Hershey Gardens offers an outdoor learning experience for camp groups of all ages. Spend the day at the Gardens with lunch in our outdoor picnic area!
“Winging It”
June – August, Pre-K to Grade 2
Students will become “lepidopterists” as they explore the magical metamorphosis of the butterfly. Program includes a guided tour of the Butterfly Atrium, educational activity, and a self-guided Gardens exploration.
Green Thumbs
Year-round, Kindergarten to Grade 3
Students will cultivate their own green thumbs as they explore the importance of living plants. Planting a seed to take home, tending to our garden and examining plants up-close are some of the activities students will enjoy. This trip will also include a visit to the Butterfly Atrium and Educational & Horticultural Wing.
Pricing for both programs is below.
- $11 per student (minimum of 15 students or equivalent value)
- 1 free adult for every 5 students (must maintain a 1:10 ratio)
- $13 per additional adult (No discounts, passes or memberships are accepted for this program.)
Hershey Area Playhouse
Summer Theatre Camp
Monday, July 8 through Friday, July 19 from 9 a.m. to noon
For grades 4 – 8
Join us for two weeks of improvisation, stage combat, scene and character work. We will focus on acting skills as well as stage combat, improvisation and character development; it will culminate in a fully produced, original production on July 19 at noon for friends and family. Included in admission; free for members. Registration is required at HersheyAreaPlayhouse.com. Instructor is Laurie Miller Petersen.
Registration available soon at HersheyAreaPlayhouse.com.
2024 Summer Camps
Our exciting, hands-on approach to science gives children the unique opportunity to conduct exciting and engaging experiments and activities. We make learning science FUN!
Full day options are $415/week; half day options are $240/week.
For more information or to register for the camps, please visit scienceexplorers.com
.
Take a Dive (Ages 7-11)
Monday, June 24 through Friday, June 28
Half Day: 9am-12pm
Full Day: 9am-4pm
Dive into the world of marine biology and oceanography! In our half day camp you’ll dissect a
real shark, participate in a fisherman’s challenge, examine the anatomy of a fish and learn the
ancient technique of gyotaku or “fish rubbing”, learn to survive at sea with a homemade solar
still, create a kelp forest and make your own submarine. Stay for the full day camp and come
face-to-face with some unique sea creatures! You’ll complete a squid dissection, bring to life
genuine Triassic Triops, conduct a whale adaptations lab, and examine many weird wonders that
live under the sea!
Magical World of Science (Ages 7-11)
Monday, July 22 – July 26
Half Day: 9am-12pm
Full Day: 9am-4pm
We’ve taken our after-school club topics from 2023-24 and turned them into a fun-filled week-
long camp! Explore the science of slime, create chemistry mixtures that fizz, pop, and glow,
investigate the science behind color and light, join our anatomy academy and discover how
amazing the human body is, and uncover Earth’s mysteries as we explore the world of dinosaurs,
discover hidden treasures, and use the power of the sun to make tasty treats.
Fizz, Bang, Boom, Bot! (Ages 7-11)
Monday, July 29 through Friday, August 2
Half Day: 9am-12pm
Full Day: 9am-4pm
What do you get when you take the physics of motion, add in some electrifying experiments, and
mix it up with some chemistry? Everyone has a blast! In our half day camp you’ll create your
own battery-powered invention, experiment with light and flight, make your own kaleidoscope
and experiment with giant floating bubbles. Stay for the full day try your hand at robotics, use
chromatography to separate the colors in candy, mix up some crazy chemical reactions, create an
electric game, investigate the effects of air pressure, and compete in a tall tower engineering
competition!
Astronaut Academy (formerly Far Out Space Academy) (Ages 7-11)
Monday, August 5 through Friday, August 9
Half Day: 9am-12pm
Full Day: 9am-4pm
3…2…1 BLAST OFF to discovering space and flight! Half day campers will explore the stars and
constellations as you take an out-of-this-world sky tour in our homemade planetarium, prepare
for lift-off as you build and launch your own rocket while learning about Newton’s Laws of
Motion, complete a mission to Mars as you design and build your own model space station and
work in engineering teams to construct space capsules that will be used to launch “eggstronauts”!
Full day campers will continue to use your astronaut wits as you build air powered nano-rovers,
make craters and dry ice comets, and work with a robotic arm as you learn how astronauts use
robots to work on satellites. Come join us on our mission through outer space!
Junior Explorers (Ages 4-6)
Monday, August 12 – Friday, August 16
Half Day: 9am-12pm
Do you want to be an archaeologist…a geologist…or how about a biologist? You can be all this
and more in this fun-filled camp! Each day we’ll explore a new habitat as we dig for dinosaurs in
the desert, make creatures of the rainforest, create an arctic home, erupt a volcano, and go
spelunking in your own cave creation. There’s so much to do in this exciting week of camp.
