15 Staycation Options for Spring Break

March 4, 2016

Spring Break is just a few weeks away, so it’s time to start planning what to do. Going on vacation can get expensive, so we’ve compiled 15 ways you can have a great staycation at home with your family.

Set some ground rules – To fight the feeling that you’re just staying at home and not really on vacation, shake things up a bit by setting some rules for things that will bring you out of the norm. Try a day (or the whole week) without emails or app games, no frozen food, no worrying, no fighting are some good ones to start off with.
Plan ahead – Just like an away vacation, planning ahead will help make things go smoothly. It’s okay to plan a lot of things. You may not get to all of them, but choose your favorite staycation ideas and roll with it.
Turn off the TV! – While binge-watching Netflix may be fun for the first day or two, it’ll get old quick. TV is good to zone out to and relax, but too much sedentary time will leave you feeling unsatisfied with your stay at home.
Be Creative – Try out some of those Pinterest crafts you’ve been saving for a rainy day, or have the kids help you come up with a new game.
Camp in the backyard – It may not be the mountains, but this takes you out of the house and into a new environment, plus you get easy access to your own restroom and kitchen.
Cook together – Cooking is a wonderful activity to bring the family together. Give small children something easy like breaking eggs or stirring batter and older kids can handle things like chopping onions and vegetables. Food tastes better when prepared together.
Makeovers – Let your kids give you a crazy hairstyle and dress up as something ridiculous. Even dad can join in by putting on that old 80s getup and pretending to be a rock star or something similar.
Try Geocaching – If you haven’t heard of Geocaching, it’s basically a worldwide scavenger hunt that’s fun for the whole family. It works by someone hiding a small canister with a logbook and posting clues to the Geocaching online database, then anyone can look up the clues and go hunting. Caches are EVERYWHERE. There may even be one in your very own neighborhood. When you’ve made a find, put your username in the logbook and put the canister back where it was found. Geocaching is all about the thrill of the hunt. The only prize is the joy of making a find, which is plenty satisfying. There’s a great Geocaching app for Android called “c:geo” and a one for Apple called “Geo Bucket.” You can also find more information online here.
Water fun time – If it’s warm enough outside, pull out the hose and get wet on a backyard slip and slide or with sprinkler mayhem. Get the kids some water guns and release them to play water tag.
Board game tournament – Pull out your favorite board games and gather everyone around. Play it tournament style to make it more interesting. You can even make prizes like no chores for a day or extra screen time.
Visit a local park – Just because it’s a staycation doesn’t mean you have to stay inside the whole time. March is a great time to fly a kite or take the kids on a hike or bike ride in any one of Williamson County’s parks.
Backyard games – Dust off the soccer ball, volleyball net, frisbee, croquet set or other outdoor toys and make your backyard a grassy field of entertainment.
Build something – There are plenty of online woodworking guides for building a simple birdhouse, workbench, rolling toy animal or any number of other things you can build together with your kids with a few pieces of wood and glue or nails. If you’re feeling really crafty maybe even work on that tree house you’ve been thinking about.
Family film festival – Pick a day to host your own family film festival. Have each family member pick a movie and then take turns rating and discussing after each film to make it more lively and turn it into a bonding experience.
RELAX – Don’t spend too much time fretting over what comes next. Sit back in a comfy chair, take a deep breath, read a good book and be glad you’re not fighting tourists for the best spot on the beach or taking on the traffic in Gatlinburg.