Springs days are number, the last days of school are upon us, and the weather is hot! If you’re looking for some fun things to do in between beach trips and vacations this summer, I’ve got you covered with lots of ideas in each of my photography locations – Colorado, Florida, and the DC metro area.
Go berry picking.
Check out one of these local u-pick berry farms and then use your haul to make a sweet dessert together!
Colorado: Berry Patch Farms, 13785 Potomac Street, Brighton, CO
Florida: Strawberry Passion Farms, 11780 Tom Folsom Road, Thonotosassa, FL
DC/Maryland/Virginia: Butler’s Orchard, 22200 Davis Mill Road, Gemantown, MD
Go camping.
You really don’t have to go any further than your own back yard for this to be an adventure! Snuggle up beneath the stars with your family and don’t forget all the goodies to make smores.
Colorado: Moraine Park Campground, Rocky Mountain National Park, US-36, Estes Park, CO
Florida: Hillsborough River State Park, 15402 US-301 N, Thonotosassa, FL
DC/Maryland/Virginia: Cherry Hill Park, 9800 Cherry Hill Road, College Park, MD
Hit the splash pad or water park.
Throw on your bathing suits, take a break from the summer heat, and splash around a bit!
Colorado: H2Odyssey Splash Pad, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO
Florida: Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 600 N Ashley Drive, Tampa, FL
DC/Maryland/Virginia: Virginia Highlands Park, 1600 South Hayes St., Arlington, VA
Visit a local summer festival.
The summer months are a great time to have fun at a local fair or festival. No matter your interests, you’re likely to find something you and your kids will enjoy!
Colorado: Unicorn Festival, June 25th and 26th, Clement Park, 7306 W Bowles Avenue, Littleton, CO
Florida: Watermelon Weekend, June 25th and 26th, Keel Farms, 5202 Thonotosassa Road, Plant City, FL
DC/Maryland/Virginia: Around the World Cultural Food Festival, August 27th, Oronoco Bay Park, 100 Madison Street, Alexandria, VA
Go on a playground crawl.
Burn off a little of that summer energy! Adults, we’ve all been on a bar crawl, right? Choose a weekend to go on a playground crawl with the kids!
Create a list of 4-5 playgrounds in your community. Make a map or develop a plan on which you’ll visit 1st, 2nd, 3rd before leaving the house, so you’re not out burning gas all day. You’ll only need to visit each park or playground for about 15 minutes – just long enough for your kids to have a chance to play and test out all the equipment. After the visit, ask the kids to give the playground a score of between 1 and 5 stars. By the end of the day, you’ll have a new favorite playground to visit in the future! Here are a few great playgrounds where you might start your crawl–
Colorado: Paco Sanchez Park, 1290 Knox Court, 3240 W 14th Ave, Denver, CO
Florida: American Legion Park, 106 E Sligh Avenue, Tampa, FL
DC/Maryland/Virginia: Beauvoir Playground, 3500 Woodley Road, Washington, DC (open only on weekends)
Some other fun things you might try:
Make and eat popsicles or ice cream. I’m excited to try this Minted White Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream and Strawberry Mango Popsicles with the boys!
Read a chapter book together.
Go on a picnic.
See a drive in movie.
Go to a minor league baseball game.
Visit a local farmers market.
Make your own slip ‘n’ slide.
Stay up late to play flashlight tag or catch lightning bugs.
What other fun ideas do you have?!
I would love to hear about all of your family summer adventures! And if you’re ever searching for a photographer to capture all that fun-in-the-sun action, reach out to me and I’ll be happy to follow along to snap some photos of you with your favorite people.
