It was a summer of firsts.
At the beginning of the summer, I made a family goal that involved doing and trying new things. I wanted to focus on trying new foods, activities, and experiences where we could create new memories. As always, when I come up with these fun goals, we try and do many things for free. Some of these firsts were just for the kids but some were also firsts for my husband and me.
Some of our firsts were paid activities like going to see our first live soccer match that was between Manchester United and Wrexam Afc or just as simple as trying new restaurants. We did plenty of paid activities, but I wanted to take the time to highlight all of the free things we did during our summer vacation! It doesn’t take money to create memories.
- My youngest and I went kayaking at the beginning of summer. We went with a friend, and they had an extra kayak.
- While visiting my grandparents near Bend, Oregon, we went and explored downtown Bend.
- We did a short hike to Steelhead Falls in Oregon.
- We all got to visit 2 local water parks that we had never been to. These parks are exclusive to some clubs in town but because we were invited to birthday parties we got to go for free!
- Every summer where we live there is a 4th of July parade. It has been around for a long time. I used to go to it when I was a kid. This year we took the girls for the first time. They had a blast and came home with large bags of candy.
- On our way home for Oregon this summer we stopped at the Painted Hills located within the John Day Fossil Beds. This place was beautiful.
- The girls invited their first friend over for a sleepover!
- While I was in Seattle to see the Eras Tour concert, I did a quick stop at the Seattle Public Library and OMG it didn’t disappoint. Just the architecture of the building was beautiful. It was 100% the largest library I have ever been to.
- My husband and I took a 5-day trip without kids to San Diego. While we were there, we did so many free activities.
- We visited Balboa Park. We could have spent an entire day here.
- We went to Coronado Island and went inside the amazing Hotel De Coronado.
- We spent some time in Old Town San Diego.
- We found a DJ playing on the beach at Ocean Beach and spent the evening dancing!
- A few weeks before school started my oldest rode a bike for the first time.
Overall, we had an amazing summer. This is your reminder that you can still do new things and create new memories without spending money.
What was your favorite free activity from the summer?