School is out this week in West Columbia. With the school year over, many parents and students look for the chance to go to a summer camp. From schools and the zoo to the museum and recreation commission summer camp opportunities are plentiful in West Columbia.

East Point Academy offers summer camps for athletes, academics, art and other special talents. The camps are a fun and productive way for students to spend part of their summer.

East Point Academy has two West Columbia sites.  The Middle Campus is on Chris Drive and its Elementary Campus is on Leaphart Street, off of Sunset Boulevard.

For more information visit the East Point Camp website or call the Elementary Campus Office at (803) 925-5180.

Click here for a link to East Point’s summer camp website: 

Here’s a list of East Point Summer Camps:
Archery Camp:  
⦁ July 25th – July 29th
⦁ Beginning Archers: 9 am-12 pm
⦁ Experienced Archers: 1 pm- 4 pm
⦁ Middle Campus

Panda Star Camp
⦁ July 10th- July 14th – 8 am-3 pm
⦁ Rising 3rd-8th – Elementary Campus

Panda Cheer Camp
⦁ 8 am-12 pm – Session 1: June 6-10 / 4K-1st
⦁ Session 2: June 20-24 / 2nd-5th – Elementary Campus

New Panda Mandarin Camp
⦁ *New Students Only*
⦁ June 12th-23rd – July 3rd-7th – 8am-3pm
⦁ Rising 2nd-8th – Elementary Campus

Wang’s Art Studio
⦁ 8 am-4 pm – 5K – 8th
⦁ Session 1: June 6th – June 10th
⦁ Session 2: June 20th – June 24th
⦁ Elementary Campus

Once Upon a Panda
⦁ June 13th – June 17th – 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
⦁ Rising 2nd-6th Graders – Elementary Campus

Panda-monium
 8 am-5 pm – Session 1: July 3-7 Fourth of July
⦁ Session 2: July 10-14/ Science with Ming-Ming –
⦁ Elementary Campus

Gray Collegiate Academy is offering a Cheer Camp and a Soccer Camp

The 2023 Gray Collegiate Academy Little Girls Cheer Clinic
June 26- June 29 from 9 am- 12 pm in the GCA Gym
Click the link here 

What:   6th Annual War Eagle Soccer Summer Camp! Learn from the defending Region 3-2A Champions!
When:  June 19-21, 2023 | 6:00-7:30 pm
Where:  GCA Stadium – 3833 Leaphart Rd, West Columbia 29169
Who:  Boys & Girls Ages 4-12
To Register: Click here for link

The Lexington Two School District is offering several summer athletic camps open to area youth.  

Below is a sampling of offerings in June and July.

JUNE

Volleyball: Join the Brookland-Cayce High School Lady Bearcats for a youth volleyball camp, led by Coach Regan King. Participants will learn the basics of volleyball, working together, and what it means to have the Bearcat spirit! For ages 6-12; session runs 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Monday-Thursday, June 12-15, at Brookland-Cayce.  Campers will need athletic shoes, t-shirt and shorts, knee pads and a water bottle. $100 per participant, snacks provided. Click here to register or email [email protected]

Baseball: Get four days of instruction in hitting, fielding, base running, and pitching from the Airport High School team: Coach Casey Bradwell, Assistant Coaches Taylor Bundrick, Kris Kirkland and Brandon Caughman, along with Airport baseball players. For ages 6-12; session is 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Monday-Thursday, June 19-22, at Airport High School. $100 per participant, includes t-shirt; cash and check payable to AHS Eagle Club.  Click here to register or email [email protected] with camper’s name, age, school, contact info, and shirt size.

Volleyball/softball: Four days of instruction – hitting, setting, and passing in volleyball; and base running, fielding, and hitting in softball. Airport High School volleyball Coach Jessica Metts and softball Coach Anna Parker, along with players, will provide instruction. For ages 6-12; session is Monday-Thursday, June 19-22, at Airport. $100 per participant, with $10 sibling discount; cash, GoFan, or check payable to AHS Eagle Club.  Campers will need tennis shoes, comfortable shorts or pants, and a glove; they may also bring a bat and knee pads. Click here to register or email [email protected] or [email protected] to register.

Also at Brookland-Cayce, football athletes are invited to weights conditioning, starting at 9 a.m. June 5. Email Coach Rusty Charpia for details, [email protected]

JULY

Football: Friday Night Lights Youth Camp at Airport High School. For ages 5-12; session is 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Friday, July 14, at Airport’s Eagle Stadium.  Free. All campers will receive a t-shirt. Click here to sign up or email [email protected]. 

Cheer Clinic: Airport High is offering a cheer camp at the school. For ages 4-12; session is 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, July 17-19. $80, make checks payable to the AHS Eagle Club. Includes t-shirt, snack, crafts, and parent performance. Sign up by clicking here or email [email protected].

Football Clinic for Moms: Connect with other football moms, meet the coaches, learn more about Airport’s football program, and even try your hand at some of the things our football players do every day! Conducted by Airport High football coaches and Athletic Director Shane Fidler. For varsity, JV, C Team and youth moms; session is 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, at the school. Free. Sign up by clicking here or email [email protected].

Riverbanks Zoo and Garden Camp offers summer camps. Below are some of the titles of camps for ages kindergarten to sixth-grade. 

Click here for the Zoo Camp website:

• COASTAL CREATURES – Be a marine scientist and explore ocean animals that live along the beach and in the ocean.
• CREATURE FEATURE – Discover the wonder and importance of different animal coverings.
• KINDERZOO – Explore why bright colors, unique patterns, and basic shapes are important to living things.
• WILD NEIGHBORS – Meet some of South Carolina’s spectacular creatures as we compare them to the Zoo’s exotic residents.
• FIGHT OR FLIGHT – Discover the kinds of armor and defenses animals use to protect themselves.
• NATURE’S NETWORK –  Learn all about food chains, food webs. Discover how all living things are connected.
• LIFE WITHOUT LIGHT – Explore the ocean depths, underground tunnels, and the dark of night.
• SCIENCE OF EWWW – investigate the strange and gross habits animals employ.
• ISLAND FEVER – Travel to the islands of Madagascar, Australia, Galapagos, and many more and discover what makes these islands so unique.
• RAINFOREST EXCURSION – Climb the layers of the rainforest on  a tropical safari.
• NATURE’S MAGIC – Explore animal transformations, toxins and venoms. Spend time in the botanical gardens, and discover the magic of nature.
• ZOOVENTURE – A 2-week long outdoor-based camp adventure with off-site excursions, teambuilding challenges, animal encounters, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes tours and a Riverbanks overnight experience with guest speakers, and off-site explorations of local wildlife.

The Lexington County Recreation Commission conducts Summer Day Camps at West Columbia’s Tri-City Leisure Center. The camp is for kids from kindergarten age to sixth grade. At the camp, kids play dodgeball, basketball, along with participation in arts and crafts and other activities, including field trips.

Link to Lexington County Recreation Commission Summer Camp info: 

The South Carolina State Museum offers a fun and engaging week-long summer campsthat camps focus on a different subject each day including natural history, astronomy, art, S.T.E.A.M and more. Camps are available all summer long in June, July and August.

SC State Museum camp titles include: Cosmic Kids; Invention Convention; Little Bots; I’m All Booked Up! and Can YOU Believe it?!
Click here for the SC State Museum camp website:

There are many summer camp opportunities in and around West Columbia. Find yours.