Staycation Ideas for the Summer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow OP. I'm so much lazier than you. Our staycation plans are cooking/baking, hanging out in the backyard and deck and watching movies on the projector at night, biking around and taking walks. Lots of reading. I need to motivate and find safe places to go where we can SD but still have fun and feel safe.

OP has three kids. Aside from maybe watching movies, none of those activities are relaxed by with three kids.

[Anonymous]

Take a look at the ap called All Trials. We have found a ton of local and County parks with trails that we had no clue about. Most are very close by. Fewer people, because they are less well known, and outside. We have the annual subscription. You can download the maps so you can use the app to keep on trail or back track as needed. It is great for local finds but we also use it when we are backpacking and hiking in National Parks or State Parks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow OP. I'm so much lazier than you. Our staycation plans are cooking/baking, hanging out in the backyard and deck and watching movies on the projector at night, biking around and taking walks. Lots of reading. I need to motivate and find safe places to go where we can SD but still have fun and feel safe.

OP has three kids. Aside from maybe watching movies, none of those activities are relaxed by with three kids.

I wasn't making suggestions for her - just saying that I'm impressed by her list. We are taking it way easy but I get that's not everyone's style.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow OP. I'm so much lazier than you. Our staycation plans are cooking/baking, hanging out in the backyard and deck and watching movies on the projector at night, biking around and taking walks. Lots of reading. I need to motivate and find safe places to go where we can SD but still have fun and feel safe.

OP has three kids. Aside from maybe watching movies, none of those activities are relaxed by with three kids.

I wasn't making suggestions for her - just saying that I'm impressed by her list. We are taking it way easy but I get that's not everyone's style.

To me, hanging around and cooking all summer and staying in my backyard in 90 degree heat and humidity sounds really boring. I would much rather explore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow OP. I'm so much lazier than you. Our staycation plans are cooking/baking, hanging out in the backyard and deck and watching movies on the projector at night, biking around and taking walks. Lots of reading. I need to motivate and find safe places to go where we can SD but still have fun and feel safe.

OP has three kids. Aside from maybe watching movies, none of those activities are relaxed by with three kids.

I wasn't making suggestions for her - just saying that I'm impressed by her list. We are taking it way easy but I get that's not everyone's style.

Op here. We bake, bike, play board games, do puzzles, legos, watch movies all the time. We have been doing that and much more at home for the past 4 months. All 3 of my kids had birthdays in the spring and still had unopened Christmas gifts. We went through all of that by April. I have ordered at least 50 books on amazon, borrowed books from the library, bought tons of arts and crafts day 1. My kids build forts, play with water guns, nerf guns, water balloons, soccer, basketball, catch bugs, etc.

It is nice to break up the week and do a mix of the home activities and then also go on some outings.

[Anonymous]

Longwood Gardens right outside of philly!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are the places we have been and really liked:

--Patapsco State Park and the Tire Playground
--Huntley Meadows wetland boardwalk
--Green Springs Gardens in Annandale
--Brookside Gardens in Wheaton
--Colonoal Farms at Piscataway Park
--Greenbriar State Park in Hagerstown (has a lake/beach)
--Matapeake State Beach Park on Kent Island
--Jones Point Park in Alexandria for bikes/scooters
--Meadowlark Gardens

Here are some things we want to try and this is just scratching the surface. You are not remotely out of things to do!

--Day trip to Colonial Beach, VA
--Lake Accontink
--Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in DC
--Dyke Marsh Nature Preserve
--Turkey Run Park
--Mason Neck Park
--Holmes Run Trail
--Patuxent Wildlife Refuge
--Terrapin Beach Park
--Cunningham Falls
--Calvert Cliffs State Park
--Beverly Triton Nature Park
--Jug Bay Nature Preserve
--Leesylvania State Park
--Flag Ponds
--Burnside Farms
--Greenwell State Park
--Dora Kelly Park
--Sky Meadows State Park
--Tubing at Watermelon Park
--Fort Smallwood State Park

Op here. Thank you so much for this list! I’m so grateful. I felt like I was running ideas. I also just found all the fishing spots within NOVA state parks and plan to check all those places out too.

I've spent a lot of time in Colonial Beach (grandparents lived there). Trump country central and no one wears a mask. Not much to do there and not really a beach. Not sure why you'd travel there without relatives, but nearby Fredericksburg is much nicer.

Thanks for sharing. That's one of my concerns with travelling to some of these places with my very multiracial family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow OP. I'm so much lazier than you. Our staycation plans are cooking/baking, hanging out in the backyard and deck and watching movies on the projector at night, biking around and taking walks. Lots of reading. I need to motivate and find safe places to go where we can SD but still have fun and feel safe.

OP has three kids. Aside from maybe watching movies, none of those activities are relaxed by with three kids.

I wasn't making suggestions for her - just saying that I'm impressed by her list. We are taking it way easy but I get that's not everyone's style.

Op here. We bake, bike, play board games, do puzzles, legos, watch movies all the time. We have been doing that and much more at home for the past 4 months. All 3 of my kids had birthdays in the spring and still had unopened Christmas gifts. We went through all of that by April. I have ordered at least 50 books on amazon, borrowed books from the library, bought tons of arts and crafts day 1. My kids build forts, play with water guns, nerf guns, water balloons, soccer, basketball, catch bugs, etc.

It is nice to break up the week and do a mix of the home activities and then also go on some outings.

I get it. It's just tough with the virus. We'll venture out some, but I am not planning on a ton of outings this summer. It's risky. I'd rather be bored.

[Anonymous]

My kids aren't very nature-y but they're up for a treat and then maybe will go for a walk - District Doughnut in Georgetown is near the Waterfront, Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream in Bethesda is near the Capital Crescent Trail, Ice Cream Jubilee by Navy Yard, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have 3 kids to entertain for the summer ages 3-11. I already feel like we have exhausted a lot to do around here. We have two months left to go.

Could you please add to my list?

Places we've already gone in the past two months:

Great Falls
Frying Pan Park
Roer's Zoofari
Burke Lake
Pohick Bay
Lake Fairfax
Scott's Run
Roosevelt Island
Chesapeak and Ohio Canal
Georgetown Waterfront
Old Town Alexandria
National Harbor
Wolf Trap
Butler's Orchard
Great Country Farms
Arboretum
Wharf
Washington Monument and Mall

I plan to do day trips to Baltimore and Annapolis.

Wow, OP! I applaud you. Do you take them there by yourself? Or do you go with your partner? I’m kinda like you.. love taking my kids out but I’m so reluctant to do this by myself. I am working from home and when I am off on weekday, the playground is all I can manage!

[Anonymous]

Day trip to St. Michaels, MD.

[Anonymous]

We’ve been to Harpers Ferry twice, plus Cunningham Falls and Greenbrier lakes, Sandy Point, and Catoctin Mountain Zoo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 3 kids to entertain for the summer ages 3-11. I already feel like we have exhausted a lot to do around here. We have two months left to go.

Could you please add to my list?

Places we've already gone in the past two months:

Great Falls
Frying Pan Park
Roer's Zoofari
Burke Lake
Pohick Bay
Lake Fairfax
Scott's Run
Roosevelt Island
Chesapeak and Ohio Canal
Georgetown Waterfront
Old Town Alexandria
National Harbor
Wolf Trap
Butler's Orchard
Great Country Farms
Arboretum
Wharf
Washington Monument and Mall

I plan to do day trips to Baltimore and Annapolis.

Wow, OP! I applaud you. Do you take them there by yourself? Or do you go with your partner? I’m kinda like you.. love taking my kids out but I’m so reluctant to do this by myself. I am working from home and when I am off on weekday, the playground is all I can manage!

Op here. DH was home for almost 3 months so we went on a lot of family outings.

I was looking for ideas to go out more but we have actually started staying home more. There are so many people out these days and we have always tried to avoid crowds.