From mountains and rivers to rainforests and islands, Gwinnett Community Services’ Summer Adventure Camps will allow campers to explore a variety of exciting and interesting places all from the comfort of local community recreation centers.  

Adventure Camps, which are offered weekdays throughout June and July, are divided into two age groups — ages 7 to 13 and ages 5 and 6 for the junior camps — and include the following themes: 

• Desert Oasis

• Island Shipwrecks

• Mountains of Fun

• Pioneer of the Plains

• Rainforest Rangers

• Rockin’ Rivers

• Under the Sea 

Adventure Camp fees are $126 for Gwinnett County residents and $146 for non-residents. New this year, breakfast and lunch will be provided to campers at no additional cost. The meals are funded and supported by the United States Department of Agriculture and Georgia Nutritional Services.

“We are excited to add this important nutritional element to our camp program as food insecurity is a serious issue in our community and many children miss meals when school is out of session for the summer season,” said Jason West, Deputy Division Director for Collaboration for Gwinnett County Government.

Camps are planned for several locations in the North Gwinnett area, including Bogan Park Community Recreation Center and OneStop Buford in Buford and George Pierce Park Community Recreation Center in Suwanee. 

Similar to last year’s camp during the beginning stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gwinnett Community Services is taking some of the same precautions to keep campers and camp leaders safe. Campers are required to practice good hand-washing, undergo temperature checks, wear masks in all facilities and practice social distancing. 

“We went through this last year and had a very successful season, so we’re very confident about our camp program this year,” West said. 

Participants are also limited to 10 campers per camp. 

“Our camp numbers are reduced again so we can provide some additional social distancing,” West said. “Our staff have been able to find new and revised activities to do with the campers that don’t have to involve such close sharing of materials.” 

Despite a continued emphasis on safety precautions, “We’re still exploring, we’re still learning, all of that is taking place,” West said. “The fun and the activities and the enjoyment of camp continues.”

In addition to Summer Adventure Camps, the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center offers about 45 discovery camps. Times, dates, age requirements and costs are listed online here. Registration can be completed online as well. 

The Discovery camps include: 

• Bricks: Let’s All Play 

• Bricks: Let’s All Play Jr. 

• Bricks: Beasts & Bricks 

• Bricks: Busy Builders 

• Bricks: City Shapers 

• Bricks: City Shapers Jr. 

• Bricks: Critter Creators

• 1800s Survivor 

• Animation Creations 

• Art in the Environment 

• Camper vs. Wild 

• Chess Wizards

• Crafts and Critters

• Creep, Crawl, Slither

• CSI Science 

• Dinosaur Detectives 

• Eureka! Inventors 

• Foam Blaster STEAM Fun 

• Folk Art Fun 

• Forest Animal Friends 

• Forest Explorers

• Forest Fairy Tales 

• Forest Puppet Theater

• Games Games Games 

• Girls in Science 

• Little Sprouts 

• Magical Beasts 

• Mudpuppies 

• Mysteries of the Sea 

• Native American

• Nature Jam 

• Pirates & Mermaids 

• Pocket Monsters 

• Science in the Forest 

• Super Heroes 

• Theater Camp

• Trailblazers

• Water Wonders 

• Wizards & Wands 

• Young Scientists 

• American Dolls in Nature 

• American Dolls in History 

• American Dolls in Travel 

A trio of specialty camps are offered at locations in the north Gwinnett area and include: 

• Drama Camp at George Pierce Park Community Recreation Center 

• Family Fun at George Pierce Park Community Recreation Center 

• Draw, Paint & Sculpt Camp at George Pierce Park Community Recreation Center 

Times, dates, age requirements and costs are listed online here, where registration can also be completed.