99 family outing ideas to make memories with your kids

Need family outing ideas? 

There are plenty of fun things to do at home, but on the weekend, I like to get OUT! When you go on an outing together, you set an intention to have fun and focus on each other that’s easier to focus on than when you’re at home. Go have yourselves an adventure and make some memories! 

Here are 99 ideas for family outings, plus some tips for planning a successful weekend outing or day trip.

How to plan the best family activities

With a little planning ahead, you can avoid the Saturday-morning drag of “what are we going to do today” and maybe even “why is it taking us two hours to get out the door”, and set yourself up for a day of fun and togetherness.

To plan ahead:

• Check event calendars for your area regularly, looking ahead. Then note any festivals, concerts, workshops, etc. that you’re interested in on your calendar. If you have any favorite venues nearby, such as expo centers and concert halls, check their calendars directly. I keep a Google Calendar for “local events” of things I’m potentially interested in but haven’t committed to, so I can hide the calendar in the app when we’re just going about our day-to-day, and show it when browsing for ideas to fill an empty Saturday.
• Keep a list of ideas you’re considering – for example, parks and museums you’d like to visit. I made a Notion template to make this easy, so you can filter for indoor vs. outdoor activities; free vs. paid activities; activities that you’ve never done before; and activities that don’t require reservations. You can grab a copy here.
• Pack up the night before. Pack a backpack with water bottles, snacks, and weather-appropriate gear like gloves and sweatshirts. Load strollers in the car, if relevant. If you’re bringing a picnic, make as much the night before as possible. 

99 family outing ideas for any weekend of the year

Now, let’s get to those ideas! I’ve broken them up into places you can go, divided by indoor and outdoor places, and “make-your-own-fun” ideas which are creative prompts for a fun time rather than specific places to go.

Indoor ideas 

1. Go out to eat – But mix it up from your usual routine. Visit the closest restaurant to your home that you’ve never been to. Made a reservation at a coveted spot you’ve never made time for. Find a “kids eat free” deal. Go for an experiential restaurant with interactive or DIY cooking. Made a rating card to compare all the pizza spots in town.
2. Go to a museum – depending on your area, this is worth an entire article on its own. Make sure you check out history, science, art, children’s, local, and other specialized museums. When my kids and I visit the larger museums near us that we know we’ll visit again, I have them each pick one “must see” exhibit. By doing that, we don’t feel pressured to see it all, and take our time enjoying the exhibits we picked. 
3. Go to a science center or planetarium near you. Check their websites for special events. Many offer memberships for repeat visits.
4. Play at an indoor playground, if your kids are of the right age. Tip: once they’re old enough not to need a grown-up crawling up the tubes with them, this is a great place to sit back and zone out while they play. It’s a good activity on those days when the kids have energy to burn, but you don’t.
5. Go to the mall. Play in the play place, walk around, try on clothes, and have some ice cream. (If you’re my husband, get very tempted by an art store’s last-chance going-out-of-business sale, only to find it’s still in business on your next visit months later.)
6. Go to the library – a perennial favorite! Take time to browse and to sit and read books. Check websites and calendars for storytimes, events, lectures, play groups, etc. Mix it up and visit different libraries in your area, too!
7. Hang out at a brewery – I don’t know about near you, but around me, breweries have learned to cater to the family set, often with play areas for the kids and specialty sodas, food trucks, and live music to keep everyone entertained while you sit back and sip a brew.
8. Visit a nature center – don’t sleep on nature centers. The ones near me are like mini versions of the things we love about libraries and museums, and they’re all free…and we often have them all to ourselves. We like to see animals, color, play with toys and puzzles, read books, do nature-focused activities, and ask lots of questions about animals to the endlessly-patient volunteers and staff.
9. Check out an aquarium – enjoy a visit to see underwater creatures. Make sure to look for special events here, like animal feedings and film screenings.
10. Go to the movies – I’ll leave it up to you as to whether you’ll purchase snacks or smuggle your own in. Or, visit a theater with in-seat dining to combine the dinner-and-a-movie steps.
11. Go see a play or other live performance – whether at a popular venue, community theater, or your local high school, try something new for your family.
12. Go to a concert – it doesn’t have to be the $100+ tickets to the big name in town! Try a classical concert, community orchestra, or smaller venue. Near me, many wineries have small concerts on weekends.
13. Go to a sporting event – go check out your city’s teams. Or, this is another area to consider whether there are minor league or even high school games you could enjoy. 
14. Go to an indoor pool or water park – fun any time of year, and especially a relief to get out and have some fun in the winter. Check AAA, Groupon, the park’s website, or local coupon books to get a discount.
15. Take a class or visit open gym time at a rec center – consider the YMCA and local community centers. For classes, you may need to sign up in advance. 
16. Enjoy high tea – if you’re in the mood, dress up fancy for the occasion. Have tea and scones or sandwiches at a tea shop near you.
17. Read at a coffee shop – or color at a coffee shop, or chat and play games like “would you rather”. Near me, there is even a coffee shop with a play area for tots.
18. Go to a rock climbing gym – get a workout and have fun with a new challenge. Make sure you review age and experience requirements, signing up for an intro class if necessary.
19. Go bowling – enjoy a few rounds and improve your skills.
20. Go to an arcade or other gaming spot. One near me has a kids’ ropes course on the ceiling! Have fun trying to beat each others’ high scores and win prizes.
21. Jump at a trampoline park – one of my childrens’ personal favorites. Parents, don’t be afraid to jump in, too! You might not last as long as the kids, but you’ll get a workout.
22. Play laser tag – I’ll leave it up to you whether you’ll team up as a family or go competitive against each other. 
23. Make or paint your own pottery – you’ll use the artistic sides of your brains, and you may even end up with some lasting keepsakes.
24. Visit a maker space or lab near you – this is one that I haven’t actually done yet with my family, but have been meaning to. Depending on the space, you may need to sign up in advance.
25. Go to an art show or exhibit – check out a venue or art style that’s new to you.
26. Go axe throwing – find a new kind of fun! This is best if your kids are a bit older – the closest venue to me allows kids ages 10 and older to participate with an adult. 
27. Go to an archery range — I love archery because I can feel athletic without, like, running, and bring out my inner Katniss Everdeen. Check whether your venue provides equipment or you need to provide your own, and look into introductory lessons. There may be both indoor and outdoor options near you. 
28. Tour a factory – learn how it’s made, whatever “it” is near you. Ask lots of questions and try some samples.
29. Go to an escape room – honestly, I’ve been waiting for my kids to be old enough for us to do an escape room together. I will never forget the first one I did with friends, when we solved a particularly challenging clue and then just stared at each other in awe of our own wits. So fun!
30. Go to a bookstore – I highly recommend setting a budget or number of books each family member can purchase in advance. Make sure to check out special events at your bookstore, too.
31. Learn to play a new game at a tabletop/board game store – check out family-friendly events to learn a new board or tabletop game.
32. Go to a thrift store – this is a good opportunity to find something you can bring back for more fun at home, like puzzles. Remember to set a budget or number of items in advance for each family member.
33. Get pedicures or whatever spa treatment you prefer. If anyone in your family has never had one before, all the better. Introduce them to this relaxing experience.
34. Make candles at a craft store or workshop, then enjoy burning them at home.
35. Have a chocolate tasting at a sweets shop or chocolatier near you. (While researching this list, this is the item I’m most excited about! There’s apparently a chocolate factory two miles from my house I’ve never visited. Taking the kids ASAP.)
36. Visit a cat cafe or animal shelter and enjoy some snuggles from furry friends. For cat cafes, be sure to check age restrictions. And discuss with your children in advance whether you are considering cat adoption or just enjoying their company for an hour or two.
37. Visit an indoor adventure spot, like go-karting, golfing, or indoor skydiving for big thrills!
38. Go ice skating – of course, this may be outdoor as well. Learn to ice skate together and enjoy open skate time.
39. Volunteer at a food pantry, soup kitchen, or other resource in your community and enjoy quality family time while giving back. Seek out websites that collect volunteer needs for your area to find unique opportunities, like animal care or cleaning up historical sites.
40. Find free workshops at craft stores, home improvement stores, libraries, etc. to build or make something together. 
41. Visit a fire station – I was surprised to learn that the closest fire station to me has open hours every day. Others may have an open house day once a month or special events, fire safety presentations, and tours.

Outdoor ideas 

42. Go for a hike – okay, I love hiking. And let’s go with a definition of “hiking” that my cousin (hi Danny!) came up with: a hike is a walk that you drive to. Boom, not intimidating at all! Depending on your climate, you can go hiking almost any weekend of the year. There are so many beautiful trails, whether to a mountain peak, a river, or simply through the woods. Start with smaller hikes and get exploring. 
43. Go for a bike ride – whether around the neighborhood or exploring somewhere new.
44. Go to the beach – most kids love the beach. Bring your favorite picnic and snacks and enjoy. Don’t count out beach days when it’s too cool to swim. Those have been some of our favorites. 
45. Go mudding in a creek with your rain boots on. I mean, mentally prepare yourself for the cleanup afterward, but kids love exploring water, so I think it’s worth it. Bring one bag for treasures you find and another for collecting trash.
46. Have a picnic – the most flexible activity on the list. You can make your own fancy sandwiches and salads, or grab takeout pizza on your way. Picnic somewhere with a beautiful vista or simply a park you haven’t visited in a while. Remember to bring balls, frisbees, kites, and bug spray!
47. Check your area’s parks and rec for events. Try something new! For example, we recently participated in a small group search for insect life by the side of a lake with a park ranger and had a blast.
48. Go to the pool – always a favorite! Go for an hour or make a day of it. Meet friends at your neighborhood pool, or find a new pool to explore. I’ve been getting ads for a rent-pools-by-the-hour service as well as a resort-day-pass service, which may be fun to mix things up.
49. Go to the zoo – ask everyone in advance what one animal they want to see and make sure you get to that one, even if you don’t have time to see everything. Check for events or ranger talks you could attend while you’re there. Consider bringing a picnic and making a day of your visit.
50. Visit a farm – depending on the farm near you, there may be opportunities to feed anything from cows to goats to alpacas. Some farms have kids’ play areas and even live music events to extend your visit.
51. Go to a theme park – a big one, and a perennial favorite! Before you buy your tickets, check for discounts through AAA, local coupon books, and the park’s website. Wear your sunscreen!
52. Go to the farmer’s market and check out the local vendors. Give everyone a job, such as picking a new vegetable you’ve never tried, and brainstorm recipes together. Of course, depending on your location, this may be an indoor activity. This is another spot where you may find food trucks and live music to make more of a day out of your visit. 
53. Go fruit picking – you can go throughout the year, for example, to pick strawberries and cherries in the spring; peaches and blackberries in the summer; and apples in the fall. 
54. Go flower picking and make your own bouquet. Enjoy a picnic while you’re at it. 
55. Go to a festival or fair – check out fall festivals, art fairs, Oktoberfest celebrations, Chinese New Year festivals, chocolate festivals, food tasting events, parades – whatever your area has to offer!
56. Go to a car, boat, or RV show and explore the exhibits. Come ready with those curious-child questions to ask and learn.
57. Find an outdoor movie screening to attend – these are generally during the summer, and can be a fun way to enjoy the outdoors while relaxing and munching on popcorn.
58. Find a competition you can sit in on – this is inspired by my high school marching band days. In the fall, band competitions can be a fun way to see a several shows for a few dollars. 
59. Play on a playground – search for favorite playgrounds in your area to try something new. Pro tip for parents: once your kids are big enough not to need shadowed on every piece of the equipment, keep camp chairs in your car to sit in at playgrounds with a lack of benches, and bring a thermos of coffee to sip.
60. Go to a splash pad or spray ground – same vein as a pool, but often free! Like above, bring your own chair, plus plenty of towels. A couple of plastic cups can extend playtime at a splash pad, and perhaps sidewalk chalk for when they want to switch things up. 
61. Play mini golf – keep it relaxed or get competitive!
62. Go geocaching – it’s like a treasure hunt, wherever you are. Learn more here.
63. Find historical sites near you – depending on the site, of course, some of these will be indoors. Once you’ve visited any popular sites, try finding smaller niche sites. You’ll avoid crowds, and sometimes have staff or volunteers all to yourselves for kids to ask their burning questions. 
64. Go hunting for shells or rocks on a shore or in a park near you. Bring bags to put all your treasures in. Consider metal detecting and tide pooling as similar adventures. 
65. Go bird watching – Audubon has tips for beginning bird watching. You can do it almost anywhere!
66. Go foraging for mushrooms – depending on your confidence, you can get started with a mushroom identification book or app, or else find a guide or friend to take you out and identify the mushrooms in your area that are safe to eat. Here’s a guide for more mushroom safety.
67. Feed ducks at a pond – find ducks at a pond near you. Note that ducks should not be fed bread or crackers. Better options include cracked corn, oats, rice, birdseed, sliced grapes, frozen peas or corn, and chopped lettuce.
68. Visit a botanical garden – smell the flowers, wander, take photos, and enjoy. Take advantage of any children’s programs, butterfly houses, and events at the garden near you.
69. Take a boat tour or ferry ride – a boat tour may provide more directed diversion, but ferry rides can be less expensive and still allow you to experience the highlight: getting out on the water.
70. Go kayaking, canoeing, or paddle boating – get some exercise and explore from the perspective of the water. Some of my personal favorite childhood memories are out in a kayak.
71. Go tubing on a river – another way to take in the water, typically in a relaxed float. Wear sunscreen! Or make it an adventure and go white water rafting. 
72. Walk around a neighborhood you’ve never been to – pretend to be tourists, or pretend to be locals. Stroll and explore, and get an ice cream or coffee while you’re at it.
73. Take a walking tour…or a segway tour, or a bus tour – learn about your city from an expert. This could be a general tour, or a specialty tour like a ghost tour. 
74. Visit a university campus – campuses are hubs of activity, and often have options even if you’re not a student. Check for tours, museums, libraries, archives, dining halls, gardens, and historical sites, plus any events that may be family-friendly. 
75. Tour caverns or caves – I had trouble deciding whether to categorize this as indoor or outdoor, hah. Explore, learn about geology, and feel like you’re in another world.
76. Shop at a yard sale or flea market – look for something in particular, or browse and see what treasures you can find. With kids, I always recommend setting a budget or number of items they can get in advance.
77. Go on a ropes course, adventure course, or zip line – get some thrills and exercise. Parents shouldn’t hesitate to join in!
78. Volunteer to walk dogs at a shelter or humane society – be aware that some organizations will limit volunteers to ages 18 and older, so be sure to find out the age requirements for your shelter.

Make-your-own-fun ideas

79. Make your own food tour – drive or walk around and pick one location for appetizers, one for a main course, and one for dessert. Or have a “tasting tour” and compare offerings from different bakeries and restaurants for donuts, muffins, cookies, pastries, or french fries. Get into it with a score card and declare a winner.
80. Drive around looking at Christmas lights – obviously only relevant for a portion of the year, but one of our favorites to do in the Christmas season. I swear this kept me sane during the COVID winter of 2020. We make hot cocoa for the drive and listen to Christmas music in the car. Look for websites or articles for your area that round up the destination houses that go “all out”. Or go through a drive-through lights display at a park, if there’s one near you.
81. Wander around a large store, like a home improvement store, salvage store, plant nursery, IKEA, etc. Consider making a scavenger hunt or taking photos as you walk through, to give you something to do besides fill up your cart.
82. Visit a specialty grocery store with food from a certain country or culture. Search for snacks you haven’t tried before, and see if they offer any tastings. Look up recipes to try new foods for dinner, too.
83. Have a car picnic – just because it’s raining doesn’t mean you can’t have a picnic! Find an overlook or water-side location to park and crank up the tunes.
84. Make a scavenger hunt – or print one you find online. It could be anything – particular cars you see; types of dogs; items to spot in nature; items of different colors; articles of clothing you see people wearing; items starting with different letters of the alphabet; etc. Walk (or even drive) around and check off the items on your list.
85. Turn errands into an outing — it can be fun for kids to visit somewhere they don’t typically get to go, like a recycling center, dump, bank, post office, car wash, etc. Try to see your errand in a new light and explain the details of how everything works to your children.
86. Play Pokemon go – or a similar virtual reality game that gets your family out and exploring the real world. 
87. Visit an elderly relative or neighbor – consider bringing a newspaper or book to read to them, or a simple game to play with them. Or visit a nursing home and chat with someone new.
88. Bake cookies or brownies and delivery them to friends – if it’s in season, “BOO” them.
89. Participate in a community cleanup – or simply pick up trash in your neighborhood or at a park. 
90. Play photographer – find a scenic spot and take photos of nature and of each other. If you need more picture-taking devices, consider a kids’ camera. 
91. Find an organization near you that needs donation kits – such as hygiene kits for a homeless shelter. Go on a family shopping trip to find the items for the kits, assemble them, and then deliver to the organization. 
92. Park at the airport – watch planes land overhead. Pair with taking photos and a picnic.
93. Craft in nature – bring watercolors, brushes, and papers to a table at the park. Or collect items like sticks and leaves, then glue them to cardboard to make a collage. 
94. Find an outdoor spot to make a music video – choreograph a dance, or act out what’s happening in the song, or make a more abstract video to go along with the music. TikTok has made things a little more polished and formal in general, but the weird train-of-thought music videos I made with friends in college would be more up my kids’ alley.
95. Create a video tour of a favorite spot near you – pretend you’re making a travel guide or a documentary. Have your kids do the narration. 
96. Take a ride on public transportation – we live in a suburb where it usually makes sense to drive, but I recently took my 4-year-old on the metro to go downtown. The destination really did not matter to her, she loved the metro. A bus or tram would work too.
97. Bring your favorite indoor activities to the park – sometimes you need a change of scenery, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a completely different activity from home. Bring bubbles, chalk, a deck of cards, a chess board, a stack of books, or a puzzle to the park with you.
98. Go “day camping” – set up camp with chairs around a fire pit at a park. Grill food and s’mores, throw a frisbee, run around, and enjoy sleeping in your own bed at the end of the day.
99. Have a glow-in-the-dark adventure – wear glow stick necklaces and bracelets and go for a walk in a familiar park or somewhere new. Night makes it a whole new adventure! Kids love being in charge of flashlights, too (but make sure you teach them not to shine in anyone’s eyes.)

How to find the best family outing ideas near you 

While this list has hopefully provided ample ideas you can use anywhere, you’ll want to make your personalized outing wish list with destinations near you. To get ideas, check out:

• Local newspapers and magazines – whether digital or on paper. 
• Blogs and websites local to you – for example, in my area of Northern Virginia, Dulles Moms compiles an event calendar and roundups of recommendations for things like Fall Fun and fruit picking.
• Atlas obscura – a compilation of unique, odd, and hidden gem destinations.
• Reddit – find the subreddits for your local area, which may be a town, city, or region. Search past posts for recommendations or post to ask for your own. My local subreddit also has a weekly thread for “what’s everyone doing this weekend?” for more ideas.
• Facebook – similarly, join Facebook groups for your area, which may help uncover smaller events that don’t make it to the newspaper or magazines’ radars.
• Wikipedia “nearby” – I’ve run across a few interesting historical locations by checking out what Wikipedia articles are about places near me.
• Google…and Google maps – it goes without saying that you can Google “things to do near me”, “free things to do near me”, “things to do with kids near me”, etc. I’d also recommend opening Google maps and searching for things to do or other categories. It may uncover smaller locations that don’t have enough of a digital presence to show up in the main search engine results.
• Volunteer opportunity sites – check out sites like VolunteerMatch, JustServe, or volunteer roundups for your locality to find family opportunities. 
• Local coupon books – yes, they are still a thing! A boy in a baseball uniform sold me one at our grocery store. There are a few national providers as well as smaller local ones and coupon mailers. Use them to get discounts on theme parks and entertainment opportunities.

Track your favorite family day trip and outing ideas

Hopefully, your mind is now abuzz with all the fun things to do near you! Make sure you track your ideas, so on any given weekend, you can find the perfect activity without spending an hour at your laptop.

I created a Notion doc to track my personal ideas for my family, which I’ve published as a template so you can use it, too. Here’s a quick tour:

• Make a list of all of your ideas
• Easily filter by indoor ideas, outdoor ideas, free ideas, places you’ve never been, and outings that don’t require reservations
• Use built-in research ideas
• Get a random idea the template has pulled from your list for a spontaneous adventure!

If you use the Notion template, I’d love to know what you think.

What did I miss? What are some of your favorite family outing memories?

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