Avoid the End of Summer Blues With These 25 Ideas
The end of summer is nearing, and if you’re anything like us, you’re probably scrambling to find ways to enjoy these last days of summer with your friends and family. Our favorite seasons must come to an end, and sometimes, that can feel sad and disheartening!
Lucky for you, we have compiled a list of 25 activities that you and your family can plan that will help you soak up the sun and chase those blues away!
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20 Ideas for Enjoying the Last Days of Summer
The first thing that comes to mind when we hear “summer” is “outdoors.” Typically, most summer activities revolve around being outside, soaking up the glorious sunshine, and enjoying the fresh air and warm breeze.
With that in mind, we’ve come up with 20 mostly outdoorsy things to do before the end of summer.
* Please note that most of these ideas include links to locations or experiences within the United States. If you aren’t based in the States, please feel free to adapt these ideas and find similar experiences wherever you are in the world!
1. Host a Luau. Pinterest has awesome Luau ideas!
2. Go on a hike. AllTrails will help you find the best hikes near you! Just type in the city, zip, or trail name. Easy!
3. Attend an outdoor sporting event (baseball is a great place to start!).
4. Go on a camping trip. This website has a list of the most scenic places to camp in the U.S.!
5. Take a trip to the beach or a lake.
6. Attend an outdoor concert and/or show at an amphitheater.
7. Host an outdoor movie night. Check out this outdoor projector and screen to level up your movie night!
8. Host a bonfire.
9. Plan a picnic at an outdoor park.
10. Attend a hot air balloon festival. This list gives the locations for the top 15 festivals in the U.S.!
11. Go to a water park. You’ll want to visit at least one of these 28 best water parks in the U.S.!
12. Go fishing or boating.
13. Travel to a car show. The U.S. hosts some amazing car shows, including these 10 best car shows of 2024!
14. Watch fireworks. Several cities take the cake for hosting incredible fireworks shows. See if your city makes the list!
15. Check out your local outdoor swimming pools before they close. Most remain open until Labor Day!
16. Attend your local town days.
17. Go to the last farmers market in your area. Or, if you’re willing, take a trip to one of the 10 best farmers’ markets across the nation!
18. Experience off-roading. Check out this list of the best off-road locations in the U.S.!
19. Go golfing.
20. Go to a theme park. The U.S. has tons of amusement parks to choose from, so use this list to help you decide!
5 End of Summer Traditions to Start This Year
Summer’s end may seem sad, but it doesn’t have to be. Perhaps it’s time to start some new traditions that you and your family (or friends!) can participate in to help you all look forward to the last days of summer instead of dreading them.
We’ve come up with five ideas to get you started. Feel free to adapt them as needed or come up with your own unique traditions that you and your loved ones can indulge in every year to truly appreciate and enjoy every last beautiful moment of the season.
21. Visit family before you get back into your busy routines. It doesn’t matter if you live minutes away or states away … get together with your family! Plan an end-of-summer weekend where you can soak up some much-needed family time before school and the craziness of life begins.
22. Watch the final sunset of summer together at a park, in your backyard, on your roof, anywhere! While you’re watching the sunset, consider sharing your favorite memories that occurred during your time together over the summer.
23. Participate in a family reading challenge before school starts. Not only will this help the kids prep for school, but reading as a family has many benefits, too. You can choose a book to read together and out loud every night, or you can each choose your own book to read as long as you’re in the same room. If you have younger children, consider reading illustrated classics such as Harry Potter, The Jungle Book, or Alice in Wonderland. Search “illustrated classics” online or on Amazon for more options.
24. Host an end-of-summer barbecue or party in your neighborhood with friends or family. This tradition could be fairly easy to pull off, especially if you turn the meal into a potluck!
25. Sleep under the stars or have a backyard campout with the family on the last night of summer. If you wanted to, you could combine this with our idea of watching the final sunset together! Check out this adorable outdoor teepee tent. This would be perfect for your end-of-summer sleepover!
We hope these ideas spark some inspiration to enjoy those last few days of summer with your loved ones and make countless precious memories!
Happy Summer!
