Things To Do With Friends

While hosting friends from out of town can be a lot of fun, it can be challenging to find things to do with friends that are locally based and uncomplicated. The following are some ideas regarding things to do with friends. Obviously, not all of these suggestions are suitable for all friends but are just provided as food for thought. At the very least, this article can be used as a starting point to find things to do with friends that your friends will like doing. Feel free to share your own ideas in the comments section below.

Wineries are located all over the place, not just in areas that are famous for producing wine, such as the Napa Valley of California or the Finger Lakes of New York, and can be great places to spend a day with friends. If your friends are the type of people that enjoy doing a wine tasting or just spending time outdoors, check the Internet for wineries located in your area. Regional wine grower associations often have websites that list wineries within their region, and are excellent sources of information about wineries within a specific area. Consulting individual winery websites provides additional information specific to what the wineries have to offer.

Besides the standard wine tasting that wineries offer, many wineries offer food and sometimes provide live music entertainment. An especially good time to visit a winery with adult friends is when a winery is hosting a festival, which could include a number of live musical performances, vendors from other nearby wineries or local businesses, and fun activities for the whole family. Even if there’s not much going on at a local winery on a particular day, a winery can make for an excellent setting for a relaxing picnic and can provide good opportunity to spend some time outdoors with your friends.

Many people do not check out local historical sites and museums because they do not have the motivation to do so. Touring local historical sites and museums with friends not only gives the host a chance to learn more about their local area, but provides a good opportunity to get out and do something with friends who may be interested in learning more about the area in which you live. Even within a short half an hour drive, many areas have local historical sites and museums that may be of interest. Use the Internet to search for local historical societies or listings of historical sites and museums within your area.

For friends that enjoy getting outdoors and going for a hike, most areas offer plentiful local hiking opportunities and things to do with friends. State or provincial parks often have hiking trails of various difficulties. Some local county and municipal parks also include hiking trails of various difficulties. If you want to avoid hiking on rocky trails, search the Internet for local rail trails in your area. Rail trails are old railroad lines that have been converted into trails after the railroad tracks have been removed. Rail trails are very level and easy to walk on.

Even urban areas often have bike trails or trails through parks that can be suitable for a local hike. In some cases, finding suitable local hiking opportunities may require a short drive into nearby suburbs or rural areas.

An often overlooked local entertainment option when people are trying to find things to do with friends is local sports events. Many people do not realize that there are minor league and independent professional sports teams in their area. For friends that enjoy attending a sporting event, a local sporting event can be an inexpensive and hassle free way to see some sports action. While the level of play may not be up to the standards of the major sports leagues, local sporting events are usually played in much smaller arenas that put you much closer to the action. Do a search on the Internet for local sports teams in your area.

A stroll through a local downtown can be an opportunity to add a little spontaneity to your friends’ visit and get outside for a walk. While strolling through a downtown area, you may encounter a store or restaurant that draws you in and helps you pass the time or come up with additional ideas. A local coffeehouse is always a good place to check for local entertainment options. Even if the local coffeehouse is not providing local entertainment, they will often have a posting board that lists entertainment opportunities in the local area.

Another chance for some spontaneity with friends is a visit to local outlet stores or shopping malls. You never know what bargains you may find in local outlet stores, and shopping in them can be an opportunity to share the fun of finding bargains with friends. Local indoor shopping malls offer a chance to discover stores and restaurants with friends in a climate controlled atmosphere, as you stroll through the malls, and are especially useful during inclement weather. Many malls also have attached movie theaters that provide additional enterainment options.

If the weather is bad and you are stuck indoors with your friends, consider doing a little casino in your home. A game of poker, blackjack, roulette or craps can be a great way to entertain while you are stuck indoors. Roulette will require the purchase of small roulette wheel and board, while craps will require a craps board (which is often just a cloth with a craps board imprinted on it). There’s no need to play with real money. Keep it fun and use poker chips.

Hopefully, this article provided you some good ideas regarding things to do with friends while they are in town. Feel free to add additional things to do with friends in the comment section below. Of course, sometimes friends show up with their children in tow, so ideas that include childrens activities are also welcome.