Amazing Summer Staycation Ideas For Families In USA
In need of some summer staycation ideas for families? If you’re trying to live a frugal lifestyle and can’t spend a fortune on a trip (or you just don’t want to), here are some fun summer staycation ideas for family fun!
Many people like staying home over the summer, especially when you don’t have a lot of money or you have a lot of children. So, we’ve put together this fun staycation ideas so you can enjoy your own city or own town and take advantage of the local park, a family bike ride, play board games, check out more local restaurants, a local farm, have a themed movie night, a scavenger hunt and so much more!
You should also check out this post with free summer activities for kids.
Summer Staycation Ideas
15 Virtual Theme Park Rides
Fun ways to “virtually” visit your favorite theme parks without the hefty price tag. Watch these virtual theme park rides to bring the magic into your home for FREE.
Amusement parks are a family favorite destination.
In fact, theme parks are the most popular vacation spots because they provide a place dedicated for fun for the whole family.
Currently, most theme parks are closed due to social distancing, but it doesn’t mean your family can’t still experience the fun.
Thanks to the internet we can pretty much experience anything right from the comfort of our home.
Watching POV (point of view) videos can let you experience the ride as if you are really riding it.
Camp in the backyard for your summer staycation
Camping with kids can be a lot of fun and camping with kids can also be chaotic, stressful, and exhausting. Cue the drum roll….. but backyard camping with kids, it’s the best of both! Easier, less stressful and still heaps of fun for your summer staycation!
When you’re camping in the backyard, these Sloppy Joe Hand Pies are a perfect dinner option since many places won’t let you build a campfire.
If there is any apprehension from you or your family, this is probably the easiest and the safest type of camping there is. Think of backyard camping as the appetizer to the full-on 6 course meal type of camping! Then do these 35 Camping Activities and Crafts for Kids.
Camp in your living room
Sometimes camping is diffiicult, especially with younger children. (And let’s face it, when you start aging, your back just doesn’t feel the same after sleeping on the hard ground.)
By setting up the tent in the living room, your kids can get the fun of a campout without the effort of actually going to a campground. (And you can always sneak back into your bed after the kids all fall asleep!)
You can make s’mores indoors if you’re camping in the living room, or you can add these 40 tin foil dinner recipes to your camping fun.
14-Day Virtual Summer Camp Fortitude
Join Camp Fortitude – a “virtual” and online summer camp for your kids! This camp is for kids ages 5-12 and includes 14 days worth of activities, scavenger hunts, bucket lists, and more. Learn more register today!
You can mix and match and plan your day based on your child’s age, interests, and your own schedule. All activities are designed for home or close by to adhere to social distancing and minimal contact if needed.
Camp Fortitude is designed with fresh, fun activities for your kids, and a chance for them to learn about building their own fortitude.
State and National Parks for a Summer Staycation
The United States has 62 protected areas known as national parks. Twenty-nine states have national parks, as do the territories of American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. California has the most with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four. The largest national park is Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska.
State parks are similar to national parks, but under state rather than federal administration. Similarly, local government entities below state level may maintain parks, e.g., regional parks or county parks. In general, state parks are smaller than national parks, with a few exceptions such as the Adirondack Park in New York and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California.
If you want to make your visit to a state or national park an actual overnight camping trip, make sure you read these ten things every beginning camper should know.
Geocaching
Have you tried geocaching for kids and families? It’s free, easy, fun, appropriate for all ages, and outdoors! People across the world set up hidden treasure “caches” and then upload the coordinates so that other people can find them.
Ten years ago, you had to buy a special unit to read the latitudes and longitudes, but now you can use a simple app on a smartphone! It’s a great way to explore new areas.
But there are caches literally everywhere, even in suburbs and cities.geocaching for kids and families all the time – it is free, easy, fun, appropriate for all ages, and outdoors!
You can even set up your own! Across the world, people set up hidden treasure “caches” and then upload the coordinates so that other people can find them.
Go for a nature walk during your summer staycation
Wanna make your nature walks a little more fun and interesting? This Nature Walk Game and printable is fun for kids, adults, grandparents – the whole family!
Nature walks can be anything from an easy stroll through a park or a strenuous hike up a mountain. This game isn’t meant to be anything difficult – it’s for kids of all ages!
This Nature Walk Game can be for the easiest stroll through the park with toddlers and Grands, or an all-day hike up a mountain with older kids.
It’s also a fun way to teach early readers their ABC’s and enjoy your summer staycation.
Make a fairy garden
Looking for a fun activity to keep the kids busy and happy? Making a fairy garden is a great project for children, and for adults. This enchanting activity is so much fun, and at the end of it they will have a cute miniature garden of make believe.
With the power of your imagination, you can create a little world of wonder that will enchant the children for years to come.
9 Week At-Home Summer Camp
Summer camps and school holiday activities may be cancelled this summer but there are still plenty of ways for kids to have fun during a summer staycation!
How about creating your own summer camp at home? Just grab this free printable Summer Camp At Home Planner which has 9 fun weekly themes your child will love and plenty of amazing activity suggestions.
Creating your own kids summer camp at home isn’t nearly as daunting a task as you might imagine. Just pick a theme for each week and plan some fun activities around it. You could spend one week learning about something fun like pirates, then the next week learn about dinosaurs.
Do these crafts and printables
Weather in the summer can be extremely unpredictable. You may have envisioned taking your kids on bike rides or to the park dur ing your week off, but what if it rains? If you have a last-minute change of plans, this list of crafts and printables makes for a great backup!
Do these summer activities
We have a ton of summer activities (with and without water) up on this blog! You may also want to make these declicious homemade popsicles.
Whether you do any (or all) of these ideas, having a plan is the key to having fun and making the most of summer vacation with your kids home from school!
Pin These Summer Staycation Ideas!
If these ideas for a summer staycation sound fun, please share them on Pinterest!
