10 Free Summer Adventures + a Giveaway!

One of the best things about being a stay at home mom is that I get to adventure with my kids all year long. That doesn’t mean we always do. Because ya’ll know how crazy it is to get out of the house with littles. But we can. And that’s awesome. And I’m so thankful for that flexibility.

Our day to day throughout the year doesn’t have many constraints, but still, there is something extra special about summer. Summer is bright and beautiful and full of frozen treats, swimsuits, and sunglasses. Summer is a time for my more valiant adventure attempts since my teacher mama and sis are around and usually willing to be my helpers. Summer, is a time, to make memories and free memories are where I like to begin our adventures …

10 FREE Summer Adventures

If you’re all about free, fun, and memories (ok, ok, and sometimes meltdowns) to last a lifetime, begin with some of the ideas we have on our summer bucket list!

  1. Join the summer reading program through your local library — Our library gives out great participation perks like coupons for free cupcakes, visits to the zoo, and more!
  2. Start a family photo tradition that gets you out and about — This summer we launched the #BossioWallArtHunt (pictured above)! Whenever we see buildings with fun paintings on the side we pull over, hop out, and pose for a photo!
  3. Create a backyard obstacle course — My sister did this with my kids and they are HUGE fans.
  4. Sightsee your city — You don’t have to go far to have fun! Ask for recommendations on social media or pack up an older relative and have them take you on a tour of places they remember from way back when.
  5. Go window shopping — Buying isn’t everything! You can use summertime to teach your littles the fun of browsing.
  6. Promote independent play — Ya’ll, summer is a time to get a little bored, because boredom births creativity! Send your kiddos to their room and then, wait. They’ll come up with something awesome. I promise.
  7. Embrace nature — Hike trails and explore parks!
  8. Mark your calendar with local outdoor events — Our symphony hosts concerts in the park, the city next door does movies at dusk, and along the water their are a few fun fairs throughout the summer.
  9. Volunteer — Use summertime to do good! Find something that your family is passionate about and give your time and energy to a valuable cause.
  10. Go on a drive — As in, a classic Sunday afternoon drive type of outing. We often make or grab milkshakes to sip on and play our family’s favorite question game (basically one person asks a question and everyone answers it, then the next person comes up with a question and so on and so on) while we cruise.

Almost all of these adventures call for a reliable mom mobile so make sure your ride is ready to roll this summer! Autotrader has some fabulous tips to get your car in tip top shape and even more exciting, Autotrader is giving away a Summer Car Care Kit to help make one family’s summer adventures come to fruition.

Each kit is valued at $122 and includes an Autotrader branded charger, tire pressure gauge, roadside safety kit, sunscreen, poncho 4 pack, safety tool – seatbelt cutter, hammer, emergency wind up flashlight, and a $25 Visa gift card. I have a kit and boy, do I feel 10x more prepared to hit the road! Enter below >>>

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Today’s post and giveaway was sponsored by Autotrader.

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Comments

  1. Janet W. says

    One of our favorite free summer adventures is going to the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins GA to see all of the military planes and helicopters.

  2. Julie Wood says

    One of my favorite low cost adventures is camping with the family. We already have all the stuff for camping and the camp site is very inexpensive by the lake. It is something fun that we do every Summer as a family.

  3. Cheryl B says

    We love to geocache, it is mainly free, minus gas and tools to use while caching, We explore new places and learn a litt about an areas history.

  4. Heather Leacy says

    We love day trips places (“cookie adventures” as mymy daughter deemed them since I always grab a box of cookies from the store as bribery lol!).

  5. Elle says

    We love spending the day at the beach and walking the boardwalk.

  6. Lauren says

    I like camping.

  7. Elena says

    I like biking in the park. Thank you for the giveaway!

  8. Ashley C says

    I love going to the local flea market!

    demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com

  9. natasha Lamoreux says

    We love going hiking and heading to the public library, there is always something fun for the kids to do.

  10. Annamarie V says

    Go on a drive is my favorite, I love going for a drive when I was a kid and still do to this day.

  11. Sarah Hayes says

    i like visiting the state park in our area

  12. DJ says

    Going biking with my family and going to local state parks.

  13. says

    We are lucky enough to live close to the beach, and we go often!

  14. Janice Cooper says

    We love going to the park/beach on the weekends in the summer.

  15. Kenya F says

    Free yoga classes on Thursdays at Byrant Park in NYC! The best work out and stretches.

  16. Mami2jcn says

    Going to our neighborhood pool is free for residents.

  17. Natalie says

    My family has a canoe, so we like to take it down the St. Croix river for a cheap and fun thing to do in the summer.

  18. Kelly D says

    We like walking at our local nature trail.

  19. Ellie Wright says

    We love taking our boys fishing.

  20. MPawnetick says

    My favorite free thing is to head to the local splash pad!

  21. James Robert says

    Camping at my dad’s house and we just got back from there for the second time. He lives 1 1/2 hours away and on 40 acres.

  22. Steve Weber says

    We love going to Groove on the Green.. it’s a free music concert every Wednesday at a local park.

  23. Jillian Too says

    We love picnics in the park and trips to different playgrounds.

  24. Rachel says

    My favorite low cost summer adventure idea is going to the local state park and going swimming.

  25. Cindy says

    The first Saturday of every month, our museum has free admission.

  26. Chrissy says

    Free story time/play time at the library. It’s air conditioned, we get to sing songs and play with bubbles and other kids!

  27. Kristen says

    I just love a straight up road trip/day trip…..just get in the car and go somewhere you’ve never been.

  28. Laurajj says

    Oh we love going to the park and and having a picnic!

  29. kelly tupick says

    We like going up to the lake and kayaking. This doesn’t cost us anything but gas to get there.

  30. Jeanne Coulombe says

    taking the kayaks down the calm baker river it’s beautiful and so relaxing also love to hike

  31. Kim Henrichs says

    Going to the local beach is our fave!

  32. Sarah Hall says

    We love going to the National Parks. There is so many and they are relatively cheap.

  33. Heather Hayes Panjon says

    One Of My Favorite Low Cost Adventure In The Summer Is Camping!

  34. says

    Most cities do “movies in the park,” and it was a great way to spend a warm summer evening with friends.

  35. Melissa Teears says

    Going to the local park is our favorite free summer adventure

  36. Becka Roy says

    Our favorite free summer adventure is going to the splash pads in town

  37. Sarah Mayer says

    Our favorite free thing to do is go to Jazz in the Park on Thursday nights.

  38. Ellen casper says

    Kayaking our the lakes around us.

  39. Jennifer Marie says

    We love going to the park and packing a picnic.

  40. Thomas Murphy says

    I like going camping.