This summer will be the season of taking care of our collective mental wellness. We recognize mental wellness may not have been at the top of everyone’s priority list lately. So, we’re sharing our favorite family staycation ideas for keeping your cool in the summer months in North Texas.
Travel restrictions and working from home have made planning a typical family summer vacation a bit more challenging. What’s a motivated, creative thinker like you to do? Improvise!
See your neighborhood, or your city with a fresh perspective. Since outside activities are the safest right now, take a walking tour of your neighborhood. We like the idea of being a tourist. Make it a Bird Tour, a Plant Tour, a Building Tour, or even a Critter Tour, taking pictures of the birds, plants, houses or critters that you find. Look them up when you get home and learn about them. Draw pictures of them. Collect your pictures and drawings into a scrapbook.
Visit your nearest lake, beach, park, nature center or zoo. Visit a different area of town and walk around: see White Rock Lake or Trinity River Audubon Center. We’re sure there’s SOMEWHERE outside in North Texas that you’ve never been.
Outdoor venues have safety protocols in place and are ready for your visit. Think, The Dallas Zoo and The Dallas Arboretum. Pack a picnic lunch and make it a day. Take a short driving excursion to different parts of the state, with an updated alert map from Texas Parks and Wildlife, as well as ideas for visiting sites around Austin, Houston and San Antonio. Hike, bike or stroll a new part of the state. 
Take a vacation from cooking. During your staycation, no one cooks. Wow your kids with a little cereal breakfast bar like they’d see at a hotel. Build-your-own sandwich, loaded fries, or nachos on paper plates makes for an easy lunch. And to make evenings special during your staycation, each member of the family gets to pick the take-away food for one dinner. Find a running list of North Texas restaurants with delicious take-away food in your neighborhood. Support local businesses trying to stay in business.
Turn your house into the place you’re missing. Missing movie theaters? Turn your house into one, complete with movie popcorn and fun drinks. If you’re watching on Netflix, you can use Netflix Party to watch the same movie at the same time with friends who are somewhere else.
Have a spa day!! Everyone in the family can participate, even kids. Wear bath robes all day and give mani-pedis and fancy hair styles to the whole family. Let kids come up with their idea of what to contribute and play along. Spa day could even just mean everybody stays in bed all day, unplugged from email and social media. Remember, self-care is super important right now, and a good staycation in bed totally supports that goal.
Missing a camping trip? Pitch a tent in the backyard. No need to miss out on s’mores or a weenie roast if you have a fire pit or chiminea. Tell stories with a flashlight, and more.
Whatever your plan, keep it loose and flexible – that’s key to a vacation state-of-mind. And don’t forget, nothing says you can’t start planning a future dream vacation.
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