Want to get out there and have fun this summer without spending a ton of money? I got you!
A lot of our spring activity ideas would work swell for summer, too! But here are twenty new ideas to try.
20 Fun Summer Activity Ideas
1. Sunrise walk
There’s really nothing like being outside in the quiet while the sun rises. Try it out and see how peaceful the rest of your day turns out!
Highly recommend bringing some coffee or hot chocolate with you.
2. Forage
Foraging is a fun and free activity that uses a lot of types of thinking and parts of your brain. Do some research about foraging in your area, collect free food, and spend time in nature with this super fun and affordable activity.
Mulberries, blackberries, and dandelions can be found in many regions in summer.
3. Stargaze
Grab a blanket (or a truck) and head out to a dark spot to watch the night sky. You don’t need anything fancy to stargaze, but the Stellarium app is fun to use!
4. Host a potluck picnic
Get outside with your friends and neighbors for a nice afternoon snacking and chatting. You bring one thing, your friends bring another thing. Nobody’s stressed, nobody’s broke, and everybody eats.
Level 2 is getting pals together to feed unhoused neighbors with a cheap barbecue or an ice chest of sandwiches. You can all get together ahead of time to prepare the food, and even spread the ingredients list among your group.
5. Attend a free concert or movie in the park
Most towns have way more of these types of events than you might expect.
Check your library and city parks and rec’s schedules for any free entertainment they have coming up! I love watching movies in the park with my pals.
6. Set up a lemonade stand
Do you remember how fun it was to run a lemonade stand as a kid? Try doing it as an adult, if you don’t have kiddos to help out.
I have a little crew of neighborhood kids that loves to hang out in my yard, and they’d be thrilled to get roped into a lemonade stand!
You can pass it out for free, too.
7. Do a clothing swap
Get some friends together, have everyone declutter their closets and bring the goods to one house. Then everyone can shop each other’s unwanted pile. Everyone goes home with “new” things. Free fashion, zero landfill.
This is especially good if you feel the need to “upgrade” your wardrobe seasonally. You can get a little refresh without spending a dime.
Want to make a whole thing of it? Check out my guide for throwing a clothing swap party: How To Host A Clothing Swap
8. Visit a museum on a free day
Most museums have a free day. A quick Google will tell you which day, and it’s a great way to get out of the house without dragging yourself into the sun on hot days.
9. Sketch outside
You don’t have to be good at sketching to have fun. Sit under a tree, draw the tree, be one with the tree. 🧘♀️🌳
10. Press flowers
With a heavy book, some wax paper, and a few flowers, you’ve got a fun activity and precious little keepsakes from the season. I like to use pressed flowers for cards, framing, or tucking them into letters for my friends.
11. Write letters
Speaking of letters! Write one. A real one, on paper. To people that you love, especially any older people in your life. If you’re lucky enough to still have a grandma around, she’d LOVE to get a letter from you.
It’s free, emotionally fulfilling, and a wonderful way to brighten someone’s day.
I’ve always been a letter-writer. I have a box of correspondence from friendships long-gone, and it’s such a time travel moment to dig through them and see what was important to 9-year-old Mia and her friends.
12. DIY bird bath
A bird bath (or bug bath! 🐞) is a fun project, then you get endless entertainment from watching the little critters enjoy it. It’s also a fabulous way to support local wildlife and make your yard a little more ecological.
You don’t have to get fancy with it–but do get fancy, if that sounds fun! A shallow dish on a stump works just fine. A fancy pedestal you hand-paint is also cool. The birds don’t care–they just wanna splash.
13. Declutter
Summer’s long, bright days make it easier to see what’s actually serving you and what’s just taking up space. You can pick a drawer, closet, or corner to start in–or check out these five categories to declutter in the summer.
For a little extra help, check out the 100 item decluttering checklist at the end of this post.
14. Hammock
Get in a hammock.
That’s it. That’s the activity. You can read a book, take a nap, look at the leaves, consume some leaves. #HammockingHeals
15. Grow something
Try your hand at growing something! Sow some wildflower seeds, grow a tomato in a pot, put together a kitchen herb garden, or try sprouts in a mason jar. Doesn’t have to be a whole garden, just make something grow.
16. Plan a staycation day
Block out a full day and make a little itinerary of local spots you’ve never been, and treat your own town like you’re a tourist. It’s genuinely fun, and you might find some cool spots you’ve been overlooking.
17. Make homemade popsicles from whatever’s in your fridge
Anything can freeze into a tasty treat! Fruits, fruit juice, yogurt, sodas. Get crazy and experiment with whatever you have on hand. Some of them might be flops, but that’s part of the fun.
18. Find a natural spot to swim
A river, a lake, a creek, a swimming hole. Your neighbor’s pool when they’re out of town (jk, jk. unless…).
Check local guides and ask around! Natural bodies of water are magical and will heal a spot in your spirit you’ve been trying to reach.
Bare minimum, you’ll get your hair wet–that’s a win on its own.
19. Try a photo-a-day project
You can pick a theme–shadows, the color yellow, doors, your feet wherever you go–and shoot one photo a day for the whole summer. It’s so fun to scroll back through them and see how quickly things happen and change.
20. Do absolutely nothing for an afternoon
This might sound like a cop-out, but I’m being so serious. We’re all deeply overstimulated. Borderline chronically. A truly unscheduled afternoon can be extremely restorative. No phone or to-do list or agenda. Just BE for a few hours.
You don’t have to sit and stare at the wall, but you could sit in your yard and watch clouds or bugs. Let your mind be blank. Don’t accomplish anything. Follow the vibe. Let your brain breathe.
Here’s the decluttering checklist I promised.
If decluttering is your summer activity of choice today, let me help you out! This checklist is divided by room, and it can be used digitally or as a print-out. Grab it for free:
