Summer camps provide opportunities for children to experience play, pleasurable activities, and social interaction with other children of similar ages and interests and are an integral part of the modern-day American cultural landscape. The authors discuss the emergence of summer camps for children with special needs, the types of play activities in such camps, and how therapeutic and learning goals are incorporated into this play. They critically examine outcomes of summer camp experiences for children with special needs as reported in the literature. And they provide suggestions for future research that considers the role of play in summer camps.