90 Summer Bucket List Ideas

The best part about summer is there are no "have to's" appointments, meetings and the schedule is super laid back. Some of the best memories are made in this sweet season. 

Here's a list of 90 Summer Bucket list ideas to make this summer a ton of fun! My kids go through them and everyone picks 1-2 things that are really important to them and we focus on making sure those happen during the summer. 

1. Paint at Paint Yourself Silly
2. Explore the prairie at Spring Creek Prairie. You can check out one of their explorer backpacks for free!
3. Grab Ice Cream at one of Lincoln's many great ice cream stores
4. Go to Hyde Observatory or Branched Oak Observatory and see the stars a little bit closer!
5. Learn how to make lemonade from scratch
6. Have a lemonade stand.
7. Attend an outdoor storytime with Lincoln City Libraries. Check our calendar for times and locations.
8. Go Bowling FOR FREE!*
9. Try a new restaurant
10. Set up a slip-n-slide in the backyard
11. Make a pie from scratch (including the dough!)
12. Go to Omaha and have a "yes" day (yes to the zoo, the Old Market, ice cream)
13. Have a lake day. We like Branched Oak Lake.
14. Go on a hike at one of Lincoln's many state parks. We visited Indian Cave State Park for the first time last year and will be going back.
15. Get up early and to garage sales
16. Go the Sheldon Museum of Art of the Joslyn Art Museum.
17. Plan a backyard movie night with neighbors
18. Play flashlight tag at night
19. Start a nature journal
20. Need to get some energy out? When my kids are bouncing off the walls I take them to places where they can bounce like Urban Air, Lost in Fun and My Gym!
21. Go to Arbor Day Farm and Travel the Tree House Trail
22. Do leaf rubbings
23. Start a summer garden
24. Go ice skating at the John Breslow Hockey Center. It is a great activity on a hot day.
25. Have a movie marathon at home.
26. Run or walk a 5K
27. Make rootbeer floats
28. Make a foil pack dinner 
29. Redecorate or paint a room in your house 
30. Create a craft at Makit Takit
31. Visit an Escape Room
32. Play with bubbles
33. Do a puzzle 
34. Play miniature golf Adventure Golf or Jurassic Putt Putt
35. Go fishing
36. Have a cupcake wars showdown
37. Make Tie-Dye T-shirts, socks, bags, dresses - the options are limitless
38. Go on a picnic exploring a new park in Lincoln
39. Tour Robber's Cave
40. Visit a splash pad; there are several within 30 minutes of us.
41. Take an early morning or evening bike ride on one of Lincoln's trails
42. Watch Fireworks on the Fourth of July
43. Visit the Lincoln Zoo or Omaha Zoo
44. Have a water balloon fight
45. Have a nerf gun war
46. Paint with water guns 
47. Visit all of Lincoln's Murals on a Mural Scavenger Hunt
48. Go to a water park. We love Mahoney and Pawnee Plunge! 
49. Go to a Family Swim Night at one of Lincoln's city pools. Only $9 for the family. Check our calendar for what pool is hosting.
50. Sign up for a Summer Reading Program. They are free, keep your kids reading and you get prizes!
51. Go to a Farmers' Market. Lincoln has markets on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
52. Attend an Outdoor Concert. Jazz in June, Lincoln Municipal Band, Stransky and more! 
53. Attend a Shakespeare in the Park. Check our calendar for dates. 
54. Have Summer Camp at home. We have six different camps for you including a Dinosaur Camp
55. Watch the fireflies! I didn't grow up with fireflies. These little critters are pure magic.
56. Make homemade popsicles
57. Visit Archie and the other dinosaurs at Morrill Hall. 
58. Go to one of the many lakes in our area. We enjoy Branched Oak Lake
59. Sit on the porch and enjoy the summer evenings
60. Cheer on the Salt Dogs! Baseball and summer go hand-in-hand.
61. See a play. There are shows at the Lied Center and local theaters.
62. Splash in a creek. We love Platte River!
63. Disc golf, or frisbee golf, is a family friendly and low cost. You just need a frisbee.
64. Watch a movie outside this summer. Lincoln Parks and Rec has several outdoor movies. Check our calendar. 
65. Make a fairy garden
66. Go to Prairie Pines and explore the nature ninja course. It is open on Saturdays and is free.
67. Go through your books and donate the ones you no longer need/want to a Free Little Library. Here is a map of locations.
68. Go to the city or state fair.
69. Paint a painting or door hanger at Corky Canvas
70. Play a board game
71. Read a book - get some friends and start a book club (for adults and another book club for the kids)
72. Plan a BBQ dinner where the kids cook everything themselves (with supervision)
73. Introduce your kids to an "old movie" you loved when you were a kid. 
74. Build a fort
75. Create a summer song playlist and have a dance party
76. Plan a road trip. Check out our road trip list.
77. Fly a kite 
78. Play hopscotch 
79. Draw with sidewalk chalk 
80. Have a backyard bonfire complete with smores
81. Paint on the sidewalk with water
82. Go to the Lincoln Children's Museum. It is open Thursday-Sunday.
83. Write and mail a letter to a friend
84. Freeze toys in a block of ice and "dig" them out
85. Create your own comic book
86. Have a glow stick bubble bath
87. Create a summer scrapbook
88. Try out canoeing at Holmes Lake with Lincoln Parks and Rec. It is offered three times over the summer. Check our calendar.
89. Go to The Bay and skateboard at an Open Skate Session.
90. Make homemade pizzas (extra points if you grill them).