Every year when school gets out, my kids and I grab some poster board and create a summer bucket list. Sometimes those things get done. Sometimes they’re pipe dreams. But every time it’s a fun activity. And then we use the list to make sure we get some fun on the calendar during the summer months.
So grab your markers and create your own summer bucket list. Below are 100+ ideas to get you started.
Out & About in El Paso
- Attend a local summer camp.
- Visit the ducks and play in the splash pad at Bulldog Championship Park.
- Check out the vibrant plants at Keystone Heritage Park and El Paso Botanical Gardens.
- Head to Ascarate Park and make a day of feeding the ducks at the lake, boating, fishing, or golfing.
- Your summer wouldn’t be complete without at least one visit to the El Paso Zoo.
- Visit the Licon Dairy petting zoo and eat some famous Licon Dairy asadero cheese.
- Catch an El Paso Locomotives home game.
- Take me out to an El Paso Chihuahuas baseball game.
- Play table tennis and splash on the splash pad at San Jacinto Plaza.
- Ride an El Paso Streetcar.
- Hop in the car for Scenic Drive Overlook.
- Play bumper boats and more at Adventure Zone.
- Batting cages, go-karts, mini-golf . . . there’s something fun for everyone at Bob O’s Family Fun Center.
- Check out Jungle Jacks, which includes a foam factory, giant slides, arcade games, and a giant T. Rex ride.
- For a day of amusement park fun, head to Western Playland.
- X-Zone Indoor Playground is the place for ninja warriors and ball pit lovers.
- Catch a summer movie. There are many free and inexpensive ones for kids during the summer.
- Skip rocks in a lake or river.
- Home Depot has a free kids workshop on the 1st Saturday of the month (9 AM – 12 PM).
Culture & Learning
- Grab the kids a sketch pad and head to the El Paso Museum of Art.
- Explore over 1,000 years of regional history at El Paso Museum of History.
- The El Paso Museum of Archeology is a unique indoor and outdoor experience.
- The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum has lots of interactive exhibits for kids, not to mention animals.
- Attend storytime at one of El Paso’s libraries. Family storytime is every Tuesday at 4:30 pm. And preschool storytime is every Wednesday at 11 am.
- Head to The Book Nook at Sunland Park Mall on the first Friday of each month for family-friendly seasonal activities with stories, crafts, play, and snacks.
- Donate a book to and take a book from a Little Free Library.
- Travel the historic Mission Trail.
- Treat your family to Viva! El Paso, a musical spectacular that also educates and celebrates the history of four cultures spanning four centuries.
Water Fun
- Plan a day at Wet-N-Wild Water World.
- Water balloon fight! (Seasoned mom tip: pay kids a penny for each piece of water balloon they pick up once the fun has ended.)
- Visit an El Paso splash pad.
- Pack your goggles and head to a local pool.
- Run in the sprinkler.
- Check out these beat the heat water activities that don’t waste water.
- Water balloon baseball.
- Make your own slip-n-slide with a tarp, baby soap, and a hose. (Bonus: also counts as a bath.)
- “Paint” with squirt guns. And then have a squirt gun battle.
- Soak in a kiddie pool.
- Splash on a water table.
- Wash the car.
Get Active
- Take a hike.
- Go on a bike ride.
- Visit a playground you’ve never been to before.
- Go bowling.
- Check out Chuck Heinrich Memorial park and hike to the only tin mines in the United States.
- Take swimming lessons.
- Plan a fun outing at Top Golf.
- Bounce to your heart’s content at Ally B. Gator’s.
- Play kickball.
- Go roller skating.
- Take the dog on a good walk.
- Go horseback riding.
- Check the kids into gym childcare and try a new workout.
The Great Outdoors
- Go camping.
- Go on a painted rock scavenger hunt.
- Visit White Sands National Park on a full moon night. (It’s open til 11 pm on those evenings.)
- Sleep in a tent in your backyard.
- Download an app and try geocaching.
- Go stargazing and find constellations. Check out the app SkyView so you know what you’re looking for.
- Visit as many parks as you can and rank your favorites.
- Create mosiacs with sidewalk chalk and painter’s tape.
- Visit and take selfies at as many of El Paso’s murals as you can find.
- Go see some real-life dinosaur tracks!
- Fly kites.
Food Fun
- Test all the local ice cream spots and vote on your favorites.
- Teach older kids how to make a simple meal.
- Make popsicles.
- Shop at a farmer’s market.
- Hit up Happy Hour at Sonic for half-price drinks from 2:00–4:00 P.M. every day.
- Have a picnic.
- Make your own ice cream in a bag.
- Have a watermelon seed spitting contest.
- Eat at one of El Paso’s food trucks.
- Go to a restaurant where kids eat free.
- Make s’mores.
- Bake cookies.
- Get outside and grill.
- Head to La Luz, New Mexico to the Nichols Ranch and Orchard to pick cherries.
At-Home Activities
- Have a paper airplane contest.
- Do a Perler bead project.
- Create an obstacle course and beat your own time.
- Pot some plants.
- Stay up late and watch a movie complete with popcorn.
- Flashlight tag.
- Build a fort.
- Have a sleepover in the living room.
- Make glitter sensory bottles.
- Blow bubbles.
- Have a lemonade stand.
- Paint sticks and rocks.
- Put on a talent show.
- Make shadow puppets.
- Send postcards.
- Play hopscotch.
- Plant a terrarium.
- Make playdough.
- Have a dance party.
- Plan a random act of kindness.
- Plant and tend a garden.
- Play “Yard Twister” by spray-painting circles on your lawn.
- Light sparklers.
- Play with kinetic sand.
- Look up kids’ workouts and yoga on YouTube. Then follow along!
- Play a board game.
- And if all else fails . . . screen time!
We hope you have a wonderful summer full of memories. Let us know what’s on your summer bucket list.