members. Ages 4 & 5 Afternoon Camp: $147, $127 for Members. Ages 5 & 6 Camp (full day): $297, $277 for Members. Ages 7 & 8 (full day): $297, $277 for Members.

Camps run in week-long sessions such as June 8–12, June 15–19, June 22–26, June 29–July 3, July 13–17, July 20–24, July 27–31, and August 3–7. Before Camp Care is offered Monday through Friday from 8–9am, and After Camp Care is offered Monday through Thursday from 4–5pm, and both are available only for full day camps. Children must be toilet trained for the Ages 3 & 4 Morning Camp and Ages 4 & 5 Afternoon Camp. Full day camp for 5-year-olds is recommended for those who have attended a full day program like Kindergarten, and if a 5-year-old has not attended a full day program or Kindergarten, it is recommended that they attend the half day afternoon camp.

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has a collection of glass works by artist Dale Chihuly on display and included with admission, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden, the Grand Mallway, and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Community Garden Campus with an apiary, rose pavilion, berry house, 40 community garden plots, a demonstration kitchen, and a Live-Fire Cooking Theater. Seasonal exhibitions include Harvest Blooms, Pumpkins Aglow, Holiday Blooms, and Conservatory Aglow, along with special horticulture and art exhibitions and summer day camp programs focused on gardening and insects. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Community Garden Campus is open to the public at no charge from dawn until dusk.

The Palm House dates back to 1895, and the Conservatory as it is today opened in 1993. The mission of Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is: “As a premier botanical garden destination, we connect people to nature and create life-enhancing experiences.” Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2025 honor by Columbus Top Workplaces. The leadership team includes President & CEO Bruce Harkey; Vice President of Planning Garry Clarke; Vice President of Event Sales/Facilities James Butch; Director of Horticulture and Exhibitions Karin Noecker; Director of Marketing and Communications Jennifer Wilson; Director of Community Outreach and Education Jenny Pope; Director of Human Resources Hillary Thompson; Director of Visitor Experience Heather Popio; Vice President of Philanthropy Carmen Boy; and Chief Financial Officer Jill Lukshin-Hoff.

Last updated January 9, 2026.