9 Maine Summer Camps the Kids Will Love

1. Acadia Institute

9 Lower Dunbar Road Seal Harbor, Maine 04675
800-375-0058
explore@acadiainstitute.com

Based in Seal Harbor, Maine, the Acadia Institute of Oceanography hosts more than 200 students from around the world each summer to explore their career opportunities in marine science. Students will study the chemical, physical, and biological aspects of oceanography through hands-on activities along the coast of Maine and Acadia National Park. Lessons take place in the field, aboard a boat, at the shore, and in the laboratory. Students are housed in a converted schoolhouse with a working wet lab, cafeteria, bathrooms, classrooms, and recreational facilities.

At the heart of our program is a dedicated and experienced staff of college professors, classroom teachers, and environmental educators who work and live with the students. Sessions are organized by grade level and age, with a one-week introductory session for ages 10–12 years, two-week intermediate sessions for ages 12–15 years, and two-week advanced sessions for students ages 15 and up. Additionally, we offer a six-day winter program in Florida for students 14 and up and an eight-day advanced program in San Pedro, Belize. These programs are offered on alternating years and are open to exemplary students in our summer programs.

2. Camp Agawam

54 Agawam Road Raymond, ME 04071
207-627-4780

At Camp Agawam, a boy learns to become his best self. Through a structured seven-week program filled with opportunities for leadership, teamwork, and healthy competition in a digital-free environment, boys ages 8–15 develop the character traits they need to play a positive role in their communities. Each boy leaves camp with new skills, new friends, and a new sense of his own capacity, and becomes part of a dedicated alumni network that extends around the globe.

Since 1919, the values of sportsmanship, service to others, and stewardship of the natural world have been at the heart of the Agawam experience, which takes place each summer on a 125-acre lakeside campus in Maine.

3. Camp Timanous

85 Plains Road Raymond, ME 04071
207-655-4569
info@timanous.org

Timanous is a nonprofit summer camp for boys ages 8 to 15. Our campers lead an active, outdoor lifestyle. On a typical day, they can choose from a variety of activities, from soccer and sailing to archery and woodshop, and go swimming in our clear waters in between. Bonding with peers in their cabin, everyone gains from interactions across all age groups in our cohesive community. Experiences on camping trips, playing games with old and new friends, and exciting events like capture the flag create the feeling of being worlds away from the pressures of everyday life.

We purposely keep our camp small. With only 130 campers, we know each boy by name. The young men we select to be our counselors, most of whom were Timanous campers themselves, are caring role models who engage and support the campers and teach with a positive approach and a respect for everyone. The result is that campers return year after year.

Boys return home more self-confident, independent, and self-sufficient after spending a summer unplugged, having fun, learning new skills, enjoying the outdoors, and making lifelong friends. We are a community where you can be yourself while you are learning more about yourself.

4. Hearty Roots

P.O. Box 302 Bristol, ME 04539
connect@heartyroots.org

The mission of Hearty Roots is to empower Maine kids to dig deep, discover their grit, and cultivate meaningful connections through an intentional blend of outdoor adventure experiences, thoughtfully curated mindfulness and resilience practices, and dedicated mentorship. Based entirely outdoors, our affordable adventure camps are open to all kids, and are intentionally held on local nature preserves throughout Midcoast Maine and coastal islands in Muscongus Bay to inspire a connection with local outdoor spaces that participants can return to for grounding, nature therapy, and outdoor recreation.

Hearty Roots offers a mix of summer adventure programs ranging from day camps to week-long saltwater expeditions. While immersed in the outdoors, all participants are engaged in yoga, paddling, camping, biking, hiking, and journaling. They are also offered a safe, supportive space to explore skills focused on social-emotional growth, gratitude, self-compassion, grit, and communication. All camp sessions culminate in a Closing Circle, where campers reflect upon their week together and offer their families a glimpse

5. Hurricane Island

19 Commercial Street Rockland, ME 04841
207-867-6050
registration@huricaneisland.net

Hurricane Island summer science programs embed students in experiences that leverage the art and practices of science as tools for leadership and local actions. Through personal and group explorations, students explore their own strengths as transformative leaders who can address the sustainability challenges facing our world today. Through innovative and integrated curricula of science and research, middle and high school program participants are immersed in activities that help them think, observe, and ask questions. Students will develop leadership skills and immerse themselves in the natural history and ecology of the island. Island research priorities help inform our curricula and give students a chance to meet and engage with our research staff and see what field research is all about.

Our off-grid 125-acre island campus models sustainable living and working collaboratively in a conservation-minded community of staff, students, and visiting scientists and speakers. Being on Hurricane Island allows for a deeper connection to nature and to one another, with ample recreation time for campfires and s’mores, sunrise and sunset hikes, rowing, and swimming.

UMaine 4-H Camps and Learning Centers

University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H Camps connect people of all ages with the natural world and are for everyone! All sites offer traditional residential camps, off-site adventure trips, year-round school programs, custom programs, and programs for adults. Programs inspire participants to reach their fullest potential through affordable, hands-on experiences and connections to the natural world. Each is a unique place to see a world bigger than one’s self and to learn how to care for it. Caring adult mentors form healthy and positive relationships with participants, fostering a sense of belonging for all. Activities include outdoor skills, creative arts, archery and shooting sports, canoeing and sailing, hiking and backpacking, ecology, engineering and problem solving, swimming, camping, group building, awesome all-camp games, and gardening. Everyone in Maine deserves to experience the joy, belonging, and confidence that comes from being connected to the natural world and each other — experience it at UMaine’s 4-H Camps! From down east Maine to the midcoast and over to the western mountains, there’s a 4-H Camp perfect for you!

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