Photo by Jens Johnsson.
Not sure what to do with your college friends who are staying the weekend? Need ideas for the cousins coming over? Here’s a list of easy, fun, and free things to do with friends and family besides everyone’s favorite: sitting around the table and eating.
21 Free Things to Do With Family and Friends
1) Have a picnic.
If you live near a lake, as my family did, you have the perfect destination for a swimming+food+boating=great time. If not, you can still usually find a park near a pond, or even a nice spot in your own backyard when the weather’s just right. Or, you can just build a bonfire and make S’mores.
2) Play card games.
Spades, Hearts, moneyless poker, or even Go Fish!
3) Go hiking.
Photo by Phil Coffman.
If you’re not quite ready to trek into the wilderness, just take a walk around the block or through an old graveyard (if your friends love old headstones like I do).
4) Host a movie night.
Borrow a movie from your local library and enjoy! You can choose several and let your friends choose which one they’d enjoy. If you have time, all of you can even head to the library and pick out movies together.
5) Visit the town festival.
Many towns, even small ones, celebrate their “town day” each year.
6) Look up local concerts, movies, etc. on your city’s calendar.
Check your town’s or nearby college’s Facebook page or website calendar to find free events throughout the year. My university often hosted authors, comedians, talent shows, movie nights, and interesting speakers. Some cities also have free concerts on the weekends. (I used to play in a bluegrass band, and we often performed at a weekend concert hosted by the very tiny town of Mt. Ida, Arkansas.) Most cities have an abundance of free things to do, especially around holidays such as the 4th of July (free firework shows, anyone?).
7) Go camping.
Of course, this is only a free activity if you already have the gear. (A tarp, rope, and sleeping bag are acceptable gear.)
8) Have a board game tournament.
Pull out those old board games (or new ones, as I suggested in my post about Last-Minute Guests). An old favorite like Sorry! or Monopoly, a new favorite such as Ticket to Ride, or whatever else is hiding in there.
9) Have friends bring their favorite outside-game gear.
Photo by Jordan McQueen.
Set up a volleyball net, croquet, Bocci balls, or whatever else sounds like fun on a pretty day. You can also go biking or skateboarding (assuming your balance is better than mine).
10) Plan a scavenger hunt at flea markets or thrift stores.
Have everyone take pictures of their finds.
11) Check for free days at museums nearby.
We recently found out about a museum only an hour away that’s free every day!
12) Bring your friends along to church/Bible study.
If it’s one of the most important things in your life, let your friends in on it! What more valuable way is there to spend time together than studying the Bible?
13) Cook something new together.
Photo by Andrew Robles.
For example, a friend and I made Pad Thai together recently. We wanted to try making something we’d only had before in restaurants.
14) Volunteer together at the soup kitchen.
Another friend and I did this a few months ago. Just make sure you call ahead of time to find out when they really could use some help.
15) Walk around downtown (if you live in the city).
Sometimes you forget about the cute shops, the beautiful cathedral, or the sparkling fountains in your own town. Just go and figure out what to do as you go!
16) Make your own commercial or movie.
This doesn’t work with everyone. But with some groups of people (particularly the younger crowd), making a short movie/silly commercial can be a lot of fun. Movies were some of my favorite projects with students when I was teaching English as a Second Language.
17) Play Frisbee golf.
More and more city parks are adding Frisbee golf courses for the public. Even if your aim is terrible (like mine), this game is a lot of fun.
18) Pick fruit at an orchard or berry farm with friends.
Yet another friend and I did this a few weeks ago with our little boys. Her 3-year-old loved picking blueberries. My little guy got bored pretty quickly in the stroller, so this is a better activity when the babies get older!
19) Stargaze.
Put the kids to bed, lay blankets out in the yard, and try to find constellations. (This works a lot better in the country than the city!)
20) Take everyone geocaching.
Just remember to replace anything you take with something of “similar or higher value.”
21) Host an art-party.
Have craft-loving friends bring their own art supplies if you’re running short and don’t want to buy more.
More Fun and Free Things to Do?
I am always excited to hear more ideas from you! Please add your ideas in the comments! And don’t forget to pin this article for future reference. 😉
If you’re like us and our friends and spend most of your time around that table I mentioned, eating and talking, here are some ideas for budget-friendly meals.
Oh, and one more thing:
You’ll have more fun if you put your phones down. I promise. 🙂