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Make Your Weekend a Mini-Vacation: 10 Family Adventure Ideas at Home

by Lindsay

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10 Ways Families Can Have Adventure without Leaving Home from Let Me Give You Some AdviceThe average US worker has about 10 days of vacation time a year which only allows families a couple of weeks to travel. On the other hand, there are about 104 weekend days a year.  If you’re a family that loves to explore and waits anxiously each year for those precious vacation days to roll around, finding a way to pack some adventure into all those weekend days is easier than you think. And you don’t even have to leave home to do so. Here are 10 ways to adventure as a family without leaving home, plus an offer for a FREE checklist to make sure you’re ready to explore!

1. Make a food tour

Plan to discover the best pizza, burger, ice cream, etc. in your town. Spend a weekend or even a month visiting various local favorites and declare a winner. Bonus points for trying new things or getting to new parts of your city that you don’t normally visit.

White River State Park free little library Indianapolis2. Find a new park

Totally free and an easy way to sneak in a small dose of adventure. Ask friends or family for their favorites or visit your town’s parks and recreation website to get inspired. Look at the next town over if you can’t find something new close by.

3. Visit a new library

Perfect for a rainy day adventure. The kids sections always have games and puzzles to play with plus new books to curl up with. It’s another free option with the added bonus of being slightly educational. Shhh….don’t tell your kids.

4. Try a new cuisine

Trying foods from a different culture may not be the same as getting a stamp in your passport but it certainly counts as being adventurous. Search Yelp for a recommendation for a type of food you haven’t tried. It’s ok if you’re kids don’t love it. The experience is about trying something new and hopefully learning to appreciate different cultures.

Pacers Bike Share Indianapolis Indiana5. Take a bike ride

Many cities have a trail system or bike paths to encourage families to explore on bikes. Check out rail trail ideas or simply plan a bike ride around a new neighborhood. Bonus points for finding a new ice cream store to stop at along the way.

6. Visit a nearby small town

There are small towns all over our country that can easily be overlooked but which serve as great places to explore for a day. Find one that’s close by and go wander around for a bit. These towns are best explored without an itinerary so plan to figure it out as you go. Your kids will get the experience of being a curious traveler.

7. Try a new festival

Check out your local visitor’s bureau or city event calendar to find a new festival. Most cities have something almost every weekend during the summer months. Look for kid-friendly entertainment and yummy new foods to try.

8. Read books about a new place

Don’t underestimate the power of books to help kids escape. Grab a stack of books about a new place from the library and spend time looking at how other kids and families live around the world. Follow your kids interests to pick places they are curious about and to inspire new travels down the road.

Kids Commons Columbus Indiana9. Go check out a nearby museum or zoo

Take advantage of any reciprocal memberships you have and go visit a nearby attraction. Your home zoo or museum should provide you with a list of others who participate reciprocal admissions, but it never hurts to call and ask. Don’t discount the smaller town children’s museum or the tiny zoo. Your kids will just appreciate having somewhere new to play.

10. Plan a scavenger hunt

Make it easy and create a list of things to find and take photos of. If you head downtown, think of buildings or city sights you might pass by. If you’re hiking, create a list of items found in nature. You can divide your family up to make it a competition or simply see how many items you can find all together. Your kids will stay interested much longer and you can enjoy exploring.

Don’t wait for those 2 weeks of vacation. Use those weekend days to get out and explore. If your family has a sense of wanderlust, I promise it’s easy to find ways to be a traveler even when you don’t leave home.

Don’t forget your Family Weekend Adventure Checklist

Grab your FREE checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything on weekend adventures! Sign up for my monthly newsletter and have one sent right to your inbox.

 

Tell me, how does your family sneak in some adventure when you’re not traveling? What’s been your best close to home discovery? Inspire us and let us know what you found!

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How to Have Family Adventures Without Leaving Home From Let Me Give You Some Advice

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Filed Under: Across the US, Family Travel, Midwest

Comments

  1. Janette Getui says

    April 25, 2017 at 12:00 pm

    Love these simple ideas.. Some are so simple when I read them I was like “now why have I never thought of that?” lol! Thanks for sharing and keep up the awesome work.
    Namaste.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      April 25, 2017 at 12:52 pm

      Glad it was a helpful post! I always want adventures to feel simple and easy and something that everyone can do. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment 🙂

      Reply
  2. themodernnestblog says

    June 21, 2017 at 9:03 pm

    These are fun ideas! I’m all about the food tour! When my husband and I were dating we used to have so much fun going into the city (Philly) and finding the most outrageous restaurants to try. Now we’re old and boring…we mostly get pizza delivered when we don’t cook :/

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 21, 2017 at 10:02 pm

      I hope it inspires some fun adventures for you!

      Reply
  3. Natalie Aubele says

    July 3, 2017 at 6:12 pm

    Denver always has something going on! We are always finding new parks and fun places to go with our kiddo. So fun !

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      July 4, 2017 at 2:22 pm

      We love Denver too! And parks are my favorite way to explore on a budget. Thanks for stopping by to comment!

      Reply
  4. The Sprouting Minds says

    July 4, 2017 at 11:41 am

    I love this list! I never thought about doing a food tour…need to do this with my family

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      July 4, 2017 at 2:21 pm

      It’s such a great way to explore a place you’re already familiar with!

      Reply
  5. Viktoria says

    July 5, 2017 at 4:49 pm

    Thanks for the tips 🙂 I really like museums but reading about new places was a really good idea!

    Reply
  6. Elizabeth @ mom always knows says

    July 11, 2017 at 11:14 am

    Thanks so much for these! We are in summer burn out and always looking for new and fun things to do! I love them all and will try some this week!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      July 11, 2017 at 1:46 pm

      Elizabeth, I’m glad it’s inspiring some new summer fun. I feel you on the burn out! Hang in there and enjoy some adventures 🙂

      Reply

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Meet Lindsay

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Welcome! I'm Lindsay and I live for a good adventure. I'm convinced you can always find one, even if it's in your own backyard. As a mom of two, I don't believe in giving up on exploring just because of my Midwest zip code. With a little curiosity, you can find adventures for your family, no matter where you live. Read More...

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