Eleven At Home Summer Vacation Ideas with Kids
Summertime is a time for fun, sun, and vacations! But what do you do when money or time are tight? You get creative and create a fun in the sun summer that your kids will love! These eleven ideas for super cheap (mostly free!) close to home summer vacation ideas with kids will have your kiddos reminiscing about this summer for years to come.
Since the boys were two years old, we have made the five hour drive from Virginia to the Outer Banks to enjoy a week of beach life. I love the Outer Banks. It was a destination vacation for us when we were kids and holds a very special place in my heart. There is something about the salty air and the sandy beaches that evoke childhood memories of my daddy pulling me along the surf as a child, it just takes my heart to a happy place. I wanted my kids to have those same fond memories, so a few years back I finally talked my husband into taking us.
The kids have grown fond of this as our summer vacation over the past three years, but this year we had to break it to them that vacation this year was going to be a little closer to home. With the farmhouse being completely demolished at this point and working to get it under roof and livable by Christmas, we didn’t have the time (or energy) to plan a week long beach vacation. But just because we don’t get to make it to the Outer Banks doesn’t mean I will not work to make this one of the most memorable and fun summers our kids have had!
If you have found yourself in a similar situation with no time to take a full on vacation or funds are just a little tight this year hopefully this list of fun summer ideas will help you and your kiddos create a memorable and fun summer you will all enjoy!
1. Take a Bike Ride
Is there anything more summer than feeling the wind in your hair as you speed down a bike path with not a care in the world?!
Bike riding is one of our kids favorite summer activities. We live in the county with little smooth riding surfaces for the boys, who still insist on training wheels, so our bike riding is typically on a trail or at the local school. One of our favorite places to go is the Greenbrier River Trail in West Virginia (pictured below). It is a great little ride up and down the Greenbrier River and one I grew up doing. Added bonus, it is near my parents so it makes for a good excuse to visit some of my favorite people.
2. Take a Hike
Hiking is another fun way to get outside and start exploring. Living in Rockbridge County there is hiking everywhere. Our favorite thing to do is hike and explore the farm. There are so many things that are constantly changing that we would never see otherwise. The last hike we took around the back half of the farm found us in a thicket of blackberries and raspberries we didn’t know were there along with a cherry tree! Last winter I found some really cool old bottles that are now on display in our home.
It doesn’t matter where you hike, just go with eyes wide open to enjoy and appreciate all that nature has to offer. One of our favorite games to play is name that plant. My husband and I try to figure out the name of each interesting plant we come across. Sometimes we cheat and use the Google Identifier app. For us hiking is all about the time we spend together and the chance to dream of what tomorrow brings for us.
3. Float the River and Take Them Fishing
This is something I wish we did more of, but it can be a big time commitment. An all day lazy float down the river is such a good time though, and the kids will love playing in the water on a hot day. Now this may cost a little money upfront to buy floats, a canoe, or a kayak, but the return on investment will be great with making memories. Add in fishing and you are teaching them lifelong lessons on how to provide for their families.
Even if you don’t take an all day float, the river is a great place just to wade in and splash around for a bit on a hot day. We will sometimes take the kids to South River just below our house and let them play around in the shallow cool of the river. They love to skip rocks and look for crawdads (a pastime that was so much fun when I was a kid).
We have also been blessed to have a little creek running through our property. While we currently share it with the cows, the kids still love to go down and play in the cool water and catch minnows. Water play is always a win on hot days, and the kids don’t even care that it isn’t a beach.
4. Lake Day!!
Speaking of water play, this is my all time favorite summer staycation, the lake! I grew up with my momma taking us to Sherwood Lake every Thursday during the summer. While it costs a little to get in to park, we made it worth the trip up with an all day stay.
I can remember as a kid, my momma sitting on the beach while we all swam, floated, and played in the water. We would only come out only to eat lunch that always consisted of bologna sandwiches and Doritos. By the time we would leave for the day we were all exhausted and usually fell asleep after five minutes in the car.
Lakes usually have a ton of other things to do in addition to swimming. Ours had paddle boats that were fun to go out on the lake. We also had a great hiking path and fishing areas all around. Later on they built a play area and of course camp sites for overnight stays. If you have a long weekend, camping is definitely a vacation that every kid should experience at some point. I don’t mean camping in a camper, but real life tent camping. There is no greater adventure for a kid!
5. Front Yard Water Park
Front yard waterparks are one of our favorite afternoon boredom busters! We all love a good slip and slide race or water balloon fight. Front yard water parks can be as elaborate or as simple as you would like. A simple sprinkler will keep the kids just as entertained as a full on waterpark set up. They just need some sunblock, water, and they will be set for hours of fun play on those hot hot summer days.
We love to also get out the water guns and have a full on family water war. Littles team up with parents and the whole family gets into the cool fun! Don’t forget the popsicles to finish off the perfect front yard cool down.
6. Late Night Memories
After a long day in the sun, the fun doesn’t have to stop. One of my favorite childhood memories was catching fireflies in my front yard while my mom and dad sat on the glider and watched. I loved putting them in a mason jar and watching them light up in the sky. This is still something I love to do with the kids. I don’t care if I am a mid thirties something out there making a fool of myself haha.
Make it even better by building a small fire and roasting marshmallows! My kids (and I) love roasted marshmallows. There’s something most decidedly summer about roasting a mallow on an open flame and catching fireflies on a muggy summer night.
7. Movie/Game Day
What about those rainy summer days when you can’t get outside without getting soaked? Maybe it is a hundred degrees and you just don’t want to go out? That is when you grab a movie you haven’t watched in a while and make an event of it. I mean full on popcorn, slushies, and movie theater candy. Even if you don’t have all the fixin’s you can still have a great time watching some old favorites. One of our favorites is The Sandlot. You can never fail with that movie!
(Favorite quotes include “Foooreeevverrrr” and “I’m roasting like a toasted cheeser out here, it’s so hot!”)
Not movie watchers? Maybe you just need a break from the screen? Games are always a fun way to entertain your kids while creating some friendly competition. I will be honest, I am a very competitive person and my competitive bone knows no age restrictions haha. I do love to win, but I enjoy the joy the kids show as they are learning a new game or playing an old favorite. We love to play Life, Uno, and Ready!Set!Spaghetti!
8. Visit a Farm
I know what you are probably thinking, “But Kimberly, you live on a farm”. You are correct, but there is nothing more fun that taking a day to visit someone else’s farm, especially if it is a fruit farm! Farms are great places for your kids to learn about the world around them and how their food is actually made. You could go to an orchard and pick your own or just go check out the animals and do a pasture walk to learn all about caring for livestock and the foods they eat.
Some farms will even let you come and work with them for the day (my hand is raised over here waving you over)! You can check out how they garden, take classes, and just be free with the great out doors. So call a local farm today and see if they are open to the public and learn more about what small farmers and homesteaders do.
9. Park Day
Now this is a year round favorite for us. The kids love to go to the park to play and swing. We luckily only live about five minutes from the elementary school so when school is not in session on the weekends, we take advantage of the track, jungle gym, and play sets. It is a fun way to spend an afternoon. It is also great for those parents working from home! Take your headset and computer and log into the free wifi. Your kids will be entertained while you get through those endless zoom calls!
10. Take a Drive
I remember taking Sunday drives as a kid with my parents. Daddy would load us all up and take off down some back road that no-one ever traveled. We would discover all sorts of neat things. The point of taking a drive is to get a little lost and to enjoy the scenery (no cell phones here)!
Stop at random places along the way and explore a little. Stop at a creek, pick some flowers, and just talk to one another. Being in the car with no cell phones is a great way to connect with your kids. You have to talk because there is no getting away from one another!
While cell phones should be banned, the one thing you absolutely have to bring is snacks! No snacks is a quick way to ruin an otherwise perfect drive down a back road. Enjoy your time with your kiddos exploring what your world around you have to offer. You never know where a back road will take you and what you may discover.
11. Sweet Treats
Baking with my kids is one of my favorite things to do, but who wants to do that in the dog days of summer where your house is already a sweltering one million degrees? Am I right?! Baking in the summer is a rarity for me unless it is a rainy day (See movie/game day above. Baking treats would also be great!).
But I still love to get a good sugar rush! So make something simple and no bake! Make a sundae bar and let them build there own, make popsicles from fresh fruit, or just enjoy a nice cold refreshing sun tea on the back porch with them. As you sit and sip, you can enjoy the little moments and little conversations they bring to your life.
You can also save those Popsicle sticks to make things! We are saving ours up to make garden markers for next year’s garden!
Have a blast with your kids this summer!
I know sometimes it can seem like you aren’t giving your kids everything they need in a summer vacation by not getting away and taking them someplace. But be honest with yourself is the vacation more for you or for them? It is totally okay if it is for you! Some days I need a break as well, but when it comes to your kids they will have just as much fun if you were to give them your time and attention in a fun and creative way at home verses an expensive vacation where you are stressed and distracted trying to plan and coordinate. So take a breather, and have fun with your kids this summer and save that money for next time!
Leave us a comment below to let us know what your favorite summer staycations are! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
