There’s something about summer that begs you to slow down, and yet it’s all too easy to spend the most beautiful months of the year glued to our phones, doomscrolling on the patio or watching other people enjoy their vacations on TikTok. Consider this your sign to put the phone down for a few hours and lean into an analog summer. Forget that social media exists, get outside, and savor summer the way you used to as a kid. Below, I’ve rounded up 20 summer activities centered on hands-on hobbies, IRL connection, and the kind of simple, screen-free fun that ’90s and 2000s kids will recognize the second they see it. Some are nostalgic, some are creative, and all are guaranteed to make your summer feel longer in the best possible way.
1. Make friendship bracelets
Who knew making friendship bracelets would still feel like such a vibe as adults? Grab some embroidery floss or beads from the craft store and spend an afternoon making some nostalgic jewelry solo, with friends, or with your partner. The muscle memory comes rushing back the second you start, and a few hours later, you’ll have a stack of wearable keepsakes plus a serious craving for Capri Sun. They also make sweet little add-ons for birthday cards and care packages.
2. Spend an afternoon reading outside
For a slow weekend activity, pick up a new book, grab a blanket, and post up in a park, on a patio, or in your backyard for the entire afternoon. Bring snacks, an iced coffee or something cold and bubbly, and absolutely no agenda. There’s something kind of magical about losing yourself in a story while the breeze does its thing. It’s the perfect way to stretch a summer Saturday into feeling as long as possible.
3. Send postcards to friends and family
In the year of our lord 2026, getting actual mail from someone you love hits different. Pick up a stack of postcards from a local gift shop, a stationery store, or a touristy spot on your travels, and send a few to people you’ve been meaning to reach out to more. They don’t need to say anything profound. In a postcard, even a simple “thinking of you, hope your summer is great” lands so much harder than a text. It’s a lovely way to give someone a tiny, tangible little moment of joy in the middle of an otherwise normal weekday.
4. Go on a bike ride
Pedaling around with the wind in your hair can instantly put you back in your eleven-year-old body in the best way. Biking is also one of the rare forms of cardio that doesn’t really feel like cardio. Wheel your bike out of the garage, pump up the tires, and take a long, aimless ride through your neighborhood or along a nearby trail. Even better if you bike to somewhere, like a coffee shop, an ice cream stand, or a friend’s apartment.
5. Have a bonfire
A bonfire is a classic summer activity and a great excuse to put your phone down for an evening. Grab a stack of firewood and put your fire-building skills to the test in a backyard fire pit or a designated spot at a park or beach. Once you get a fire going, truly all you need is some s’mores-making supplies, maybe a speaker, and a few friends to swap stories with.
6. Document the summer with a disposable camera
The disposable camera renaissance is real, and we’re not going to fight it. Somehow, not knowing what your photos will look like until you develop them completely changes the way you take pictures. Carry a disposable camera in your tote for a few weeks and snap pictures at cookouts, beach days, and the random Tuesday nights that turn into something memorable. When you finally get the film developed, it’ll feel like opening a tiny time capsule of your summer.
7. Walk to an ice cream shop
This is the peak summer activity, and I will die on this hill. Pick a local spot within walking distance, and invite a friend to come with (or go solo with your headphones off, please). Get a cone, eat it before it melts down your hand, and meander your way home. It’s the kind of simple outing that makes summer feel extra special.
8. Draw with sidewalk chalk
Drawing with sidewalk chalk is the kind of low-stakes creative outlet adults rarely permit themselves to enjoy anymore. But it’s not just fun for kids! Grab a bucket of chalk for a few dollars and spend an hour decorating your driveway, a sidewalk, or the closest empty parking lot. Get creative with chalk doodles, hopscotch grids, or little messages for whoever walks by. It’s weirdly meditative and costs almost nothing. Plus, there’s nothing like rediscovering you still know how to draw a perfect cursive of your name at your big age.
9. Start a summer journal
Don’t let social media be the only way you document your summer. Starting a journal for the season can be a much more meaningful way to remember your favorite moments. Doodle in it, jot down interesting stuff you ate, list movies you watched, tape in concert ticket stubs, glue in pressed flowers, write down the hilarious thing your friend said at brunch. It’s a low-pressure way to capture a season that always goes by too fast. Trust me—you’ll absolutely treasure flipping through this thing come February.
10. Host a game night
Game night is almost guaranteed to make you forget your phone exists for a few hours. Dust off Monopoly, Scrabble, Uno, or whatever competitive board game ended childhood friendships in your house growing up. Then invite a few friends over, set out snacks, pour something cold, and play until someone wins or the night devolves into cheating accusations (both are valid outcomes). It’s an excellent alternative to spending another forty-five minutes scrolling through streaming services to find something none of you actually want to watch.
11. Press flowers
If you’ve never pressed a flower before, you are about to fall into a quietly delightful little rabbit hole. Pick wildflowers, herbs, leaves, or anything blooming in your backyard, and press them between the pages of a heavy book for a couple of weeks. Once dry, you can use the results for bookmarks, framed art, or homemade cards. This crafty hobby is slow on purpose, which is sort of the point. It’s also a sneaky way to bring summer indoors when the season finally winds down.
12. Plant something
Whether it’s a full vegetable garden, a few potted herbs on your fire escape, or one single defiant tomato plant on the balcony, planting something gives you a tiny project that quietly unfolds over the whole summer. You’ll get to watch your plant grow, snip from it, and end the season with something you actually grew yourself. It’s also a sneaky form of mindfulness that doesn’t have to cost a ton of money. Plus, you’ll feel like a Nancy Meyers character every time you tend to your plants.
13. Have a picnic with no phones in sight
A picnic is already a pretty analog activity, but make it even better with a no-phones-on-the-blanket rule. Pack a cooler bag full of sandwiches, fruit, drinks—the whole deal. Then head to a park or your backyard, and just be there. With phones out of the picture, the conversation gets noticeably better, the food tastes better, and the whole thing starts to feel like a real event instead of another quick stop between scrolling sessions.
14. Learn to make a new cocktail or mocktail
Pick one summer drink you’ve always wanted to nail (a spicy margarita, a perfect Aperol spritz, a refreshing mocktail) and spend an afternoon practicing it like a small science experiment. Invest in fresh ingredients, taste as you go, and turn it into a little ritual you’ll genuinely look forward to. It’s a fun creative project, and you’ll end up with a new party trick you can share with friends.
15. See a movie at the drive-in
This summer, skip the overly air-conditioned movie theater and catch a film the old-fashioned way. Find a drive-in theater near you and load up the car with blankets and your favorite movie-watching snacks. Watching a movie from your car feels like such a blast from the past, which makes the night even more fun. It’s one of those summer activities you’ll want to turn into an annual tradition.
16. Pick your own fruit
Mindlessly checking off a list on your phone as you trudge through the grocery store is decidedly not the ideal way to spend a summer afternoon. To make shopping for fresh produce a little more exciting (and less soul-crushing), go straight to the source. Find a local farm that lets you pick your own strawberries, raspberries, peaches, cherries, or whatever else grows near you. Fill up a basket with the freshest picks you can find, then head home to whip up something delicious with your spoils.
17. Try a craft you haven’t done since you were a kid
Reconnecting with a hobby you forgot you loved is one of the most underrated grown-up joys, hands down. Scrapbooking, watercolor painting, making beaded jewelry, tie-dyeing, origami—pick one you specifically remember loving as a kid and spend a weekend afternoon getting reacquainted with it. It might feel a little silly for the first 10 minutes, and then suddenly you’ll be three hours deep with sore fingers and a small army of half-finished projects.
18. Go stargazing
Nothing can make your everyday problems feel small and inconsequential quite like spending an evening gazing up at the stars. On the next clear summer night, venture out to a spot away from bright city lights, lay out a blanket, and just look up. See how many constellations you can spot and name from memory, or spend the whole time coming up with names for random shapes you pick out in the sky. You might even be lucky enough to catch a meteor shower, since summer is prime time for them.
19. Go camping
One of the best ways to forget your phone exists for a while? Venture somewhere you’ll have zero cell service. Pack up some gear, reserve a campsite or a cabin rental, and head out for a little adventure in the wilderness. Spending a night out in nature is a fantastic way to slow down and reconnect with friends or a partner this summer. And if you’re not really the outdoorsy type, consider it a learning experience and a chance to do something outside your comfort zone.
20. Write actual letters to old friends
If you want to go deeper than a postcard, spend some time this summer writing long, meandering letters to friends and loved ones. Pick someone you haven’t actually talked to in a while and write them a proper letter about your life, what you’ve been thinking about, what’s been weighing on you, and what you’re looking forward to. There’s something about the slowness of writing by hand that makes the words feel more honest, and getting a real letter back from a friend is one of those quiet joys that nothing on your phone will ever replicate.
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Andrea Navarro, Assistant Editor
Andrea is a writer and editor with 10+ years of experience in women’s lifestyle and commerce content. She is based in Los Angeles, California, and her work appears in Vogue, Glamour, The Zoe Report, and many more.
Images featured in graphics credited to: Anna Bednarchuk | Dupe, Alex Rusciano | Dupe, Emily Bresnahan | Dupe, Grace McCuistion | Dupe, Sierra White | Dupe, Sabrina Pros | Dupe, Leah Peragine | Dupe, Yara Alves | Dupe, Katie Rhoades | Dupe, Emma Dryoff | Dupe, Lindsey Fuller | Dupe
