Thursday, March 5, 2009

13 Things To Do on a Staycation



Due to economic circumstances many people will be opting for a staycation this year. If you are unfamiliar with the term, this is where you take time off and do things close to home rather than traveling to a distant place. If you get creative, these can be great fun. The trick is to remember you are on staycation! So, put your mail in a pile, your laundry too, and eat lots of meals out until you get "back". After all, with no airfare or hotel costs, you can spend a little extra on food and admission to local attractions. Here are some fun ideas.


  1. Pitch a tent or sleep one night on your deck, patio, or balcony if possible. Cook on the grill only. In other words, go camping in your own back yard! Got kids? Challenge them to notice things in your yard/neighborhood they usually take for granted. Have a contest for who can collect the most different species of leaves or flowers.


  2. Have a camera scavenger hunt in the nearest town/city. Make a list of "things" to find and be creative. A church steeple, someone in uniform (keep in mind this could be a statue), something historic, something unfinished - you get the idea. You can use throw away cameras and one hour developing so you can all share your entries and the day's events over dinner.


  3. Have a progressive restaurant dinner. Start early to allow for travel time and to let your food settle between each course. Pick a different restaurant for each course - appetizers one place, salad/soup at the next, entree at another, and dessert at a fourth.


  4. Take day trips and visit area attractions you've never been to before. I had lived in Indiana for over 30 years before I ever set foot in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! Think amusement park, water park, museum.


  5. Spend a day hiking at a state park. Some have other fun ammenities available like horseback riding or swimming.


  6. Take one day and just "go for a drive". Remember when people did that? Anyway, don't have a destination planned, just get up in the morning and pick a direction in some random way (coin toss, etc.) then head out. Take highways and back roads (no interstates) and keep going in that general direction until lunchtime or a little after. Then head back home trying to find a different route.


  7. Pack an old fashioned picnic and go to the park. Take a Frisbee. Swing on the swings - yes, you, the adult! Take a tablecloth so you can eat on the ground and then use it to lay on and read after lunch.


  8. Spend a day getting pampered. Either go to a day spa and get the works or just do it yourself at home. Trade massages with your partner. Give yourself a facial, a manicure, a pedicure. Got daughters? Trade manicures and pedicures then do each others hair in some new way.


  9. Sign up for a class in some art form you've never tried before. Who knows, maybe you have hidden talents just waiting to be discovered. Check local art museums, cultural centers, libraries, and universities for possible options.


  10. Go to the local mini golf/go cart place, a bowling alley, a skating rink, a laser tag place or a local festival. There is at least one going on almost every weekend in most areas.


  11. Go to the farmers market in your town, or a nearby one, and shop. Take time and enjoy being outside and all the different bounty the vendors are offering. Try making dinner that evening with nothing except what you purchased at the market that day.


  12. Have a movie marathon. This is great for a bad weather day. Rent lots of movies or go through your collection and pick ones you haven't watched in ages. Let all family members pick at least one flick. No meals today, just have snack type foods to munch on all day. This doesn't have to be unhealthy - think veggies and dip, hummus and flat bread, salsa and chips, cheese and crackers, lunch meat rolls, and, of course, popcorn!


  13. Go to a local race track, minor league baseball game, or a county/state fair. Introduce your kids or yourself to something they've never done/seen before.



With a little planning and a commitment to remember you are on staycation (no falling into your normal routine) you may have more fun than if you'd vacated!



8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can see pitching a tent in the summer, but I sure wouldn't want to be doing it right now. I'd rather go to bed where it's warm.

♥♥ Willa ♥♥ said...

what a perfect idea!!! we can use our big backyard in use for a night camp, and we are lucky to live nearby the Detroit River, anyway, it's the quality time with the family that counts.
thanks for visiting and yeah, my MIL is also a part Irish :)

Anonymous said...

What a great list. We have a few things we have tried, especially on rainy days. Hide something somewhere in the house and then draw a map bird's eye view showing its location. This is a great way to teach kids how to draw and interpret maps.

Place an object in an obscure place and take a close up photo; the rest of the family has to figure out where it's hidden based on the minimal environmental clues in the photo.


I posted a TT also. Feel free to drop by and enter my contest while you're visiting. Thanks.

DoubleDeckerBusGuy said...

Aside from the tent, these are all regular activities for my family! It's amazing what one can find to do in their own back yard!

Pop Art Diva Enterprises said...

You're gonna die laughing - I thought a Staycation was an economic downturn version of a Playstation!

I kept thinking you were going to show me a blackboard with magnetized letters or something instead of a flatscreen and a joystick, lol.

The novacaine has gone to my head!

Thanks for stopping by the PopArtDiva Retro Boomer Blog and my TT on the 13 artists who inspired me the most.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the tips. Happy TT.

Anonymous said...

What wonderful ideas! I love "taking a drive" myself... we used to do random drives all the time when my kids were younger. Drove my husband NUTS! He can't stand being spontaneous. Thanks for the wonderful TT! I'm up at both my home site and at Everyday Tarot.

2nd Cup of Coffee said...

Oh, I want to do number 12!