Introduction
When you are young you can make fun out of anything, however, as you get older it is nice to plan fun activities, especially over the summer months with your family. If you have a child, they will need plenty of stimulation, and unique activities can do just this.
Not only are family activities over the summer important for kids, but they are important for adults too, to give us a break from the traditional routines we have the rest of the year and give us a fresh new experience as we enter the summer.
That being said, so many activities are expensive; water parks, vacations, the zoo, usually activities as a family can cost you a pretty penny.
But, some inventiveness and inspiration can keep the money in your bank while you have fun.
We do not all have the time to be super create and dream up the most elaborate and exciting activities for us and our kids, especially if you are a full time mom, or working all day.
Most of the time, you don’t even need to go looking too far for family friendly activities, most of them are right in front of you all the time, but you didn’t even know it.
If you live in Calvert, or if you are only visiting Calvert, there are endless family friendly fun summer activities you can do and enjoy together.
So we have put together a perfect list of activities just for you, take inspiration from them, or list them out in a plan and fit them into your summer!
Table of contents
25 Fun Summer Activities For the Whole Family
While we are including family activities in our list for families everywhere, we want to also highlight the brilliant activities for all situations in Calvert County.
Calvert County is a beautiful county in Maryland, it is well worth visiting all year round, but during the summer months you will find so much to do you will be spoiled for choice!
There is fantastic weather, in the summer you will be basking in the mid to high 70s, or even find temperatures from 80 to 90! Giving you a chance to enjoy the sun, get outdoors, or enjoy the many local places if basking in the sun isn’t for you.
There is so much to do, and we will save your imagination and creativity by letting you borrow ours!
Here is a list of 25 fun summer activities for all the family!
Outdoor Family Activities
First up, outdoor activities! There is so much to do outdoors, and it is worth making the most of the world outside.
So, what does Calvert have to offer you outdoors, and what can you do together as a family?
Well, let’s see 9 options for outdoor activities!
1. Geocaching
If you haven’t heard of geocaching you are missing out! Geocaching is simply a recreational outdoor activity. You use a GPS system or a mobile to hide containers and find them.
With kids, find a local spot and hide some containers for them, and help them find them. This is a really fun way to stimulate their skills and imaginations, while also teaching them about the environment.
If you are visiting Calvert, geocaching is a great way to experience Calvert’s’ natural landscape and enjoy the outdoors.
Geocaching is basically just a treasure hunt, but it is best conducted in natural areas, such as forests, beaches, and so on. You just need a moment away from the kids to place the Geocaches without them catching on!
2. Hiking Scavenger hunt (American Chestnut Land Trust)
No one can say that a scavenger hunt is not fun, and it gives you a chance to make the most of the local area. With your kids you can simply print off a free scavenger hunt sheet and let the kids go looking for the items.
In Calvert the American Chestnut Land Trust Trails are ideal for this kind of activity! There are plenty of routes you can take, and you get to soak up the natural beauty of the area.
If you want to be creative, you could add in some strange things to the scavenger hunt such as ‘ a heart shaped rock’ or a particularly colored leaf.
A scavenger hunt will allow you the opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of the area while the kids have fun adventuring and finding the things on the list.
3. Berry Picking (Linda’s GreenHouse)
Summer is an optimal time to go berry picking anywhere. You could use the berries to make a jam, a pie, or even a really tasty smoothie! You could even make a sorbet!
In the right places you may be able to berry pick in nature, however in Calvert there are other more unique local options that are even more fun!
Linda’s Greenhouse is an ideal opportunity! Linda’s greenhouse is near Chesapeake beach. There is a you-pick opportunity at the Island farm, you can pick berries, fruits and vegetables.
It is like going to a pumpkin patch except with a whole array of tasty options and all year round. It is perfect fun for all the family, and you get to make some tasty treats out of it in the end!
4. Family Road Trip
You cannot deny that one of the best activities to do as a family in the summer is to go on a family road trip. These experiences can be such great fun, and give you all an opportunity to bond even more.
It is quality time, and you get to see great sights along the way.
If you do not live in Calvert, you could always take a road trip to Calvert county. If you live south of Maryland, you would have so many sights to see along the way as you drive to Calvert. Why not stop off in Washington?
From the West, you also get to see many landmarks and various different climates. Enjoy the journey together. Take snacks, play games, and enjoy the views, wherever you end up!
5. Family Paddle Boarding
Paddleboarding is not for everyone, however, for families with older children it can be great. Calvert has a wonderful beach and paddleboarding together as a family can be amazing.
It is recommended that you receive training and lessons before you go paddleboarding, and you paddleboard in a permitted area, however, once you get out there it will certainly be an experience you will never forget.
If paddleboarding seems to be a bit too risky, or your kids are not yet old enough, consider paddle boating as well. This is a safer option for families with younger children and can be a great bonding activity.
Check out Chesapeake paddle sports and the Chesapeake beach Boat Rentals for these options and some family fun out on the water!
6. A Family Boardwalk (North Beach Boardwalk, Solomon’s Island Boardwalk)
With so many wonderful areas to visit, why not go on a boardwalk?
Calvert is a place with many options for boardwalks, you could go to North Beach, however we prefer Solomon’s Island.
In fact if you are feeling adventurous one day, you could check out the Drum Point in Solomon’s. There are many pilings still there, and you can see where the Drum Point lighthouse was standing for 92 years!
It can be a great family day out, and you get to learn some history at the same time too!
If you prefer wetlands and nature walks, North Beach is a better choice. Out here you will see the wetlands, and we recommend bringing binoculars because you will have so much to see.
If you enjoy bird watching, the North Beach boardwalk is for you!
7. Family Archaeology Day
With young kids nothing is quite as fun as learning and enjoying history. Archaeology is something we were all invested in as kids, we wanted to discover new things and learn about the world around us.
For kids who live in or visit Calvert, there is an awesome Archaeology day you can attend at Jefferson Patterson Park. It is family friendly, and you can simply leave everything else behind and just be an archaeologist for a day.
You tackle hands-on activities, putting together broken plates, doing some basket weaving, learning what native peoples did in the years before Columbus discovered America.
Learn about the history of Maryland, get your hands dirty, and have a great day out as a family with memories you can take home!
8. Solomon Island Heritage Tours
If you are visiting Calvert County you undoubtedly know that the whole area revolves around water, so why not dive right into that culture?
Rather than just learning about the water based culture there, why not delve into the full experience of pulling crab pots and dredging for the oysters.
This is the kind of experience you will not soon forget, you spend time out on a fishing boat receiving an educational tour. Remember, education doesn’t inherently mean boring either, you get the full experience, you haul up bait pots and sort live fish.
You get to do all the things that you could expect of a commercial fisherman. You get to see sea life first hand and learn about them as you do. It is a perfect educational trip for everyone!
9. Dunkirk District Park Day Out With The Family
There is nothing quite like having a fun day out at the park with your family. Being at the park is refreshing and fun for adults and kids alike, and if you have a dog, taking your dog to the park can be a fun experience too.
In Calvert County, taking your family to the park is great and Dunkirk District Park is the perfect place to go. There are wide open spaces, and you can look forward to fun with the whole family. Why not have a picnic there!
This place is especially great if you have a dog, as it will provide plenty of space for them to run around. With plenty of trees there is shade too for a nice cool spot to get away from the sun.
Indoor Family Activities
Not every day will be a sunny day, and when the sun is hiding away, or maybe if the sun is too strong for your liking, taking time to enjoy time with the family indoors is just as important.
However, spending time indoors need not be boring, it can be great fun, So, what can you do indoors?
10. Walmart Bingo
It may sound strange to play Walmart bingo, however, if you need to do some shopping and the kids are a bit difficult it can be something to make a shopping trip easier, or just more fun.
It can also be a way to incorporate fun into normal shopping trips and have the kids help out at the same time.
The idea is just to use a printable bingo card, usually a blank one, and put names of situations or objects into it. You can even put your shopping list into a bingo card if you want to motivate your kids to help you shop in an indirect fashion.
While being fun, it can also be productive!
11. Game Night
Nothing quite beats family game night. Game night can be just one game, or multiple games.
Plan ahead and get an idea in mind. Although, stay away from monopoly, that game never ends well.
Thanks to new inventions, you could play board games, video games, a mix of the two, or even create your own whole new game! There are many new family friendly card games out there as well.
You can make it educational, or just plain fun. There are no limitations with game night. The main thing about game night is to just have fun with it.
If one member of the family is particularly creative, it can work well to inspire them to come up with a game for everyone to play. During the summer, it can also be a great idea to make it a weekly thing to encourage family bonding activities.
12. Taste Testing
Back in the days before Instagram Reels, TikToks, and Facebook reels, there were video trends and challenges going around on YouTube. One of these is a great family activity.
Taste testing is exactly what it sounds like. The idea is to get similar brands and taste test them to see if you can tell the difference.
A great way of doing it is with a blindfold, and handing them the item. It can be food or drinks, anything consumable.
We recommend Pepsi and Cola as a great challenge for those who think themselves experts.
Take it in turns and see who has the best taste buds. Be sure to have a prize ready though!
13. Family Nerf Gun Battle
If you are active online you may have come across videos of families having nerf gun battles, some short-term, some strewn out, surprising one another. This can be absolutely great, and even though it sounds mad, it can be a bonding activity.
Having a laugh together as a family, and doing something silly like this can really bring us together. It will form memories for the whole family of wild and fun times.
So, head to the store and grab some nerf guns, plan out a battle. You could divide into teams or just one-vs-all. Get creative with it, if you have teams, do you have colors? A flag? A base? Who is the captain?
Get out a video camera and have it there to remember. If you have young kids, videos of a nerf gun battle are perfect to watch back when they’re older.
14. Visit The Calvert Marine Museum
On a rainy day, or a cloudy day, where you do not fancy spending all your time outside, a museum is a great place to visit, it is educational, and you often learn facts that will fascinate you.
With kids museums are a great place to show them about the world and history.
In Calvert, we recommend the Marine Museum. Since a great deal of the county revolves around the aquatics and marine life, it makes sense to have a marine museum here.
Here you will find fossils found on the bay and in cliffs, an aquarium. For kids there is a fossil dig where you can take home one fossil each, and much more.
It’s perfect for everyone, and who doesn’t want to take home a fossil?!
15. Visit The Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum
Old seaside towns are always wonderful to visit, they just have such a wonderful atmosphere. But it is even better when they have an old-timey vibe to them. Sometimes going back in time at a seaside town can feel magical.
Obviously, you cannot literally travel back in time, but when you visit the Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum, it feels like you have.
You can see all the normalities of life from a time long forgotten, elaborate swimming costumes, pictures, artifacts from train travelers and old businesses from the area.
There is a magic to a museum with this special aesthetic, so why not take a dive down there? And go back in time for a while.
Backyard Family Activities
Summer activities can also be about backyard fun as a family. If you have a large backyard you can get really inventive with your ideas. Most of us will have typical ideas, but if you think out of the box, summer can be a riot for the whole family.
A time you will remember for years!
16. Backyard Splash Bash
In a hot summer nothing quite beats a splash around in the backyard. A wild water party for all the family is perfect to let off steam, and cool down.
Think about a slip-n-slide, water balloon fights, water pistol fights, and more. If you have a pool you have even more activities you can do.
You can use your imagination. You could even play musical statues or similar games with a hose for whoever loses.
There is so much potential for fun with water games in your backyard.
With a pool you could play water polo, volleyball, do an underwater scavenger hunt for items at the bottom of the pool, diving competitions, and more.
17. Paint Slip-n-Slide
If you aren’t hardcore on cleanliness, and have a hose at the ready you could have some messy fun. Get some black tarp and lay it down on the lawn. Cover it in different colors of paint.
Dress up in white clothing, we also recommend goggles for eye protection for this, and send the family down the tarp covered in paint to make unique patterns on the clothing.
Get some soap and a hose and hose everyone off before you go back in the house.
You do not want to get paint all inside your home, so it is best to clean off after.
Ideally you want to use clothes dyes or paint suitable for clothes, so you can create epic new masterpieces for your wardrobe. It is summer fun and crafting all in one!
18. Backyard Shaving Cream Fight
If you have a spacious yard and plenty of room for a lot of mess, you could consider a shaving cream fight. Okay, it will be really messy, but it will be great fun! Ideally you could use this idea for anything.
It doesn’t have to be shaving cream, you could use soaps, or more eco-friendly alternatives.
Whatever you use though, we do recommend that you get something to protect your eyes, be it goggles or sunglasses, as you do not want any foreign objects like such getting in your eyes.
It is a chance to let loose and just get out all the pent-up tension from the year out in a crazy messy fight. You could also gain some pretty hilarious pictures and videos from this so do not forget to set up cameras!
19. Backyard Obstacle Course
Consider making a backyard obstacle course. This can be made out of anything you can find, from hula-hoops, boxes, jump ropes, pools, balls, stumps, stools, play tunnels and more.
It can be a great chance to challenge yourselves and get inventive. Time everyone going around the course and see who is fastest, but do not forget to give the fastest competitor a prize!
If you can’t think of what you can use, take a look at what you have lying around the house, and think like a kid, anything can be a game if you think hard enough. Consider the game ‘the floor is lava’, you can use anything, even a trash can, or a plank of wood can be a perfect addition to a make-your-own obstacle course!
20. Frisbee Golf (Chesapeake Golf Course- Lusby Md)
There are many types of golf you can play, and yes one of these is Frisbee golf. You can find Frisbee golf courses all around, but if you do not have one nearby you, you can always make your own in your yard.
It is otherwise known as disc golf, you just throw the Frisbee at a target, the rules are similar to golf, and you are trying to get it to the target as easily as possible.
In Calvert County you can check out disc golf at Chesapeake Golf Course in Lusby MD. However, there are so many places you can find out about this. It is worth giving it a try, it is a fun and unique ‘spin’ on the concept of two fun outdoor sports merged into one!
After-Dark Family Activities
We do not need to stop enjoying ourselves when the sun has set, we can continue enjoying ourselves and having fun long after the sun has gone down, even with the kids.
So, how can you enjoy your summer nights with the family? It doesn’t have to be movie night.
21. Park After Dark
One of the best things about the summer for kids is that they do not need to get up early for school, so give them a little freedom and let them stay up a little later and have a lay-in.
To really enjoy the evenings, get some flashlights or LED lanterns, maybe even some glowing gear and head out to the park.
You do not need to do normal park activities, but you can have some great fun. Play games, and see the world in a new light (or lack of light), when the rest of the world is quiet.
Of course, a concern for most parents will be safety, so make sure your kids stay close. In some areas you may even be able to catch fireflies at night too! Bonus!
22. Night Bowling (Lord Calvert Bowl)
Night bowling is great and you can do it at home with some glow sticks for the lanes, and some bottles with a ball. You can invent your own fun with at home materials and hold your own bowling tournament at home, in the house or your yard.
In Calvert County, you can find the Lord Calvert Bowl. A bowling alley which will be open for families who don’t fancy making their own bowling alley. On weekend nights it is open until 11pm, so it will be open after dark.
Going here is a chance to get your kids wrapped up in the game and introduce them to some competition. Bowling is a great night activity, and if you want to tire them out before bed, bowling is sure to do the trick.
23. Flashlight Games
Flashlight games can be anything from shadow puppet shows to hide-and-seek and more.
You just need to be inventive and creative with your thinking on how you can utilize a flashlight. With many flashlights you could reenact TV shows or comics. Make your own mini home theater, or introduce them into nighttime versions of other games.
How you use a flashlight for family fun activities doesn’t need to be far-fetched. Imagine you had a power outage, how could you use the flashlights for games?
If your kids like spooky games, this is also the perfect scenario for them. If you are stuck for ideas, ask your kids. They WILL think of many ideas!
24. Make Fairy Jars
You can call these ‘fairy-jars’ or ‘glow jars’ either way they can give you a feeling of magic!
All you really need for these are glow sticks and a jar. Choose your colors and think of your designs, you can design these or just be random it is up to you.
We do suggest using some safety equipment with these as it is another substance you don’t want getting in the eyes or the mouth.
Get a set of glow sticks, and you can create a glow/ fairy jar for a day.
You may want to incorporate some glitter too for an extra shine. It will be messy anyway. Make your jars by pouring some glitter in, cutting open the glow sticks, and then shaking the contents of the jar as it is closed.
If your kids are artistic, give them a brush and let them paint designs in the jars with the glow stick contents.
25. Glow-In-The-Dark Sidewalk Chalk
If you have a patio area in your yard, get some glow chalk. You can play pictionary on the floor outside with the chalk, or encourage artistic talents in your kids to create designs on the patio area.
It can make your yard look unique and will give your kids and yourself a chance for some nonrestrictive artistic expression. You could even play hangman or other games using glow-in-the-dark chalk in your yard.
Just remember to use it only on property where you can. Chalk can easily be washed off, but you do not want your daily fun to be accused of graffiti.
Having fun with the family through the summer can be done in many ways and in Calvert County there is much to do. So, if you come to Calvert know that there will be countless activities for you and the family, no matter what the weather.