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View Article Family Life > Family Time & Vacations
10 Fun Things to Do With Your Family over the Summer 1. Hit the beach! For a great many people Summer = The Beach. For good reason. Winter has been cold and gray. Work and school have been rough. No place on earth relaxes the spirit like the coast. Bright sun, crashing waves and feet in the sand. Your family will have nothing but smiles. 2. The big parks The Grand Canyon. Yosemite. The Great Smoky Mountains. America is full of natural wonders and beauty. Somewhere within driving distance lies a national park offering endless opportunities of fun and exploration. Get out there and show your family the world is more than strip malls and endless concrete. 3. Summer Sports Baseball is in full-swing, Golf tournaments are abundant, and who can deny the phenomenon of FIFA and soccer? Whether you are watching together as a family or venturing out to catch a game live, Summer is a great time to cater to the athlete in all of us. Many communities have golf courses that will let you play an abbreviated game for an equally abbreviated cost. You can go to a local baseball team's home game and make it an adventure for the whole family. Or head out to a big patch of grass and pretend to be one of your favorite soccer stars! Just get out there and enjoy moving around! 4. The big rig How many times have you been on the road with your family and you all see that big motor home next to you and wish you were in it? Make it happen. RV dealers rent those big rigs for surprisingly reasonable fees. There are special resorts all over the country that cater to big motor homes. Research an itinerary that works for your family and get out on the road! 5. Backyard fun Traveling is not the only way to have a great time with the family on vacation. Turn your backyard into your very own resort destination. You can play all types of different sports such as ultimate Frisbee or volleyball. Maybe you will put down an old fashioned slip n' slide. Even a sprinkler can keep young kids entertained for hours on end. Think outside the box and come up with your own unique backyard fun. 6. Grill Master A skill your child should have as an adult is the ability to cook good food. The popularity of outdoor grilling is bigger than ever. Get in on the fun. Spend the week with your kids challenging and expanding your abilities. Become a grill master. As a family, research and find recipes of food you have never attempted. Try a new one each day. Have your kids involved every step along the way. Not only will you all have fun and eat well, you will be giving them a gift that will last a lifetime. 7. The outdoor project Yard work on vacation? Sure! It's the perfect time to add beauty and function to your home. Take this time to add that long talked about gazebo. That fountain. Maybe your wife wants a garden. Get the whole family involved with the vision and planning. Then get out there with your family and make it happen! 8. Volunteer Summer time is a perfect time to give of yourself. Summer is the time of plenty and new life. Your family can join in giving nature a hand. Clean up litter in your neighborhood. Pick up trash around ponds and creeks that harm wildlife. Help an elderly neighbor with yard work or house maintenance. Let your family choose the cause and then be the solution. 9. Wacky destinations America has millions of strange and odd attractions. Most times they are free or very low-cost. The "Blowing Rock" in North Carolina. Dinosaur World in Florida. These types of places are all over. So much fun and so very silly. They offer a balance to the massive and very expensive theme parks. Yet strangely, they give the same thrills and smiles. Don't forget your camera. That picture of your daughter standing next to the 40 foot tall Paul Bunyan will be a timeless keepsake. Here is a great source for this type of experience. 10.The food tour We all love to eat. What is your passion? Seafood? Barbeque? Southern cooking? Plan a road trip hitting some of the very best of the foods you love. Maybe you will drive all over Texas sampling the best of their unique beef barbeque. Or it could be a trip up the New England coast for classic seafood. How about sitting in New Orleans eating jambalaya in an open-air café? Nothing brings a family together better than food. © 2010 Family Minute. All Rights Reserved. Family First, All Pro Dad, iMOM, and Family Minute with Mark Merrill are registered trademarks. blog comments powered by Disqus |
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