If you are running out of fun ideas or the pool has lost its luster, check out this list of 101 boredom-busting summer ideas to help you make it through the last weeks of summer.
- Build a blanket fort
- Visit the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens
- Ride some roller coasters at Carowinds
- Have a picnic at Cane Creek Park
- Get mad about science at Discovery Place
- Make homemade ice cream
- Catch fireflies in a jar
- Kayak down a river
- Visit the Riverbanks Zoo
- Take a hike at Crowders Mountain
- Go for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Spend a weekend at Great Wolf Lodge
- Have a water balloon fight
- Go under the sea at the Charlotte-Concord Aquarium
- Experience Dorothy and all of her friends at the Land of Oz
- Go whitewater rafting
- Dine al fresco at one of the restaurants in downtown Waxhaw
- Cool off with a King of Pops
- Go see a cheap movie
- Tour the Biltmore House
- Shop at Southpark Mall
- Roller Skate for free!
- Go bowling
- Tour and pan at Reed's Gold Mine
- Check out the recently renovated Main Street Children’s Museum in Rock Hill
- Visit a local spraypark
- Go to an outdoor concert
- Watch a movie outdoors
- Check out a book at a local library
- Bike down a greenway
- Get a summer membership to the Mint Museum
- Watch planes take off at the Aviation Museum
- Feed some animals at Lazy 5 Ranch
- Go to a Knights Game
- Go Glamping nearby
- Plan a trip to the beach
- Rent a boat on Lake Wylie
- Go to the Carolina Raptor Center
- Learn all about race cars at the NASCAR Hall of Fame
- Visit the farmer's market on Saturday morning
- See butterflies at Charlotte Nature Museum
- Eat from a local food truck
- Try a Pelican's SnoBall
- Take a carriage ride
- Go on a sweet treat crawl
- Hang at the “beach” and check out the public art at Camp North End
- Jump at Big Air
- Ride go karts
- Get one of everything at Optimist Hall
- Take a stroll through NoDa
- Eat doughnuts from Krispy Kreme when the hot light is on
- Visit Ray's Splash Planet
- Spend a day in Asheville
- Ride the train at Tweetsie Railroad
- Play water balloon baseball
- Tye-dye a t-shirt
- Make homemade rock candy
- Make snake bubbles
- Make a homemade slip n slide
- Play balloon tennis
- Tour the USS North Carolina
- Slip down Sliding Rock
- Go to the Linville Gorge
- Visit an abandoned ghost town
- Go play at Southtown Wake Park
- Go on a ride on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad
- See horses at Shackleford Banks
- Go to Hanging Rock
- Stroll through Craggy Gardens
- Ride the light rail
- Go to Hobo's for a burger
- Go to Jockey's Ridge
- Climb up to the top of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
- Hike at Chimney Rock
- Walk across the swinging bridge
- Walk through Uptown
- Play putt-putt
- Pick strawberries
- Go on a mural hunt
- Paint treasure rocks
- Go to a Knights game
- Hangout at Romare Bearden Park
- Chase Waterfalls in the DuPont Forest
- Go to a beach in Charlotte
- See an Imax movie
- Rent a jet ski
- Host an incredible movie night
- Go on a dinner cruise
- Rent a Charlotte Joyride bike
- Swim at the Quarry at Carrigan Farms
- Go to Tiger World
- Play in the Fish Fountain
- River Jam at the Whitewater Center
- Visit 7th St. Market
- Go to a concert at PNC Music Pavillion
- Fun activities at ImaginOn
- Play hopscotch
- Make a bird feeder
- Make homemade water guns
- Make s'mores at home
- Check out Immersive Van Gogh while it is still in town!
Do you have some favorites from your summer you'd like us to highlight for next year? Let us know by emailing me at rachaelw@macaronikid.com. And, don't forget to check our FREE events calendar. If you have an event that you'd like to promote, you can add it by clicking HERE
