Hello to all summer idea lovers!

My daughter is home from college (yay)- and although is busy with a lot of waitressing and seeing friends, is also with me quite a bit, which of course I love. Although we could spend all our time watching cooking shows (I’m serious), like everything else I like to mix it up and create those special memories- by doing new and different things that are only really possible (at least here in Pennsylvania) in the summer.

We live in a small suburban town that’s surrounded by a good amount of rural America, so maybe not all these activities will work for you- but you can use these ideas as your own starting point!

• 1. Farmer’s Markets. We LOVE them here in PA. My daughter and I try to visit our local one every Saturday morning. I’ll be talking about our favorite summer dishes in a further post, and the market is where we find the freshest of ingredients.
• 2. Berry picking. This is an activity that is so worth it for many reasons. Picking your own berries is WAY cheaper than buying them in the store; the taste just cannot be compared. And there are so many fresh dishes to make with berries in the summer. I would sign up for the farm’s email list, so you can get notifications when certain berries are in season. Before doing this, I 100% always missed strawberry season, because it is SO short- like one or two weeks!!
• 3. Drive-Ins. I was fortunate to experience these as a kid, we even used to sit on TOP of our station wagon! My daughters also love them, even as young adults. If you have or can borrow an SUV, it’s the best way to view the movies more comfortably- just open the back of the car. Bring lots of pillows and blankets, and money for snacks 🙂
• 4. Outdoor Movies. In keeping with the drive-in theme, everyone young and old likes to watch movies, and doing it outdoors is just more fun for some reason. We bought this screen with projector at Amazon for not much $, and it was well-worth it. We make a family night of it, or the girls invite friends over. Even when a little chillier, we just pull out a bunch of blankets and it works!! Super fun.

• 5. Water Park. It was a tradition for me to look at the weather and take a very hot day off from work and take the girls to a water park nearby. Today, it’s something they still enjoy, and they may go for the day with a friend or with me. A day cooling off is just a fun day. We stop for dinner on the way home and it just completes the day!
• 6. Lakes. We are super fortunate to have a lake house about an hour north of us, and given the girls drive now, they can invite a friend and go up there, or go for a day (or even a weekend) with me. We have a motor boat and kayaks, and my husband will even take them tubing. Unlike when they’re little, public pools aren’t their thing anymore (or mine)- too chaotic! The lake is much calmer. Where we live there are public lakes as well- national parks, that are available for the same activities. For a very small fee we have rented kayaks and row-boats, and the swimming is great. Take a picnic and enjoy!
• 7. Biking. Another advantage of the national parks, is there are lots of biking trails. We live on a big hill, so can’t just hop on a bike for a ride. But we put the bikes on the car-rack and take them to where it’s flatter. We take a delicious picnic too!
• 8. Golfing. We are NOT golfers by any means (my husband is not bad, but the rest of us not so much), but it’s still fun! Go to a public course that’s short, like nine holes, and go early in the am. It’s cooler then, and there are less people around! The only annoyance when you’re slow, is fearing holding up other golfers, so we’re careful to defer to them if we’re taking too long. I personally think ‘life-long’ sports like golf and tennis are terrific to teach children. So part of this experience includes us getting valuable lessons from my husband 🙂
• 9. Day Trips. We live about a half an hour from the Poconos, 2.5 hours from the Jersey shore, 2.5 hours from NYC. We also have cute little towns to visit, eat lunch and do a little window shopping. We’ve done some self-guided winery tours (for me), and also a covered bridges tours, to name some unique activities that you can find if you search enough! I like to say, ‘hey are you up for a road trip?’, and start the conversation flowing on where and when.
• 10. Pedicures! This is a must for girls in the summer, and we make a tradition out of getting them at the beginning of the summer and again later. Nothing feels better than fresh toes for the sandals to come. This activity is really a bonding one, since you only have each other to talk to, as your feet get spruced up. We prefer our local nail salon to a spa- just as good and way less expensive! Go for lunch after!

I hope you try some of these or come up with your own! Happy Summer!!