School’s out. The sun stays up late. Yet your group chat keeps asking, “What now?”
If your mind is empty on things to do in Summer, keep scrolling! This guide comes with 100+ ideas you can start today.
I made every tip quick and cheap. You’ll find backyard hacks, beach moves, road-trip stops, and zero-cost wins for bored nights at home. I even added travel spots that fit tight wallets.
So, grab sunscreen, a power bank, and an open plan. And let’s turn June, July, and August into adventures you’ll brag about all year!
Contents:
- Things To Do On Your Summer Vacation / Holiday
- With Your Friends
- In Your City
- At Home
- Alone
- When Bored
- For Teens
- With Kids / Family
- For Couples
- With Cousins
- While Camping with Friends
- At the Beach with Friends
- On A Budget
Things To Do On Your Summer Vacation / Holiday
(Photo by Valeriia Kryshchuk)
1. Road-trip Route 66 and hit quirky roadside diners.
2. Spend a week in a national park and chase waterfalls.
3. Book a cheap cruise to the Bahamas during off-peak dates.
4. Try a cabin stay near Yellowstone and see wildlife at dawn.
5. Take a train ride along the California coast for ocean views.
6. Fly to Puerto Rico for three days of rainforest hikes and beach time.
7. Volunteer on a sea turtle rescue project in Florida.
8. Rent bikes and pedal the Cape Cod Rail Trail.
9. Swap homes with a friend in another state for a stay-cation feel.
10. Join a group tour of Washington, D.C.’s free museums.
Pro Tips:
- Midweek flights usually cost less: try setting price alerts to catch deals.
- Before heading out, check park websites to see if you’ll need a timed-entry pass.
- Bring a power bank. Long travel days can drain your phone battery before you know it.
With Your Friends
(Photo by Melissa Askew)
11. Backyard movie night with a sheet and a projector.
12. Lip-sync battle in the garage: winner picks pizza toppings.
13. Rent paddleboards and race across the lake.
14. Host a DIY tie-dye party: everyone brings one white tee.
15. Midnight mini-golf at a glow-in-the-dark course.
16. Sunset drive-in theater trip: pile into one car.
17. Escape-room challenge downtown.
18. Bake-off using only five ingredients each.
19. Start a two-day group road trip to a nearby state fair.
20. Play paintball in the woods and keep score with a whiteboard.
Pro Tips:
- Split costs with a shared money app. It’s just easier.
- Make a group playlist so everyone hears their song. No one wants to listen to the same three tracks on repeat, right?
- Snap vertical photos, they pin better on Pinterest.
In Your City
(Photo by Harry Gillen)
21. Hunt for the best taco truck and rate each taco out of 10.
22. Ride every public-art bus line and take photos.
23. Join a free outdoor yoga class in the park.
24. Visit the tallest building’s lookout deck at sunset.
25. Take a self-guided street-art photo tour.
26. Hit a weekday farmer’s market for fresh fruit samples.
27. Try geocaching around local monuments.
28. Attend a minor-league baseball game for cheap seats.
29. Sign up for a library makerspace workshop.
30. Join a weekend food-truck festival.
Pro Tips:
- Grab a city transit day pass: it’s a quick way to save some cash.
- Don’t be shy about asking small shops for student or local discounts. Sometimes adults can snag deals too.
At Home
(Photo by Alison Marras)
31. Make homemade popsicles with fruit juice.
32. Build a cardboard fort in the living room.
33. Learn a TikTok dance and film a group version.
34. Start a tiny herb garden on the windowsill.
35. Hold a family talent show: yes, parents join too.
36. Create a “spa day” with DIY face masks.
37. Try a 1,000-piece puzzle and time yourselves.
38. Host a video-game marathon with snacks every level.
39. Bake bread and trade loaves with neighbors.
40. Watch the ISS pass overhead with a space-tracker app.
Pro Tips:
- Freeze fruit inside ice cubes: your drinks will look way more fun.
- Try turning off your Wi-Fi for an hour. You might be surprised by the games that show up.
Alone
41. Sunrise jog followed by journaling at a café.
42. Read a graphic novel in a hammock.
43. Take an online photography class and snap backyard shots.
44. Plan a solo day trip by train to a nearby town.
45. Make a vision board for next school year.
46. Try a new recipe with only items already in your pantry.
47. Sketch a comic about your week.
48. Meditate with a free phone app for 10 minutes.
49. Learn three phrases in sign language.
50. Create a playlist of songs you loved in 5th grade.
Pro Tips:
- Set a 30-minute timer. Short bursts make solo tasks way more fun.
- Give yourself a little reward when you finish: maybe a treat or a break.
When Bored
51. Rearrange your bedroom furniture for a fresh look.
52. Try speed-cleaning your closet: 10 songs, no stopping.
53. Make a paper airplane contest and time the flights.
54. Write a short letter to your future self.
55. Learn to juggle with oranges.
56. Build a rubber-band ball the size of a softball.
57. Create a stop-motion film using toys.
58. Practice drawing with your non-dominant hand.
59. Set up a blindfold snack-taste test.
60. Make friendship bracelets for your whole crew.
Pro Tips:
- When you start feeling bored, treat that as your cue: switch up what you’re doing every 15 minutes or so.
- Don’t be shy about sharing your mini projects. Even the tiniest wins can spark a little inspiration in someone else.
For Teens
61. TikTok recipe swap with classmates.
62. Start a garage band and record one song.
63. Volunteer at an animal shelter for service hours.
64. Join a coding boot camp online.
65. Plan a thrift-store fashion shoot.
66. Bike to every playground in town and try the swings.
67. Host a trivia night on Discord.
68. Film a parody commercial and edit on your phone.
69. Day trip by bus to the state capitol for a civics selfie.
70. Create a DIY phone case with resin or stickers.
Pro Tips:
- Pad your résumé. Summer projects actually look pretty impressive on college apps.
- Keep those thrift flip receipts handy. You can show off the cost versus profit on social media: people love that stuff.
With Kids / Family
71. Water-balloon baseball in the yard.
72. Backyard bug safari with magnifying glasses.
73. Make ice cream in a bag: shake for 10 minutes.
74. Build a blanket fort and read books inside.
75. Sidewalk-chalk obstacle course.
76. Family scooter ride on a safe trail.
77. Create a time capsule to open in five years.
78. Picnic dinner at a local lake: stay for stars.
79. Train trip to a children’s museum in a nearby city.
80. DIY bird feeders using peanut butter and seeds.
Pro Tips:
- Keep a “go bag” with sunscreen, wipes, and snacks in the car.
- When you’re traveling with little ones, short bursts on the road work way better than those marathon drives.
For Couples
81. Sunrise paddleboat ride.
82. Cook-off using only farmers’ market finds.
83. Stargaze with a phone astronomy app.
84. Take a weekend Amtrak ride to a new town.
85. Tandem bike rental along a beach path.
86. Create a shared photo book from last year’s trips.
87. Try a pottery class and keep each other’s mug.
88. Set up a backyard candlelight dinner.
89. Visit a sunflower field and snap couple photos.
90. Plan a “yes day” where you agree to each other’s safe ideas.
Pro Tips:
- Rotate planning duties: one partner plans odd months, the other even.
- Small adventures add up to strong memories.
With Cousins
91. Family kickball game at the park.
92. Build a lemonade stand and split the cash.
93. Make a giant family tree poster together.
94. Sleep on the trampoline and watch for shooting stars.
95. Hold a cook-out potluck: each cousin brings one dish.
96. Photo hunt inside Grandma’s house.
97. Create a secret handshake for the cousin squad.
98. Put on a lip-sync concert for the adults.
99. Group day pass to a water park.
100. Start a cousins-only group chat with weekly memes.
Pro Tips:
- Print name tags for new in-laws. Nobody wants to forget names and have that awkward moment.
- When cousins get together, having a clear start and end time just makes everything smoother.
While Camping with Friends
101. Set up hammocks and read comics.
102. Creek rock-skipping contest.
103. Make campfire banana boats with chocolate chips.
104. Sunrise fishing challenge: biggest catch wins snacks.
105. Trail bingo: spot deer, chipmunks, and odd-shaped clouds.
106. DIY camp Olympics (sack race, three-leg race).
107. Map-reading race to find a hidden snack cache.
108. Solar shower challenge: who handles cold water the best?
109. Build a tiny raft and float it downstream.
110. Hike to a lookout point for group photos.
Pro Tips:
- Freeze some water bottles. They double as ice packs and, really, nothing beats a cold drink later when you’re out there.
- Toss a deck of cards in your bag. Rain shows up whenever it wants, and you’ll thank yourself for the backup plan.
At the Beach with Friends
111. Sandcastle contest judged by strangers.
112. Beach volleyball losers buy snow cones.
113. Seashell bingo: find shapes like hearts or letters.
114. Paddleball tournament near the waterline.
115. Sunset group photo jump.
116. Frisbee-golf using flip-flops as targets.
117. Snorkel and count fish colors.
118. Hunt for sea glass and craft jewelry later.
119. Read the same book and chat about it under umbrellas.
120. Take a swim under the moon with glow sticks on wrists.
Pro Tips:
- Bring some baby powder: it gets sand off in no time.
- Pack a bright flag so your friends can actually find you on a crowded beach.
On A Budget
121. Free museum day trip.
122. Dollar-store art challenge: $5 max.
123. Sunrise hike on a local trail.
124. Library movie night with borrowed DVDs.
125. Free outdoor concert in the park.
126. Make a backyard obstacle course with items on hand.
127. Two-day stay-cation with house swapping between friends.
128. DIY kite using newspaper and sticks.
129. Community-garden volunteering for free veggies.
130. Host a board-game swap party.
131. Neighborhood clothing swap: trade shirts and jeans with friends instead of buying new stuff.
132. Free astronomy night at a college observatory: see planets through giant telescopes for zero dollars.
Pro Tips:
- Try searching “free events near me” every week. You’ll be surprised at what pops up: there’s always some hidden gem out there.
- Flash your student ID or even an AAA card. Sometimes, you’ll stumble into discounts you didn’t expect.