Summer Adventure Ideas for Families with Teens

This post has been sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Summer will come and go, but memories last a lifetime! Plan a summer filled with fun adventures for you and your family using some of our ideas. Regardless of what you do over the summer, spending time together as a family creates priceless moments to cherish forever. Get ideas on what you can do together as a family below. And if you’re a parent of teens, these ideas were put together with help from our teens!

 Summer Adventure Ideas for Families with Teens

Summer is here! It’s finally here! Why yes, I am excited about the arrival of summer! This summer we have quite a few things planned for our boys. I’ve been talking quite a bit here and on social media about the challenges of finding FUN things for teens to do! I don’t know about your teens, but our teens are in that, “I-don’t-want-to-do-anything” and “I-don’t-know” phase of life. Any suggestion I give about fun things to do gets shot down with, “I don’t know” or “that’s lame!”

So… what’s a Mom to do?  The challenge has been finding things the WHOLE family can enjoy. So, we sat down and came up with some ideas on what to do this summer as a family. 

Let me tell you, getting them to all come up with ideas was a little challenging, but we did it. One tip I will give share with parents on how to get family bucket list of ideas going is to provide food. If food is involved, my boys are coming!

Another way to get them to talk about ideas as a family is in the car. You’re all stuck in the car together for a bit, so it’s an excellent time to make plans. Our list of ideas started in the car, then once we arrived home, we finished it over snacks and a few games of basketball. 

So, here’s our list of things families can do together over the summer. 

Plan a camping trip. We’ve gone camping together as a family a few times over the years. Our idea of camping (or at least my idea) is renting a cabin or staying in an RV. However, the husband has suggested going on an authentic camping experience, out in the wild with just a tent and the necessities. I think this is a camping trip just for the boys, no girls allowed! {lol} Going camping together as a family is a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and just enjoy each other and nature. We recently came back from a camping experience at Lake Rudolph in Santa Claus, Indiana and it was a lot of fun. The boys were not thinking about their phones, video games, etc. They went outside, found other kids, and had a great time playing. 

Go Hiking. This is another thing my husband wants to do this summer, and the boys agreed to it. Since our kids have never gone hiking, we plan to start them on light trails. Our goal this summer with our kids is to get them outdoors. There’s more to life besides video games, phones, and electronics. Don’t get me wrong, I love them, but from time to time we could all use a break. Getting outside and enjoying nature is an experience every child should have. 

Kayaking. I went kayaking for the first time last weekend and LOVED it. I was nervous at first, but it was amazing! My boys have gone canoeing at summer camps, but not kayaking. After I told them about my experience, they all want to try it. My guide was great and kept our kayaking trip simple. If your kids have never gone kayaking, I encourage you to try it. Find a location near you and let the guide know that this is your first time. Guides have to go through a lot of training and will be able to give your family a wonderful first-time experience. 

Basketball camp. Last summer the boys went to two basketball camps and loved it. This was number one on their summer bucket list. Do a quick google search to see what basketball camps are in your area. The youngest went to a basketball camp last year where one of the coaches was a starting shooting forward for one of the team’s in the NBA. 

Start a garden or learn how to garden. This may not be a popular idea with your kids, but we’re trying it this summer with the boys. My husband has worked with Zayd’n, teaching him a few gardening tips over the past few years. At some point, all three boys have been out in the garden, learning how to identify weeds and taking care of the garden. They all understand the importance of having a garden and where the whole farm-to-table phenomenon started. 

Go on a road trip/plan a family vacation. We recently came back from our first family road trip of the summer. We have quite a few family road trips planned for the summer. When the kids were little, going on road trips seemed to be quite exhausting. The constant need to stop for bathroom breaks, “are we there yet” questions, and the constant, “I’m bored” statements. Now as the boys are getting older, we can drive longer distances, (like an 18-hour drive last year to Jekyll Island). Going on a road trip together as a family creates memories and increases bonding time. In the car, we will play road trip games, watch movies together, eat snacks, and talk together as a family. I’m learning as a new mom of teens, getting them to talk about THEIR life is important. Moments like these are priceless, and parents, we have to take advantage of them! 

Theme park adventures. Our family loves going to theme + amusement parks. We’ve been to quite a few over the years, and we’re always on the lookout for new ones to try. We started our summer of adventures together at a theme park in Indiana. We had a ton of fun screaming and laughing as the roller coasters tossed and turned us. Kids, especially teens, do not grow out of enjoying theme parks. Plus, if you have younger children, most parks have rides for all ages. 

Water park adventures. Our boys are big into swimming and going to water parks. We have a few local water parks, which we will visit this summer, as well as travel to a few water parks. I also plan to put them into a swimming class. They are all great swimmers, but they could use a few refresher lessons on techniques. 

Do nothing. Yes, this is a thing the kids want to do. After a grueling school year, they want days where they can just chill. I believe it’s important for kids to have down time during the summer doing absolutely nothing. This could be taking a nap, playing video games, or just relaxing on the back porch as summer hums around them. 

Time with friends. And of course, each child has declared wanting to spend time with friends this summer. This will include sleepovers, going to the movies, video game tournaments, and just hanging out. I told them I would plan a summer party where they could invite some of their friends over for pizza, snacks, and games. 

Time with family. Regardless of what adventures you do this summer, as long as you’re doing them together, that’s all that matters.  It could be a trip to the library, free concerts in the park, checking out local museums, stargazing, camping outdoors, having an art contest, water balloon fights, writing a story together, biking, playing games together, reading a book as a family, or just relaxing, – it’s time together that matters. This will also include spending time together over the Fourth of July holiday with a cookout and watching the fireworks. Coca-Cola and Sam’s Club understands this as well, and with their 100 Ways To Summer campaign, they want you and your family to stay healthy and hydrated with Member’s Mark snacks such as Indulgent Trail Mix and Whole Almonds, as well as Powerade®.  You can also visit their website to learn about the current sweepstakes and how to enter. 

With our summer packed with adventures, we are going to need a ton of great snack choices to keep us fueled. I’ll be honest to say my boys have recently begun to like snacks like trail mix. The husband and I have been life-long fans of trail mix snacks as a great pick-me-upper, and now the boys are growing to like them as well! 

What do you have planned for the summer with the family? Drop me a line below and let me know. Be sure to head over to Sam’s Club website and enter the current sweepstakes!