9 Awesome Staycation Ideas for Summer

Every summer my parents would take us on a week-long family vacation to Orlando. It was the perfect opportunity for us to spend quality time together and escape the daily chaos! There were also parts of my childhood summer filled with super fun staycations. A staycation is a mini local vacation at or near home. This is the perfect opportunity to learn about your local area’s attractions. Forget your usual routine, reconnect and spend quality time with your whole family. Have fun, relax and create new family memories. Check out my list of awesome summer staycation ideas!

• Do a Good Deed - Volunteer to feed the homeless. Cook and deliver a meal to the families at your local Ronald McDonald house. Invite your family and friends to help build or repair homes for Habitat for Humanity. There are so many ways to give back! Check out this list for more ideas.

• Book a Hotel with a Pool - Live it up! Order room service. Schedule an in-room massage. Make sure the hotel has a pool to provide your kids or even yourself hours of fun!

• Go Camping - Turn your backyard or living room into a campsite! Be sure to use a tent, sleeping bags and buy supplies for s'mores. Download a constellation app to identify stars and planets.

• Visit Local Beach, River or Lake - Nothing screams summer like fun in the water! Rent a canoe, go tubing down the river or build a sandcastle at the beach.

• Spend a Day at a Local Amusement Park - Amusement and water parks are filled with fun! Go early to beat the heat and the long lines. Be sure to make a list of the main attractions you don't want to miss. Don't forget to pack snacks, sunscreen and a lot of water!

• Host a Party - Plan a family and friends reunion! Spending quality time with loved ones is great for the soul. Make the party as elaborate or as simple as you like. Be sure to involve your family and friends with all the planning!

• Tour a Local Factory - Georgia is home to the Cabbage Patch Kids and Mayfield Dairy factories. Both factories offer free fun-filled tours that your family will love! What is your city known for? Check to see if your city or state tourism website for more details.

• Visit a National Park - Most national parks have amazing family friendly activities. The majority of national parks charge an entrance fee, but on occasion offer free entry days. Check this site for more information.

• Try Geocaching - Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. Find out more information here!

  Does your family ever take staycations? What did you do?

-Rondra