20 Things to do before summer is over
My girls start school next week. We just finished back to school shopping today and I can’t believe summer is already over. Then I remembered that it isn’t technically over. As of today, we still have about 5 more weeks before summer is officially over.
That is plenty of time to do the last minute things that I didn’t get around to. In fact, our beach trip isn’t even until September and to me ending the beach trip feels more like the official end of summer.
If you feel like you’ve spent most of your summer working or if you didn’t accomplish the things that you initially planned, you still have some time left!
Here are 7 things to do before summer officially ends
1.Read summer books
If you haven’t had the time to sit down with a good summer book, don’t worry! There are plenty of amazing books that you can finish in just a couple of days. Books will keep you in the summer mindset while taking you through an incredible story.
I’m still reading through the last of my summer books and I am loving them so far! If you need some inspiration on what to read, I have post with all of my favorite summer books.
2.Spend a night away
Anywhere. A cabin, camping, a bed and breakfast or an air bnb. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate and far away trip. Do something within a couple of hours from your house just to get away one last time before summer is over. Bonus points if you can make it a girls trip!
3.Have a summer picnic
There are few things I like more than a good picnic. Especially if it is by a river or a stream. Eating with the sound of running water in the background is magical to me and makes me feel like I live in a fairytale.
If packing a picnic feels overwhelming, grab the nearest takeout and eat it at your favorite place. The change of scenery will be refreshing.
4.Spend some more time with the people you love the most.
You know when you are spending time with someone and you say ‘let’s get together again soon’ knowing that it won’t happen? We are all guilty of it, but I encourage you to take some time this summer to spend time with the people you really care about but aren’t seeing often. Grandparents perhaps?
Take some time to nourish those relationships. It will make everyone much happier.
5.Catch a sunset
Near my house there is a mountain and in just a short walk we can on beautiful rocks and watch the sunset. People bring their pets, families, and even their guitars to play music and admire the sunset. If you haven’t had a good sunset yet this summer I recommend you add it to your to do list!
6.Host an ice cream social
We have had an unusually hot summer with temperatures hitting 100 degrees! We also had very little rain and many states are in a drought. What better way to end the summer by staying inside and eating ice cream?
Grab some different flavors of ice creams and toppings and have your friends over to socialize. You can also make it a movie night or even cook food and make it into a barbecue.
7.Play tennis or pickleball
I got into tennis about 2 years ago. I am terrible at it, but it is a great workout and really fun to do on summer evenings. It is still warm outside but not too hot and our community tennis courts have lights that will stay on all night. I look forward to playing every year.
Pickleball is becoming very popular. I have never played it, but I’ve heard that it is a lot of fun!
8. Create your personal summer awards
This is a wonderful way to make sure that you have some way to look back on this summer and recall all of the little details that you will forget in the future. Be thoughtful with your awards and maybe even ask your friends for ideas. I love to preserve memories so this is one of my favorite little things to do. Here are just a few ideas…
“Best Book,” “Best Outfit,” “Best Meal,” “Best Day,” “Most Unexpected Moment,” “Best Purchase,” “Best Sunset.”
9. Write a love letter to this summer…even if it wasn’t perfect
Look for all of the little lessons you learned and all of the adventures that you had. Use all of those to write a beautiful letter to this summer. Again, it will be something very fun to look back on. I did this recently for this summer and I placed it in my time capsule that I make every year. I will open it again in ten years time. I’m so excited!
10. Have a dress up day for absolutely no reason
I basically did this all summer long. I was going through my closet at the end of spring and I realized that I have so many dresses and summer outfits that I don’t wear. So, I decided that I wanted to wear all of my outfits this summer. Was I completely overdressed at the grocery store from time to time? Yes. Did I throw on a pretty dress without makeup just to take a quick trip to the thrift store? YES.
And you know what? I got a lot of compliments on my outfits, even thought wasn’t fully made up. It was also nice to actually wear the outfits in my closet instead of purchasing new ones.
11. Make a summer soundtrack
I try to make a soundtrack for each season, but it doesn’t always turn out that way. This year, I made a playlist at the beginning of the summer, hoping to listen to it all season long. But with each passing day, I realized there were some songs that I didn’t want in the playlist, and some that I gravitated towards more than others. SO, I did some editing recently, I removed the songs that I didn’t listen to and added songs that I played a lot.
For example, I saw Hilary Duff live a couple of weeks ago and spend a couple of weeks listening to her new album to prepare for the show. I added some of the songs from that album to my summer playlist since that is what I was listening to…Think of what songs you had on repeat this summer, and what songs you heard when you were out and about. Add them to the playlist!
12. Make a summer signature drink
This is actually inspired by a baby shower I attended just yesterday. She had a lemonade bar! I had never seen one before and I thought it was the cutest thing ever! I don’t think I have a photo of it because there were always people at it.
All you need is some flavored syrup and some regular lemonade, maybe some fruit as well. Create your own lemonade and name it something fun and whimsical! If lemonade isn’t your thing, try tea or something else! This is stull a simple and fun idea!
13. Have one last big family dinner
If you didn’t get to have a summer cookout, now is the time! Host one last big family dinner (or a dinner for friends), take it a step further by adding a theme. I really want to do an early 2000s themed dinner. Maybe use this as an opportunity to try out that recipe that you have been meaning to make all summer.
14 Print out the photos in your phone
Photos deserve to be printed! Try not to make a habit out of leaving all of your summer memories in your device. Print them out! You can take it one step further by printing out photos of you and your friends/family, write a cute note on the back, then mail it to them.
15. Check out a small town near you
There are so many little towns within an hour of me that I never make the time to visit. If this is true for you, why not take a weekend before summer is over to explore a nearby small town. Support the local businesses and try some of the food.
16. Go thrifting!
I have recently gotten into thrifting and it is so much fun! I initially went because my daughter was looking for vintage clothes for school this year, only to discover that there are a lot of unique finds that were hiding under my nose for years. I found the cutest baskets for creating gift baskets, and lots of beautiful dishes for hosting. Not to mention I’ve probably only spent $15 for everything I have purchased! Definitely a win.
17. Explore a new hiking trail
Hiking is one of my favorite things to do on a summer evening. We usually have a somewhat early dinner before going on a peaceful hike. I love being out in nature and late summer is the perfect time to do it! Evenings are slightly more tolerable and it is the perfect way to slow down and ease into Autumn.
18. Visit a winery
I do not drink alcohol at all, but I am listing this anyway because I’m sure many of my readers do. There are so many wineries near my house and I know that if I did drink, I would certainly enjoy visiting each and every one of them. Make a whole day of it and maybe try more than one. Don’t forget to dress up and look fabulous.
19. Find a food truck.
Sometimes food trucks have the best food around. This is your sign to find a food truck or food truck festival and try some new foods while supporting a small business!
20. Have a last weekend of summer celebration
Why not make a weekend out of it? Pick some of these things from the list and make a big celebratory weekend out of it. This way, you can end the summer on a high note and make it a very eventful weekend. Try to involve as many friends and family members as you possibly can.
Saying goodbye to summer…
Finish out the summer with some journaling and reflecting on the things you did over the summer and perhaps make some intentions for next summer! This is a great way for closure, making room for a new season full of beautiful memories.
