The Stay-cation...

[mrsabbott]

We have played tourist in our own town before. So many touristy things that we haven't ever looked at before.
We have also looked into places that were relatively close by. This year we drove 2 hours and visited a couple of museums and things.
One of the most enjoyable trips we ever did was pack up a cooler, fill up the gas tank, and drove in a direction we had never been in before. Stopped and picnicked in a cute little town park, visited an Amish community, splurged for a piece of pie in a cute little restaurant. Didn't have a clue what we would find or where we would end up. Cost us under $10 (for the pie) and a tank of gas.
Splurge on a movie, sleep in, do whatever you would like to do. just enjoy your time off...
I have also been known to binge watch tv on days off! Netflix has some great shows. Or you can sometimes rent DVDs for free at the local library! I once spent a long weekend watching every one of the LOTR movies.. The extended editions.

 

[AquaDame]

I enjoy my staycations the most when I treat them as more a mini renewal sabbatical - trying out new hobbies say, or spend the time fixing things up around the house. I daydream of having a whole week to stain my fence, improve my garden, paint some rooms, take the canoe to the nearby lake and paddle a little, and just cook/bake hard things for the freezer or lay out on a towel in a park somewhere reading...!

 

[ShayBells]

I honestly would love a stay cation just to catch up with things around the house and binge watch TV.

If only.

But we usually take a long weekend every summer to go to a nearby park or even just a hotel to relax and swim. Maybe even stay home and enjoy the movies or shopping. Little things that we don't do often cause we're always so busy.

 

[clori]

Stay-cations depend on where you live and ages etc. Living just outside of Boston I find Stay-cations easy. We do it every year though what we do changes over time somewhat depending on the ages of the girls. They are now 10/14 but when they young hopping on the T (subway) and going to the Boston Commons Frogpond (giant wading pool) and nearby playground was cheap fun. Now we look for deals on groupon and living social in the spring that may be fun to do in the summer. For instance I just got 2 tickets for a 2 hour trapeze class in Boston for $33 through living social that normally cost $80 each. I
also have a living social deal for Boston pizza tour where we having a walking history tour to places in the North End like the Old North Church and eating pizza at 3 different North End Pizza places for $17 for just me and dd14 since dd10 doesn't like pizza. Over time we have done the entire Freedom Trail but not all in 1 day. Now that my youngest dd knows more about American History we may redo some historic places in Boston. She wasn't interested in visiting Salem but as soon as she is we will spend time there (I took my oldest).

We have a Museum of Science membership and spend some time there in the summer as well as year round. We also look at the reciprocal admission included with the membership though most are not local. We check out things like Boston Harborfest to see if there are special events we might be interested in that are cheap. For example we used to go every year to Children's Day when the kids were younger. We tend to eat an early lunch before going out or perhaps bring a picnic lunch to avoid paying a lot on food. We have a fairly local public beach that is accessible by subway if we want a Beach day and a free public swimming pool. Our library offers discount or free museum passes if we plan in advance. The library also offers various summer programs that the kids pick and choose which include free ice cream from local ice cream stores, jewelry making class, duck tape crafts etc. My youngest does soccer camp at night for 1 week that is free for kids 6-12 that my oldest volunteers at. The local movie theater has free g/pg movies on Wednesday mornings. Our sheriff's office runs a free week of summer camp for kids of a certain age. Our local tv station offers some cheap programs for all ages. Basically we gather all info then pick and choose what we want to do. We don't do touristy things every day for a week but could do it that way if we wish.

 

[FINFAN]

Rent a jeep, grab a friend and hit some trails (basically off-roading, not rock climbing as the jeep will be stock lol) get some great photos. Sure it will cost a few bucks to rent it, and gas it up, but you will have a good time!

 

[sunflowerfields]

If you enjoy cooking and spending an evening with friends, plan a mystery meal and play cards after. Play at tables where the high and low scores move after each game or round. Keep score and give prizes (or gag gifts) to highest score and lowest score. Or just have everyone bring a snack food instead of the mystery meal.

Get a volleyball game together or softball if those are things you might enjoy.

A day at a flea market can be fun also even if you just look and don't buy.

Most of all just take time to do whatever you enjoy!

 

[MinMou]

On stay-cation we drink soda, eat pop tarts, have a giant bowl of ice cream for dinner, stay up late, sleep in late, and oftentimes spend the entire day in our pajamas while watching marathon sessions of movies!

I want to join you!!

 

[5kidsmommy]

We have a trailer for this very reason. Going to a stay park for a night or two is enough for me to recharge and doesn't cost much. Our town has a ton of museums and whatnot that we regularly use but sometimes I need to get away and camping is what we do.

 

[tina.tina]

Dear OP, If you were willing to share with us the general area of where you live, someone could probably give you some more specific suggestions. If you live near a tourist area and can't think of any free things to do, you're not thinking like a budget tourist.

There are tons of free/cheap things to do in and around Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge that have nothing to do with Dollywood! In Vegas, you could tour the casino hotels and make a side trip to the Grand Canyon.

There are plenty of things to do in my rural area (I won't repeat all the things PPs have mentioned)- swimming at the local state park, town pool, nearby wave pool, or temporary passes to the gym for pool, hot tub, & sauna, picnics, play games like tennis, basketball or board games at night, plan some days to sleep late & some days to get up early for the sunrise. My kids love to roast marshmallows and that always seems like a party. We get out the telescope and listen to music on our deck.

Just take what you do on a weekend and expand it. To make it seem more like a vacation, activities in advance. Plan out your meals and go grocery shopping in advance so you're not stuck going to the grocery store during your vacation time.

 

[Dashzap]

Stay home. No cleaning. Spring for good prepared food. Get a screwdriver and disconnect the doorbell. Only do what you feel like doing. No chores!

 

[a742246]

This might be a good time to disconnect the cell phone, turn off the tv and computer, and reflect on what is important to you in life! Maybe you might find your answer from within!

 

[lauradis]

This might be a good time to disconnect the cell phone, turn off the tv and computer, and reflect on what is important to you in life! Maybe you might find your answer from within!

Thats when I want to keep them on the most.

 

[disneyjes]

We do staycations and day trips often. Without knowing your area it's hard to help, but, we tend to do the park, historic places/parks, zoo's, movies, etc. We tend to make a list of a bunch of things we'd like to do - fun and educational - and then randomly pick one or two a day.