How is your summer going? 

Sure…. summer brings longer days and lots of opportunities to have special experiences that make lasting memories.  Summer can also be a time to slow down and enjoy some of the things we just can’t seem to get to do during the busier times of the year.

However, summer can also come with its own stressful set of demands, that can make even the most enthusiastic summer lover, long for Fall!  If we’re not careful, our calendars will fill up and we’ll lose out on the unique feeling of being in “summer mode”. 

What kind of summer do you want?  Do you want a hurry, hurry, rush, rush, same old, same old, nothing different than the rest of the year kind of summer?  Or, do you want a slow-down, smell the roses, new experience, make memories, choose to live your story well kind of summer?  It’s up to you!  You can decide right now; same or different, rush through or savor it?

Below is a list of 100 ideas to help you make this summer part of your “great story”!

100 Ideas to Help Make This Your Best Summer Ever:

  1. Spread out a blanket in your yard, lay on your back and find shapes in the clouds
  2. Star gaze
  3. Visit a National Park
  4. Camp in your back yard
  5. Camp at a state park
  6. Go to an outdoor concert
  7. Go to a drive-in movie theater
  8. Create an outdoor movie theater with a sheet and projector
  9. Watch a sunrise
  10. Watch a sunset
  11. Read more- set a goal! Maybe a book a week?
  12. Make ice cream from scratch
  13. Make bread from scratch
  14. Make biscuits from scratcH
  15. Test out some cold soup recipes
  16. Have a watermelon eating contest
  17. Set up a giant slip and slide in your back yard
  18. Float down a river / tubing
  19. Host a block party
  20. Pray more – develop the habit
  21. Organize a progressive dinner with your neighbors
  22. Plant a fruit tree
  23. Start an herb garden
  24. Start a salsa garden
  25. Learn how to can (preserve) your garden veggies
  26. Build a bird feeder
  27. Go on a bike ride
  28. Take a nap in a hammock
  29. Have an outdoor candle-lit dinner
  30. Host a BBQ cook-off
  31. Complete a 1000-piece puzzle
  32. Have a weekly game night
  33. Follow along with a YouTube video to paint a picture
  34. Start journaling – document your summer adventures
  35. Pass disposable camera around your family to take photos, print and make album
  36. Make a playlist of favorite “pick me up” songs
  37. Walk barefoot in the grass
  38. Swim in a lake
  39. Swing on a swingset (like you used to when you were a kid)
  40. Host a wine tasting – have each guest bring a bottle to share
  41. Go to a flea market
  42. Have a picnic at a park
  43. Light sparklers and write your name in the air with them, have someone take picture
  44. Fly a kite
  45. Catch fireflies
  46. Bird watch
  47. Practice your flower arranging
  48. Have a “stay-cation” and be a tourist in your own city
  49. Visit an aquarium
  50. Learn to identify constellations
  51. Make s’mores
  52. Have a bonfire and roast hotdogs
  53. Create a scavenger hunt for your friends
  54. Decorate your driveway with sidewalk chalk
  55. Learn how to do double-dutch jump rope
  56. Explore your local library
  57. Play air-soft
  58. Play charades
  59. Dry wildflowers
  60. Visit a local cathedral or monastery – or both!
  61. Visit a local museum
  62. Repaint a room in your house
  63. Try out a pastel hair color
  64. Learn to shag dance
  65. Try a new hairstyle
  66. Learn how to make a new “summer drink”
  67. Become a farmers market regular
  68. Make your own lip balm
  69. Host a yard game day
  70. Practice nail art
  71. Make a t-shirt for 4th of July
  72. Have fun with tie dye
  73. Go to a music festival
  74. Go skydiving
  75. Play beach volleyball
  76. Get a henna tattoo
  77. Ride on a ferris wheel
  78. Have a fondue night
  79. Go to a demolition derby
  80. Play tennis
  81. Play pickle ball
  82. Go fishing
  83. Go kayaking
  84. Go paddle boarding
  85. Play golf
  86. Shoot skeet
  87. Learn archery
  88. Go to a horse or dog show
  89. Binge watch a show
  90. Take a “mental health” day from work
  91. Create a summer scrapbook
  92. Visit a nursing home
  93. White water rafting
  94. Go on a zip line tour
  95. Go on a road trip
  96. Make cookies and share with your neighbor
  97. Serve at a homeless shelter
  98. Set a personal fitness goal to be met by the end of summer
  99. Create a time capsule
  100. Sometimes the best things are what we choose NOT to do! Choose what you will NOT do this summer!