By Maria LyndersThink back to your favorite childhood summers. Days were filled with messy arts and crafts, learning new skills, and making friends in that earnest, brave way kids do best. Whether you were a summer camp kid or spent your days riding bikes around the neighborhood, there was no pressure to make every moment perfect and no need to look for things to do this summer beyond your backyard.
Somewhere along the way, summer started to look a little different. Now it feels like everyone you know has a flight booked to Japan or a wedding to attend in Italy. As adults, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the pressure to plan an extravagant getaway. And while exploring new corners of the world each summer can be a wonderful thing, it’s not always in the cards — and that’s okay. That doesn’t mean you can’t plan summer activities in 2026 that are still worth scrapbooking about.
This year, channel that carefree summer camp energy a little closer to home. With creative summer activities offered in cities across the U.S., fill your weekends with pottery, pasta making, candle pouring, or painting. As you create with your hands again, you’ll rediscover the fun of trying something just because it interests you, striking up conversations with new people, and losing track of time because there’s nowhere else you need to be.
Why plan a summer staycation
Summer things to do without the pressure
Remember when signing up for a camp activity was exciting simply because you had never done it before? You didn’t need to be good at painting, sailing, or cooking before showing up for the class, and half the fun was laughing over silly mistakes along the way. Local workshops offer that same chance to step outside your routine and try something new without the pressure to perfect it.
Spend less time planning and more time having fun
Planning a big summer trip can start to feel like a full-time job. Finding dates that work, comparing budgets, booking transportation, and making sure everyone agrees on the itinerary can sometimes overshadow the excitement. Looking for things to do this summer locally removes those extra hurdles and brings back the freedom of childhood summers, when the best plans were often the simplest ones.
Instead of squeezing all your fun into one packed week, treat it like a creative summer bucket list of ideas you can check off whenever the opportunity arises. It leaves room for more spontaneity and flexibility, making it easy to plan a last-minute outing with friends or family without committing to a full vacation schedule.
Make connections the way you did as a kid
The older we get, the harder it can feel to make new friends. When you were a kid, you didn’t need a formal introduction or a perfect conversation starter to introduce yourself. You just had to be in the same place at the same time. Before you knew it, you were making matching friendship bracelets, trading snacks, or running around together like you’d been friends for years.
Hands-on workshops bring back that same natural way of connecting. Whether you’re attending with friends or showing up solo, creating something together makes it easier to strike up conversations and bond over fun things to do in the summer.
Pick a summer staycation theme and plan a travel day
Just because you’re staying close to home doesn’t mean your summer activities can’t have a fun theme. In fact, planning unique things to do in summer can be the perfect excuse to explore your own city with fresh eyes. Treat these like your adult summer camp electives and choose an adventure for a day that matches your mood.
Taste cuisine from around the world in NYC
One of the best things about traveling is getting to taste new cuisines, discover local flavors, and experience a culture through its food. And now that you’re an adult, your palate may be a little more adventurous than it was during childhood summers. But you don’t need to plan a trip to another continent, let alone another state, to explore the world through your taste buds. With restaurants, markets and culinary traditions from around the globe, NYC makes it easy to turn an ordinary summer day into a global adventure.
Your global food tour itinerary:
- Start the day exploring one of NYC’s iconic food neighborhoods, like Chinatown, Little Italy, Koreatown, Jackson Heights or Flushing, and stop for a snack you’ve never tried before — whether it’s soup dumplings, fresh cannoli, Korean pastries or Indian street food.
- Spend the afternoon taking a hands-on cooking class in NYC inspired by cuisines from around the world. Learn to roll sushi, fold dumplings, make fresh pasta, or craft authentic pizza for a delicious lunch adventure.
- Finish the day with dinner that matches your culinary “destination.” Head to a neighborhood restaurant serving the cuisine you explored earlier, then end the evening with a specialty dessert, bubble tea, gelato, or even a cocktail class to keep the good vibes going.
Skip the museum and make your own art in LA
Vacations are often filled with admiring art, whether you’re wandering through museums, visiting iconic landmarks, or stopping to appreciate beautiful architecture. But if you think back to childhood, art didn’t feel like something reserved for professionals. It was something you got to make yourself. Bring back that creative spirit with a day dedicated to making something with your hands. In a city where artists, designers, and creators come to chase their dreams, Los Angeles is the perfect place to plan creative things to do in summer.
Your creative day itinerary:
- Start your morning with coffee at a neighborhood café (our favorite spot is Verve Coffee Roasters) before wandering through the Arts District, Silver Lake, or another creative corner of LA, popping into local galleries, bookstores, and independent boutiques along the way.
- Spend the afternoon making your own masterpiece with a hands-on workshop. Sip wine while painting at a paint and sip class on Venice Boulevard, learn the art of wheel throwing in a pottery class in Chinatown, or try glassblowing for the first time in Hawthorne.
- Finish the day with dinner at a restaurant you’ve never tried before, then catch a live show at a local theater, comedy club or music venue to end your day surrounded by more creativity.
Explore the great outdoors in Seattle
Summer has a way of drawing us outside, reminding us that some of the best things to do this summer don’t require a boarding pass. The beauty of nature is that it’s already all around you, whether it’s towering evergreens, sparkling waterfronts or mountain views. In Seattle, it’s easy to swap a packed travel itinerary for a day spent slowing down, breathing in the fresh air, and appreciating the landscapes in your own backyard.
Your outdoor adventure itinerary:
- Start your morning with a stroll through the Pike Place Market waterfront or a local farmers market, then wander through a nearby park or garden while taking in the summer blooms.
- Spend the afternoon getting hands-on with nature by building your own miniature ecosystem in a terrarium workshop or joining a wild foraging tour around Mt. Rainier, where you’ll learn about native plants while exploring the Pacific Northwest landscape.
- End the day with a picnic by the water, dinner on a patio overlooking the Sound or a sunset walk through one of Seattle’s many parks, making the most of the long summer evenings.
Stroll the streets of Paris in Chicago
You don’t need a flight to Paris to spend the day surrounded by buttery pastries, charming cafés and effortlessly stylish boutiques. Remember how, as a kid, a blanket fort could become a castle or your backyard could turn into a jungle? That same imagination can transport you anywhere with the right mindset. With a little creativity and a few insider tips on the best summer things to do, an ordinary day can feel like a stroll through the French capital. Brush up on your French with Duolingo, try a new pastry you can’t pronounce yet, and start building your list of favorites for whenever a future trip to France makes it onto your calendar.
Your French-inspired itinerary:
- Start your day with a visit to a French bakery or café like La Fournette for a buttery croissant, flaky pastry, or a classic café au lait while soaking up the feeling of a Parisian morning.
- Spend the afternoon embracing your inner Parisian with a French baking class by Maison Du Gateau in West Town or a perfume making workshop in Skokie where you can create something inspired by the beauty and style of France.
- End the day with dinner at a French restaurant, a wine bar stop, or a summer evening walk along Seine — also known as the shores of Lake Michigan.
Create your own wearable souvenirs in the Bay Area
If half the fun of traveling is bringing home a special souvenir or finding the perfect gift for friends and family, staying close to home doesn’t mean you have to miss out. Instead of picking something off a shelf, create a piece that tells the story of your own summer adventure in San Francisco.
Your souvenir-forward staycation itinerary:
- Start your day exploring Hayes Valley or The Mission District filled with unique boutiques, vintage shops, and local makers.
- Spend the afternoon creating your own one-of-a-kind souvenir with a craft workshop. Learn how to make a leather keychain in the Financial District, engrave a silver bracelet, or try a needle punching workshop in Oakland to create a piece you’ll want to take home or gift.
- End the day enjoying a meal at a nearby restaurant or bringing your handmade creation out into the world as a reminder of your creative summer adventure.
The best parts of childhood summers were never really about where you were. They were about following your curiosity, making things just for the fun of it, and coming home ready to recount every detail of your day to your mom. Maybe growing up doesn’t mean leaving that behind — it just means finding new ways to bring that same summer camp spirit into your weekends, wherever home happens to be.
