Your home is a more interesting place than you think. Instead of traveling for spring break or summer vacation, check out these 15 ideas for a family staycation that you can enjoy in your hometown!
By Elsie Callender, Contributing Writer
Most of us are far too busy to explore what our little corner of the world has to offer. We zigzag through town to get to commitments and activities, rarely taking the time to discover what’s of our own beaten path.
When we’re at home, we have infinite tasks and to-do lists to work through. We squeeze leisure time into the cracks in our day, hoping it will be enough to fix our frazzled lives and give us the glue to stick with our hectic schedules for another week.
As summer break approaches on the calendar, we’re desperate to get out of town and leave our busyness behind. Unfortunately, travel isn’t always possible. Preparing for a vacation can be a cause for stress in itself, and trips always put a strain on the budget.
The good news is, you don’t have to leave home to enjoy a relaxing vacation and reconnect with your family.
Since the Recession, “staycations” have jumped in popularity, and for good reason. A staycation is a simple, frugal way to enjoy time off with your family and live deeply right where you are.
The ground rules of your staycation are up to you–how much cooking you’ll do, which household chores you’ll keep up with, whether or not you’ll install a “no Internet” policy, etc. Figure out as a family what you want your staycation to look like, and put the dates on the calendar.
A staycation is the perfect time to cross some items off your summer bucket list! Here are 15 ideas for things to do on your next staycation, whether you have kids or you’re just hanging out with your spouse:
15 Ideas for a Summer Staycation with Your Family
1. Explore a new park
Check the website for your city or state to find local park listings. Bring a picnic or take out, plus blankets, summer reads, and a soccer ball or Frisbee.
2. Play in the water
You might not have a resort pool at your disposal, but you can visit a local splash pad or aquatic center, or just play in the backyard with hoses, squirt guns, and water balloons.
Image from pixabay.com
3. Splurge on an activity you wouldn’t normally do
Since you’re not spending money on traveling, do something fun that wouldn’t normally be in your budget, like renting kayaks, going to an indoor climbing wall, or taking everyone to see a movie in 3D.
4. Make a doughnut run
Check yelp.com to find the best doughnut shops that are local to you, and then go out for breakfast or dessert. Growing up, it was a super special treat to take our doughnuts to the beach for breakfast!
5. Play really long boardgames
A staycation is the perfect time to play those epic boardgames you remember from childhood! Make milkshakes and spend an afternoon introducing your kids to Monopoly and Risk.
6. Go stargazing
Gather blankets, a thermos of cocoa, binoculars, and a stargazing guide (see if your library has this one), and head to the backyard. If you can get away from light pollution, (for instance, a friend of yours owns a farm!), even better!
7. Film a movie
Act out and film a movie together, using whatever props, costumes, and locations your creativity can allow. You can have a script-writing session at the kitchen table with everyone giving input to a designated writer. If you’re not sure what story to film, try a modern retelling of a fairy tale.
8. Camp out
Pitch the tent in your backyard…or just your living room! Pile it up with blankets and cushions and then tell scary stories by flashlight.
9. Have a progressive dinner
Go to three different restaurants to get your appetizer, entree, and dessert.
Image from pixabay.com
10. Have a “build your own” night
Let family members pick their favorite ingredients, and set everything out on the table for a “build your own” pizza, burrito, baked potato bar, ice cream sundae, etc.
11. Visit a quirky museum
There may be some hidden gems you haven’t discovered! Google “museums near YOUR CITY, YOUR STATE” and it should pull up a map with listings.
12. Go geocaching
Geocaching is a popular treasure-hunting game that you can play using your GPS or mobile device. See here and here for more info on what it is and how to play.
Image by Richly Rooted
13. Go fruit picking
Find out what produce is in season in your area (here’s a spring produce guide and a summer produce guide), and then find a farm near you where you can pick blueberries, peaches, or whatever is growing! Go early in the day before it gets hot, and then use your pickings to make a simple dessert for supper.
14. Have a theme night (or two)
Let each family member come up with a theme, and then vote on them or draw one out of a hat. Everyone dresses up to fit the theme, and all of the evening’s food and entertainment tie in. For instance, on “alien night” you create your own alien costume, watch E.T., and eat Milky Way bars!
15. Make a time capsule
Fill a shoebox with pictures, letters to your future selves, filmed interviews (you can put them on a flashdrive), mementos from your staycation, and predictions about what each family member will be doing in 10 or 15 years–or however long you plan on waiting before opening the time capsule. You don’t have to bury the box, just put it in an out-of-the way spot in a closet or the attic. Write the current date on the lid, as well as the date you’ve set for opening the capsule.
Your souvenir from this staycation? I hope it will be inspiration to love the place you live, and never stop exploring!
Have you ever taken a staycation? What are your favorite staycation activities?
Want more ideas for a family staycation? Read these posts next:
- 8 Summer Activities to Do with Your Kids
- 12 Ideas for Dates with Your Kids
- 17 Free or Frugal Summer Activities for Kids
Aimee
Great ideas! We are focusing on staycations this year since our kids are so small. It’s just too much work to take a vacation LOL
Elsie
Thanks, Aimee! Yes, now that we have a little boy (13 months), we are seeing the allure of staycations even more!
Katherine
Don’t forget to take pictures! We have made a book of our vacation pictures the last two years. They are wonderful to help us remember, and make great gifts for grandparents.? There are companies online that run specials, or just do it the old fashioned way.?
Elsie
Yes, definitely!
Keelie Reason
Love theses fun ideas. 🙂 My husband has taken the kids geocaching before. It was good for them.
Elsie
Thank you, Keelie! What kid doesn’t like a treasure hunt, right?(:
Jessica
I loved this, Elsie!! Your next post should be, how to take a ROMANTIC staycation 🙂 Or adults only…or something like that 🙂
Elsie
Oooh, yeah! Good idea! I want one of those! 🙂
Mara
Love these ideas!! We typically like to bring the kids camping but since we have a new baby we’ll be taking the year off. Setting up the tent in the backyard seems like the perfect way to have fun without going to far. Maybe we’ll even purchase a fire ring for s’mores with the money saved. Thank you for the wonderful list of ideas! We’ll definitely be doing many of them.
Elsie
Thanks, Mara!
maesaysdoit
Write your local chamber of commerce for local information of things. This might seem “old fashioned”, but kids learn letter writing and waiting for the response packet. Also visit the nearest AAA Tavel Office for maps and more free things. Let them know you are teaching your kids about your area interests. Take a drive to the nearest rest stop with a visitors center. Some AAA places have free videos. It’s fun and most have a picnic area you can sit and enjoy your lunch. Pick up free maps for projects and colorful brochures to use for collages. Many have products of your state and area to view as well as free post cards and or stickers. If you have a family member traveling give them pre addressed stamped envelopes to send some travel info to you as they make stops along the way. And give them stamps and address labels and ask them to send your kids post cards from special stops and destinations.
Doyle Haffner
The further I read, the better your material is.