In grade school, I remember counting down the days until summer break. Now as an adult, I’d say nothing has changed. I still have a full bucket list of fun summer activities for adults to complete.
Because as an adult without a 3 month summer break, let’s just say I had to make every day count. These 70 summer bucket list ideas for adults will help you also make every hot, long summer day one to remember.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure for more information.
Summer Activities for Adults
What can I put on my summer bucket list?
When building your summer bucket list, you can revisit the summer memories that you enjoyed as a child and brainstorm which ones you could recreate. Put items on your summer bucket list that give you joy and allow you to enjoy the warm weather and the longer days.
Some examples are a relaxing day at the pool, a beach trip, or an evening barbecue to enjoy with friends and family.
What are typical summer activities?
On this list of 70 summer bucket list ideas for adults, we thought outside of the box. But some typical summer activities made it to our summer bucket list, too.
- Host a Memorial Day barbecue.
- Celebrate the fourth of July.
- Attend a drive in movie.
- Have a picnic in the park.
- Go to a Summer Festival.
- Travel to a water park or theme park.
Here are more fun summer activities for adults to do on your own, with friends, on a budget or free.
1. Enjoy Summery Foods
- Eat summery foods like salad, fruit salad, watermelon, smoothies, and ice cream desserts
- Make a fresh batch of cold iced tea, iced coffee, or your other favorite iced drink
- Treat yourself to ice cream and enjoy it in a park
2. Go Swimming
- Go swimming (or take swim lessons)
- Take a few friends on a beach trip
- Learn how to surf and ride the waves
- Rent a lake house with family and enjoy the water
3. Travel to a National Park or the Beach
Summer is a great time to cross a destination off your bucket list and travel. You can use the long summer days to visit a national park, go to a new city, fly to another continent, or have a lazy day at the beach.
4. Shop at the Local Farmer’s Market
Time to head to the farmer’s market to get your fresh summer fruit and veggies. Pick up strawberries, raspberries, honey, and any other summer goodies you can find. Oftentimes, farmer’s markets will also have art, crafts, clothing, and baked goods for sale, too.
5. Be Active
Sunny days and good summer weather calls for being active. While for some that may mean training for an Iron Man or hiking the Appalachian trail, there are fun summer outdoor activities for adults that require less time and sweat.
Here are some active summer bucket list ideas:
- Bike ride
- Go on a walk
- Play a sport
- Fly a kite
- Buy chalk and play hopscotch
6. Attend a Summer Festival
Festivals are fun celebrations which may include: food, music, live performances, parades, fireworks, and dressing up / costumes. For example, my city hosts an International Festival every year where you can meet people from a host of different countries who live in the area and learn about their cultures.
7. Pick Up a New Hobby
With each season change, I like to try new hobbies or rediscover old hobbies I used to enjoy. For this summer, since I’ll have a break from courses, I’m planning to pick up writing as my summer hobby.
Some productive hobbies like blogging and making videos can bring in some cash. Other fun outdoor summer hobbies to try are running, kayaking, canoeing, tubing, boating, swimming, soccer, tennis, and beach volleyball.
Remember—if you hate it, you can give it up at the end of the summer.
8. Raid the Library for Summer Releases
Relax on the porch, at the beach, or beside the pool and enjoy a summer read.
Many publishers launch new book releases during the summer. So, this is the perfect time to run to the library, get a library card, and start reading.
9. Be a Local Tourist
For those of you needing a good staycation look no further. You can find a vacation from withing your own city or region with a little research.
Oftentimes, we never tour or visit the famous places in our area because we’re too busy jetting off somewhere else for a vacation. This summer, take time to visit all of the famous places in the towns nearby you.
10. Picnic in the Park
A picnic in the park is a low-key, low-cost activity that can be a lot of fun with a group of friends or family. Aside from food, you can also bring outdoor games like cornhole and frisbee to enjoy after eating.
My program advisor did a scavenger hunt with the PhD students, and we loved it. It’s also a great way to get to know people better. This is one of those great summer activities for young adults, too.
11. Host a Summer Themed party
Find a summer holiday to come up with a theme—or don’t. Just have a get together to enjoy summer with friends and family. You could have an Aloha-Themed party, a pool party, barbecue, tea party, or brunch.
Here are some US Summer Holidays to party for:
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Juneteenth
- Mother’s Day
- Father’s Day
- Labor Day
12. Go to a Theme Park
Do you enjoy rollercoasters? How about shows? Driving bumper cars or eating cotton candy? These are all summer bucket list ideas for adults at a theme park.
If you really love theme parks, you can save a lot by buying a season pass and visiting throughout the summer. Beware of crowds though!
13. Host a Board Game Night
During the summer, you can host a board game night and play outside on a patio table to enjoy the weather. Or inside to escape from the heat.
Have each of your guests bring a board game to try and rotate through them throughout the night. Here are some of my favorite board games:
14. Make Self Care a Priority
The season change is an ideal time to hit the reset button on life and assess how things are going. This summer, plan some “Me-days” where you focus on resting and taking care of yourself.
For some this may look like reflecting on the past school year. For others, perhaps it’s having a spa day or getting a massage. Whatever it looks like for you, taking time for yourself should be a priority for your overall well-being.
15. Watch Fireworks for Independence Day
A tradition in the US is to have fireworks to celebrate Independence Day. Even though I’m no longer a kid, I still marvel at fireworks.
Some organization put on an extravagant show while some people do their own fireworks display with sparklers. Make it a point to sit on the lawn and watch the fireworks at least once this summer.
16-70. More Fun Summer Ideas for Adults
In addition to my top 15 summer bucket list ideas for adults, here are additional items to add to your summer bucket list for adults.
- Clean out your closet – now that the winter season is over, it’s time to give away the things that you didn’t wear
- Read a book in the evening or early morning on your porch or balcony
- Revisit your alma mater and think about all of the ways it’s changed
- Write letters to friends—near and far
- Do a DIY project – make frames, knit something, decorate notebooks, paint a picture, make a homemade face mask or scrub, make friendship bracelets
- Have a dance party to your favorite songs (old and new!)
- Go pick strawberries, berries, or apples
- Have a movie marathon
- Go to a skating rink
- Go Ziplining
- Have a pool day
- Go to a water park
- Drive along a scenic highway
- Take a road trip
- Go hiking or walk on a new trail nearby
- Do a reflection activity with journal prompts
- See one of your favorite old movies at a drive in theater
- Rewatch your Favorite TV show
- See a play or musical at your local theater
- Grow in your relationship with God. Make more time to pray and read the Bible daily
- Do the Every Word study where you read the Bible in 90 days (or one summer)
- Go on a Mission Trip
Outdoor Summer Activities for Adults:
- Bike ride
- Go on a walk
- Play a sport
- Fly a kite
- Buy chalk and play hopscotch
- Go swimming (or take swim lessons)
- Go to a Major or Minor League baseball game
- Take a few friends on a beach trip
- Learn how to surf and ride the waves
- Do the Yard Work you’ve been putting off
- Enjoy homemade Iced Tea on the Patio
- Outdoor Scavenger Hunt in the Park
Summer Bucket List with Friends
Are you making your summer bucket list with few friends or family? Here are some specific summer bucket list ideas for friends:
- Host a barbecue in your background or apartment courtyard – make it a potluck and invite friends
- Do a volunteer project that’s outside, like planting trees in your local neighborhood
- Run or walk a race together
- Start a book club. Each person can pick a new book every two weeks and then meet at someone’s house to discuss.
- Conquer a Fear – no one likes to face their fears, but it’s always less scary with a group of friends nearby.
- Watch a TV series or movie series together. Discuss over dinner or dessert.
- Clean out your closets and host a joint garage sale.
- Support a local organization by volunteering for a service project or raising money.
- Make a photo album or collage of all your favorite bestie memories
- Do Manis & Pedis and give each other a makeover
- Plan a road trip or a week abroad
- For long time friends:
- Read through your old journals or notes together and reminisce (Remember that guy I liked in the 7thgrade? What was I thinking?)
- Play a who-knows-who better game like in Friends
Summer Goals Ideas
In addition to a summer bucket list, you may want to also make some more serious summer goals. Here are some examples of summer goals for adults:
- Learn a new skill – a foreign language, how to code, how to swim, or how to do a handstand
- Revamp an old skill – Pickup an old hobby you used to enjoy or Invest time to get better at something, like a foreign language
- Do something out of your comfort zone – perform music at a coffee shop, submit a story to a fiction publication, sing in front of people at karaoke, go ziplining, etc.
- Volunteer at Church – There are usually special events during the summer where your church may need more volunteers than usual. Plan to help out.
What are your goals for the summer?
What can you do on a hot day with no money?
A lot of the ideas I mentioned above can be done with no money or clever timing.
- Play frisbee in the park
- Board Game Night
- Stargazing and Cloud Watching
- Borrow books from the library
- Have a movie marathon of old movies from your childhood
- Write letters to your friends
- Clean out your closet and do other summer cleaning (isn’t it time to flip your mattress?)
- Call an old friend and catch up
- See if any museums have a free admission day during the summer
How can I make summer fun at home?
Summer isn’t just about traveling. You can have fun at home and still make the summer amazing.
Here are a couple of summer bucket list ideas for adults at home:
- Eat breakfast in bed (it always feels extravagant)
- Have your own spa night (a bath, a face mask, nice candles, and soothing music)
- Drive a scenic route near your house
- Do an escape room with a group of friends or family
- Make your favorite summer foods – desserts, iced beverages, fruit salads, etc.
- Attend a local festival, see if any venues nearby are hosting concerts, be a local tourist
- Spend a day at the pool or in the park
- Watch the sunrise or sunset
- Do a home DIY project to spruce up your home
- Start an herb garden or flower garden
- Spend time with family and friends — playing games, sharing a meal, trying a new restaurant
Download the Summer Goals List and Summer Bucket List Template
Before you start your summer adventures, download the summer bucket list template. It has some ideas from yours truly and space for you to fill in your own.
70 Summer Bucket List for Adults Ideas
While the summer weather is out of our control, how we spend our time and who we spend it with is. Think back to your time in grade school or at university, what are your most favorite memories?
For me it’s spending time with family, playing games with my siblings, seeing fireworks, eating barbecue, and sipping sweet tea or a cold coke after a long walk. These are all things I can do now as a twenty-something.
That’s the last item on this list of summer activities for adults, young professionals, parents, young adults, and anyone wanting this summer to be amazing.
What are the top 3 things on your summer bucket list?
Leave me a comment below!
Don’t miss this! More posts in the Living & Adulting Category:
- How to Make Your Birthday Special for Yourself with 50+ Birthday Week Ideas for Adults
- 7 Reasons to Prioritize Taking Time for Yourself Now
- The 15 Top Productive Hobbies to Promote Personal Growth
- The Daring 30 before 30 Challenge You Don’t Want to Miss
Check out my freebies library with the best of my free printables and fun, inspiring phone screensavers to encourage you. These do not require any sign up. If you want to get more regular updates, subscribe below. Either way, thanks for visiting!
Join our Email List!
Hey there! You don’t have to navigate the adulting struggle on your own. Here at Kara J Lovett Co., we want to support you while you’re figuring things out and getting it together.
That’s why we’ve made the “Getting It Together Guide”: 25 pages of support, encouragement, practical tips, prayers, devotionals, and resources for the adulting struggle.
Subscribe to our site for access to the guide, regular post updates, fun freebies, and printables! Or find out more about our premium Getting it Together Guide here.