Ah, vacation! For many of us a traditional vacation doesn’t always pan out EVERY Spring, Summer and Winter Break. Once the costs of restaurants, hotels, transportation, and all other travel expenses are evaluated it just may not be in the budget right now. Maybe cost isn’t your concern but things like health and work obligations could also prevent the family from taking the traditional vacation route of packing up and leaving town.
Well hello spring and hurray to “Spring Break” being around the corner!
A staycation in your own backyard is a great way to enjoy and have fun with the kids. Be sure to make it intentional, plan ahead and include fun activities and time to relax! Explore, take a day-trip, and enjoy family time!
The idea of a staycation is to make it feel like a family getaway as much as possible without leaving home. Prep before the big staycation, do things like clean your house, clear the calendar, make your plans ahead of time. If you are well prepared you will be able to enjoy this as much as the kids. Try and go unplugged, avoid video games and television, no fighting, no cooking, no cleaning and no working at home, do things together as a family, just like you would if you were taking that dream family vacation!
Here is our list of 80 things to do
In + Around Detroit with kids
1. Get outdoors everyday the sun shines! {Hula hoop, hopscotch, jump rope, set up a maze, use sidewalk chalk, blow bubbles outside, enjoy walks to the park, playing catch, riding bikes, climbing trees, and well, mud}
2. Start a garden {Its a great time to start, big or small, if you don’t have a yard try container gardening!}
3. Help your child learn to ride that bike before summer
4. Wash the car in the driveway
5. Fly a kite {maybe even make our own handmade kite!}
6. Build a backyard bonfire and roast marshmallows {bonus:: make s’mores!}
7. Visit relatives you don’t see often
8. Play in the rain and jump in puddles
9. Movie marathon on a rainy day, pick a theme or series
10. Make an indoor fort and sleep under it with your kids
11. Sleep in and have breakfast in bed
12. Attend a local happening, fair or carnival, be sure to stay up to date with Detroit Moms Blog Weekend Happenings!
13. Visit the DIA {did you know that residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties can visit the museum and enjoy FREE admission?!}
14. Visit the Michigan Science Center – Detroit
15. Visit the Detroit Eastern Market – Detroit
16. Go to a Detroit Tigers Game – Detroit {bonus::Complete with the whole family in Tigers gear.}
17. Visit the new aquarium Sea Life Michigan {new} – Auburn Hills
18. Visit one of Detroit’s Favorite neighborhoods {Downtown, Midtown, Corktown, Mexican Town, Greek Town, New Center, Eastern Market}
19. Bike the RiverWalk – Detroit
20. Visit Belle Isle and explore, they have a free aquarium!
21. Visit the Ren Cen and check out some amazing views of the city
22. Go on a family date night, dinner and a movie?!
23. Take the kids camping overnight at a local campground {explore the great outdoors, spend time in nature, build a campfire}
24. Visit a local zoo {the Detroit Zoo – Royal Oak or the Potter Park Zoo – Lansing}
25. Take advantage of the MAP {Michigan Activity Pass at our local library. This is a cool program where library users with a valid library card from any one of Michigan’s nearly 400 public libraries can print a pass, either from home or at the library, to one of the 70+ participating cultural institutions that offer complimentary or reduced rate tickets!}
26. Visit a local farm {Dominos Petting Farm – Ann Arbor, Kensington Farm Center – Milford, Maybury Farm – Northville}
27. Ice skate, roller skate or roller-blade {Compuware Ice Arena – Plymouth}
28. Go on a play-date with friends and family
29. Check out the Henry Ford Imax Theatre
30. Take a long nature hike {create a scavenger hunt to use!} {Huron-Clinton Metroparks}
31. Go to a drive-in movie theater {Ford Drive-In – Dearborn}
32. Play putt-putt, go-carting, laser tag, hitting cages {Kart2Kart – Sterling Heights, Paradise Park – Novi, Race Rochester – Rochester Hills, Extreme Indoor Kart Racing – Clio, Great Escape Family Fun Center – Howell}
33. Visit your local library for reading time and other kids activities
34. Check out your local Home Depot or Lowes for free kids classes
35. Try a new restaurant you have been wanting to check out
36. Visit The Henry Ford {Greenfield Village opens April 15th} – Dearborn
37. Visit Crossroads Village + Huckleberry Railroad – Flint
38. Visit the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum – Ann Arbor
39. Get creative paint pottery or paint a masterpiece {Bee’s Knee’s – Northville, Creative Arts Studio – Royal Oak, The Painted Pot – Rochester, Pottery Creations – Wyandotte, Creatopia – Plymouth} or {Painting with a Twist – Farmington, Ferndale, Rochester Hills, Ann Arbor, Shelby Township}
40. Stop at a local ice cream shop {my local favorite is Guernsey Farms Dairy – Northville!}
41. Visit Calder Dairy + Farm – Carleton
42. Go to a local movie theater or see a live performance in one of the many theatres around town
43. Go bowling {here and here are a Kids Bowl Free lists!}
44. Find a new playground you have never been to, try one of these indoor playgrounds {Boogie Babies – Rochester Hills, Bouncing Off the Walls – Wyandotte, Java Jungle – Ann Arbor, Canton, Clinton Township, Farmington Hills, My Urban Toddler – Saline, The Tree House – Chelsea, Kids Gotta Play – New Hudson, Detroit Kid City – Southfield}
45. Day-trip Northern Michigan {camp, hike, explore}
46. Visit Mackinaw Island and cross the Mackinaw Bridge
47. Visit a Michigan Lighthouse
48. Visit a city in Michigan you have never been, take a road trip!
49. Check out a local nature center {Heritage Park – Farmington Hills}
50. Go on a fishing adventure
51. Visit an indoor water park {Kalahari – Ohio, Great Wolf Lodge – Michigan + Ohio, Bavarian Inn -Frankenmuth}
52. Shopping Trip to one of our local shopping districts! {Great Lakes Crossing – Auburn Hills, Partridge Creek – Clinton Township, Somerset – Troy, Twelve Oaks – Novi, Westland Center – Westland, Laurel Park Place – Livonia}
53. Explore the city of Detroit with Feet on the Street Tours
54. Visit and shop the local downtown’s, support local businesses! Detroit, Royal Oak, Plymouth, Northville, Birmingham, Farmington, Milford, Rochester, Ferndale, Berkley, South Lyon, Lake Orion
55. Visit the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit
56. Release some energy at Pump It Up – Wixom
57. Visit Michigan’s little Bavaria, Frankenmuth
58. Spring Break Art Days at Cranbrook Art Museum – Bloomfield Hills
59. Kids and Family Art Classes Pinot’s Palette – Rochester Hills
60. The Friendship Factory at Partridge Creek in Rochester
61. Look for open gym times at Local YMCA’s, Franklin Athletic Club, Troy Community Center
62. Swim and play at the Livonia Rec Center
63. Host a family board game night
64. Attend a Lansing Lugnuts baseball game – Lansing
65. Tour the Morley Candy Makers, they are the home of Sandars Chocolate factory, free tours and chocolate!
66. Take a cooking class with the family
67. Have a family Karaoke Night
68. Tumble at local gymnastics centers, look for open gym time
69. Pamper yourselves!
70. Start and finish a house project, redecorate a room
71. Construct some science experiments at home
72. Jump on trampolines at Sky Zone – Canton, Shelby Township, Taylor
73. Visit the Air Zoo museum – Portage
74. Take an Amtrak Train ride and make it a day trip! {Ann Arbor to Kalamazoo}
75. Visit the Arab American National Museum – Dearborn
76. Visit the Holocaust Memorial Center – Farmington Hills
77. Visit and walk the University of Michigan Campus
78. Blast off with Astronomy at the Cranbrook Institute of Science – Bloomfield Hills
79. Set up an arts and crafts day with friends
80. Don’t forget to take time to relax!!!! {bonus::have a media-free day!}
