With summer now beginning and about 2½ months of freedom on the horizon, plans are being made. Whether you have a family vacation, plans with friends already noted down, or lots of sleep as your summer dreams, I want to add a few ideas to the roster. Hopefully at least one of these calls to you and you can add it to your summer bucket list. This list ranges from solo activities to needing a few friends, as well as a range of costs. Have a good summer, Chargers!

Movie marathon
By yourself or with a group of friends, this is perfect for a long, relaxing night. Set up blankets, pillows (maybe even make a pillow fort), and of course, snacks, and then settle in. You could theme the movies by genre; rom coms, comedies, horror. Or you could theme them by series; Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Princess Diaries. If it’s a series, you can just try and watch all of them. If not, set a goal for how many you want to watch by the end of the night, or… just watch until everyone passes out.

Themed movie night
This is another one for a nice night by yourself or with friends. Pick a movie that would be easy to match foods too (ex: “Ratatouille”). Make a bunch of food that matches the vibe of the movie and then serve it all throughout the night. Ex: For “Ratatouille” you could make Remi’s soup, actual ratatouille, of course, grapes and cheese, etc. If you don’t want to make food specifically from the movie, you could make just overall themed food; such as monster themed food if you’re watching Monsters inc. You can also decorate to go with the theme of the movie. This could go very well with the last suggestion, given you watch a series. This one does take some more time, forethought, and creativity. But it’s fun if you have the time!

Themed potluck
Set a theme, invite a bunch (or a few) of your friends, and have a potluck! The theme could be that you bring a food that starts with the first letter of your name, a color scheme, childhood favorites, etc. Everyone then has a variety of (hopefully) yummy foods to choose from. This could be paired with either of the two previous ideas.

Bring a board night
This is a possible idea for the themed potluck. Everyone brings a “board,” which is a variation of charcuterie boards. Examples could include a chips and dip board, dessert board, fry board, taco board, fruit board, or a specific cuisine board (Italian, Mexican, Chinese etc), or even just a classic charcuterie board. This is another option that could easily be paired with one of the first two options.

Have a picnic
This could be a solo activity, but it would most likely be more enjoyable with one or a few friends. Grab a blanket, lots of snacks, and find a spot to relax! The beach, one of the many fields on the bluffs, in the hills above town, or up in the mountains are all great options for your picnic location. Sunset is a wonderful time for a picnic, or midday when you have lots of sunshine, but to each their own. Just make sure to check the weather beforehand to find the best time for your ideal conditions.

Baking competition
Unlike the other ideas in this list, you do need a group for this one. Everyone can either make the same thing and someone judges the best one, do a decoration contest (cookies, cakes, etc), or you could all make something different and rate them together.

Go berry picking
Many farms have a “You pick” system set up, where you go and pick your own berries in their fields. You usually pay by the pound, though some places do require an entrance fee. You can pick blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, apples, peaches, etc., depending on the farm and season. One of the most popular places for this is about 30 minutes outside of SB, called Santa Barbara Blueberries. They open between June 3-10 this year, depending on the weather. After opening day there are around 5 weeks of blueberry picking. The best picking time for raspberries and blackberries is in July or August.

DIY Slip and slide
This one takes some more uncommon supplies, as well as a good space to make it. You need a long sheet of plastic, water (and maybe soap), and a nice hill. You lay the plastic down on a hill (grassy is better, less bumps and bruises) and spray it down with water. You can either do this on a normal hill, or at the beach, down a sand dune into the water (this requires either finding a natural sand dune or making one). East beach is a good place to do this. If you choose to add soap, make sure it is nature-friendly, as it will wash into the ground or the ocean. The soap makes it a lot more slippery and fast which can be super fun depending on what you’re going for.

Escape room
A super fun one to do with a group of friends, escape rooms offer an exciting challenge and can range from normal “find the clues to get out” to terrifying “run for your life while finding clues to get out.” Many places have scare actors to make it more exciting, which is the reason for the second option. There are a few places in Santa Barbara that have these, including World of Escapes and House of Clues on State.