If summer is still a giant question mark and you don't have time to read another camp roundup, we got you. We just dropped two versions of our 2026 Westside camp guide:

❋ The Scannable Edition: sports, art, surf, robot, D&D kid... sorted by vibe.

❋ The Full Guide: 35+ camps, ages 2 to teen: for when you need dates, prices, etc.

Forward to a friend who is still googling "camps near me" at 11pm. Look, we’re just getting our summer guides out mid May. We see you.

If you're a Club Joyful member, you already got the email: from June 1 – July 31, our beloved Lincoln Blvd spot is pausing weekday programming and the cafe to host the Alpha School Summer Camp. Weekends stay open. Regular ops resume Tues, Aug 3.

This is the same Alpha we wrote about in February, the $65K AI powered school opening this fall on Main St.

The Santa Monica summer price: $2,000/week. That's $8K for 4 weeks, or $24K for the full summer. (Yes, we double checked at the registration screen. Alpha's marketing page shows a "from $1,500/wk" floor for other markets, but SM runs higher.)

So, is it worth it? And is this where school is headed?

We unpacked both - the daily schedule, the AI model, who it's a good (and bad) fit for, and the bigger thing every Westside parent should probably be paying attention to.

❋ Read the full breakdown: Is Alpha School Summer Worth $2K/Month?

Going? Not going? Hit reply - we're collecting honest parent takes for a follow-up.

The rest is for Venice Rising subscribers - free to join, takes 10 seconds.