Summer Camps in Palm Bay — Palm Bay, Florida

Palm Bay Recreation lists five youth camps: Palm Bay Summer Fun Camp at the Tony Rosa Community Center, a YMCA Summer Day Camp at the Ted Whitlock Community Center, and Winter Fun Camp, Spring Fun Camp and one-day Kids Day Camp at both centers.

All five run out of the two city gyms, Tony Rosa at 1502 Port Malabar Blvd. NE and Ted Whitlock at 370 Championship Circle NW (City of Palm Bay, Youth Camp Programs). Ted Whitlock is inside Fred Poppe Regional Park, listed at 1951 Malabar Rd NW (City of Palm Bay, Fred Poppe Regional Park), and public parking for Turkey Creek Sanctuary is at the Margaret Hames Nature Center by the Tony Rosa Community Center (City of Palm Bay, Turkey Creek Sanctuary). In summer the two gyms host different camps: Tony Rosa holds the city's Palm Bay Summer Fun Camp, registered through Play Online, while Ted Whitlock holds the YMCA Summer Day Camp, with YMCA fees and registration on the YMCA site.

A sixth option sits outside the gyms. The Margaret Hames Nature Center at Turkey Creek Sanctuary, 1518 Port Malabar Blvd. NE, lists nature day camps among its environmental education programs (City of Palm Bay, Turkey Creek Sanctuary), though the city page gives no dates or fees for them.

Last verified: October 13, 2026, on the City of Palm Bay camp page.

Palm Bay Summer Fun Camp at the Tony Rosa Community Center takes children ages 6 to 12 on weekdays from 7 AM to 6 PM for $110 a week, with games, sports, crafts, trips, reading time and STEM learning.

The city describes the days as a mix of games, sports, crafts, trips, specials, outdoor time, reading time and STEM learning. Parents may drop off or pick up at any time within the 7 AM to 6 PM window, and Tony Rosa doubles as a site for the free breakfast and lunch program, with set serving times and days (City of Palm Bay, Youth Camp Programs).

Registration for the Tony Rosa camp is online and first come, first served, and weekly spaces are not guaranteed until that week is paid for. Palm Bay Recreation advises families to create a Play Online account and add each child to it before registration opens, because a child must already be on the account to be registered. Questions go to the Tony Rosa Community Center at (321) 952-3443, and discount questions to summercamp@palmbayfl.gov (City of Palm Bay, Youth Camp Programs).

The 2025 season ran on the same hours at a lower price. The 2025 Palm Bay Summer Fun Camp flyer listed 7 AM to 6 PM, no camp on July 4 and a weekly fee of $90 (City of Palm Bay, 2025 Summer Fun Camp flyer), the rate that Resolution 2025-31 shows as the FY 25 figure before the FY 26 increase to $110.

The YMCA Summer Day Camp at the Ted Whitlock Community Center serves children entering 1st grade through exiting 5th grade, runs 10 themed weeks from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and costs $120 per child per week plus a one-time $25 registration fee.

The Palm Bay page lists swimming, creative arts, sports, group games and outdoor adventures, and names themed weeks running from Camp Kickoff Carnival and Superhero Academy to Beach Bash Week and Roundup Rodeo. Families may sign up for single weeks or the whole summer, and a recurring payment option holds a place for all 10 weeks without registering week by week (City of Palm Bay, Youth Camp Programs).

Registration for the Ted Whitlock camp happens on the YMCA site rather than Play Online, and weekly spots are guaranteed only once payment is received. Financial help is also routed through the YMCA: eligible families may qualify for 25% assistance toward weekly camp fees under the YMCA Financial Assistance Program, applied for directly with the YMCA. Camp questions go to PalmBayY@cfymca.org, according to the City of Palm Bay page.

The YMCA camp's home base is the 18,000 sq. ft. Ted Whitlock building, which the City of Palm Bay places inside Fred Poppe Regional Park, a 200-acre park with four lakes, lighted fields and bicycle and walking trails (City of Palm Bay, Fred Poppe Regional Park).

Under Resolution 2025-31, a regular week of Palm Bay day camp costs $110 in fiscal year 2025-2026, with lower weekly rates of $82.50 for children approved for free or reduced lunch and $55 for EBT or foster families.

The fee schedule, adopted by the Palm Bay City Council for FY 26, lists these city day camp rates (City of Palm Bay Resolution 2025-31, Exhibit A, page 12):

Resolution 2025-31 also takes $5.00 per child off when three or more children from the same household attend, but only for households that qualify for no other reduced fee. The schedule notes that extra admission and transportation fees may apply to special activities and field trips (Resolution 2025-31, page 13).

The discounts are not automatic at the Palm Bay centers. Families whose child has free or reduced lunch approval through the school board, or who receive EBT food assistance, must contact the camp location or email summercamp@palmbayfl.gov to have the discount applied before registration, and discount paperwork must be re-submitted after March 31 each year (City of Palm Bay, Youth Camp Programs). The YMCA camp at Ted Whitlock uses its own assistance program instead.

Yes: Palm Bay runs Winter Fun Camp and Spring Fun Camp for ages 6 to 12 at both Ted Whitlock and Tony Rosa during those school breaks, plus a $30 one-day Kids Day Camp on select days when students are out of school.

Kids Day Camp runs from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Ted Whitlock Community Center on Championship Circle NW and the Tony Rosa Community Center on Port Malabar Boulevard NE. The cost is $30 per child, space is limited to 30 campers per site, and a minimum of 5 participants is required for the program to take place. Days include indoor sports, arts and crafts and nature walks (City of Palm Bay, Youth Camp Programs).

Registration for the Palm Bay one-day camp is online only at playonline.palmbayfl.gov and typically closes at 5:00 p.m. on the day before each session, or sooner if the camp fills. After registering, families receive an email to complete ePACT forms with emergency contacts and medical information, and all forms must be in before the child attends. Families who receive free or reduced lunch or EBT food assistance may qualify for a discount by emailing summercamp@palmbayfl.gov before completing payment.

Winter Fun Camp and Spring Fun Camp follow the same Palm Bay format during the longer breaks: sports, group games, crafts, outdoor play and themed activities, with structured but flexible days at both centers. The City of Palm Bay page lists contacts for each center, Ted Whitlock at (321) 952-3231 and Tony Rosa at (321) 952-3443, but posts no weekly fee for the break camps.

In summer 2025 the city-run camp at the Tony Rosa Community Center averaged 70 registrations per week and the YMCA camp at Ted Whitlock averaged 54, according to Palm Bay Recreation Advisory Board minutes.

The Palm Bay Recreation Director reported those averages at the August 12, 2025 Recreation Advisory Board meeting, calling the summer camp successful (Recreation Advisory Board minutes, August 12, 2025). Together the two sites averaged 124 registrations a week (70 plus 54), a figure that counts weekly sign-ups rather than individual children.

Break camps are growing as well. At the April 7, 2026 meeting, the Recreation Director reported that Spring Fun Camp attendance increased 63% year over year, alongside spring swim lessons at the Palm Bay Aquatic Center that filled within hours (Recreation Advisory Board minutes, April 7, 2026). A year earlier, at the May 6, 2025 meeting, Summer Camp was on the list of upcoming Palm Bay programs with Kids to Parks Day and the Turkey Creek 5K (Recreation Advisory Board minutes, May 6, 2025).

The city's timing advice for Tony Rosa is direct. Space is limited per week, registration is first come, first served, a week is not guaranteed until it is paid for, and the city recommends creating a Play Online account before registration starts (City of Palm Bay, Youth Camp Programs).