Cornelius Summer Camps Registration Open Now

The Town of Cornelius Parks and Recreation opened registration for its 2026 summer camp program this morning for residents, with availability expanding to the general public March 9. After operating with seven weeks last summer, the program returns to a full eight-week schedule.

Camps will run June 15 through Aug. 14, excluding the week of June 29–July 3.

Three new specialty camps join the lineup this year.

LKN Boat Builders challenges participants ages 10–13 to design and construct full-scale cardboard boats using engineering principles, culminating in a regatta on Lake Norman.

Need for Speed has campers building rockets, racing cars, and engineering mini roller coasters while learning about motion, force, and acceleration.

The new Running Camp, taught by Andrea Dell of Andrea Dell Running Coach and a Bailey Middle School cross-country volunteer, focuses on developing speed, strength, and confidence in children ages 10–12.

Several new instructors have joined the program in 2026. The Lake Norman Harbor Hippos will teach baseball, softball, and T-ball camps. Ray Gray with the Grayhounds Training Academy takes over sand volleyball instruction, and Modern Strike Tennis will lead tennis camps, which run all eight weeks at Bailey Road Park.

The full-day camp program continues at two locations. Children ages 6–7 attend at Cornelius Town Hall, while ages 8–12 are based at Bailey Road Recreation Center. Camps run from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and include weekly field trips to destinations such as Great Wolf Lodge, iFLY Indoor Skydiving, Discovery Place Kids, and Sky Zone Trampoline Park.

Pricing is $220 for residents and $290 for nonresidents for most weeks, with Great Wolf Lodge weeks at $255 and $335, respectively. Families can pay 50% of fees at registration, with final balances due May 15.

Cornelius residents must submit proof of residency by May 15 to maintain their registration and receive the resident discount. A limited number of scholarships are available for Cornelius residents based on CMS lunch assistance program eligibility.

The town partners with Mecklenburg County Therapeutic and Inclusive Recreation Services to offer camps for any child with a disability, developmental delay, behavioral, attention, or sensory disorder, or any other challenge that affects learning or life experiences.

Returning programs include Lake Safety Camps with the Cornelius Police Department, where participants learn boating and water safety on Lake Norman, and Food Science Camps, which teach chemistry through cooking activities. Sports offerings span basketball, soccer, flag football, pickleball, disc golf, lacrosse, rugby, and volleyball.

For younger children, mini-camps provide 90-minute sessions in flag football, soccer, T-ball, and the new Sporty FUNdamentals program, which introduces multiple sports to ages 4–6.

Camp minimum enrollment must be met for programs to run, and dates, times, locations, and instructors are subject to change. Each camper receives one T-shirt per summer regardless of the number of camps attended.

Registration is available online at www.cornelius.org/summercamps, in person at Cornelius Town Hall, or by phone at 704-892-6031, ext. 160.