This guide to summer camps North Naples covers what’s actually worth the drive south to Forge Athletics, the realistic drive times from Pelican Bay, Pelican Marsh, and Mediterra, and how the program is built for North Naples families who’d rather drive 12 minutes than babysit a kid through a screen-heavy summer.
Summer camps North Naples families have a real choice: the closer-to-home babysitting options or the small, coach-led programs south of Vanderbilt. Forge Athletics is the second kind.
If you’re searching for summer camps in North Naples, Pelican Bay, or Pelican Marsh, you already know the gap: most of the good camps are south of you, and most of the camps near you are watered-down daycamp. Forge Summer Camp sits at 1984 Tamiami Trail N, roughly 12-18 minutes south on US-41 from most North Naples neighborhoods, and it’s the option worth the drive.
Most summer camps North Naples options are within 15 minutes of home. Our 12-minute drive down 41 is competitive once you factor in what your kid actually does once they arrive.
Six themed weeks. Ages 6-14. Real martial arts training, not arts-and-crafts filler.
Drive times to summer camps North Naples families want
Rough morning drop-off (8am) drive times from North Naples:
- Pelican Bay, 14-16 minutes south on US-41
- Pelican Marsh, 12-14 minutes south on US-41
- Park Shore, 8-10 minutes south
- Moorings, 5-7 minutes south
- North Naples proper (34109), 15-20 minutes depending on exit
- Naples Park, 12-15 minutes
Drop-off and pickup both happen in our parking lot at 1984 Tamiami Trail N (Space G0003). No school-style carpool line chaos, most parents are in and out in under a minute.
Why summer camps North Naples families drive south to Forge
Three reasons come up in parent conversations:
1. It’s a real facility, not a rented space.
Most summer-only camps rent a church rec room or a school gym for the summer. Forge is a year-round martial arts and fitness gym, the same space we coach adults, fighters, and kids in all year. Full mats, heavy bags, climbing wall, AC, indoor everything. No weather-day cancellations.
2. The coaching is different.
The head coach has spent decades training kids, adults, and competing fighters, the same eye that coaches a serious athlete is the one coaching your 9-year-old through their first combination. Most parents feel this within a few minutes of walking in. Kids feel it faster.
3. 1:10 coach-to-camper ratio, every week.
Not 1:20, not 1:15. Every camp week is capped at 1:10. That means your kid gets actual attention, actual technique correction, and actual coaching, not a whistle and a game of tag.
What a week looks like
For broader research on geographic accessibility and camp choice, the American Camp Association publishes data on what drives family selection. Our summer camps North Naples positioning follows that logic for the South-of-Vanderbilt market.
A full-day camper (8am-5pm) at Forge does real work:
- Morning, technical training (striking fundamentals, footwork, pad work)
- Mid-morning, conditioning and skill games
- Lunch (campers bring their own; fridge and microwave available)
- Afternoon, theme-specific work (varies by the week)
- Late afternoon, open mat or open gym
Half-day option runs 9am-12pm for families who prefer a shorter day or younger kids.
Full six-theme breakdown is here.
