8 Outdoor Spring Break Ideas

By Jeff Bogle

Apr 04, 2023

Spring break is almost here! Here are 8 awesome outdoor spring break ideas that will entertain, engage, and educate your entire family.

The days are longer, the birds are chirping, the temperature is rising, and soon your kids will have some much-needed time off from school. What you need now is a slew of fun outdoor spring break ideas to entertain, engage, and educate your entire family. This could be through a few spring break road trip ideas to take a family vacation, some outdoor mental health activities, or some simple local outdoor spring ideas that can be done together near your home. Here are 8 outdoor spring break ideas to maximize your free time!

1. Spring Break Family Vacation Ideas

Whether you're looking for the best spring break ideas in Texas or Michigan, or great outdoors spring ideas for a family vacation, getting in the car and getting away might be just what everyone needs to rest up and recharge their batteries while seeing the country with the windows rolled down and their favorite music playing. Find a destination within an easy drive and take the long way to get there, wind through a forest, go past a lake, locate a dark sky site, and make a family road trip your most legendary of last-minute spring break ideas.

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2. Spring Break Ideas Near Me

We love a good spring break road trip and any spring break family vacation but understand that money and time don’t always allow such grand adventures. That’s totally okay, there are lots of budget-friendly outdoor hobbies to try! Some of the best spring break ideas are even right in your own backyard or neighborhood. Having fun playing an active out-door sport that’s new to you like tennis, Spikeball, or Pickleball during this spring break.

3. Fishing

Spring break is the perfect time to go fishing as a family because your kids are home from school, the days are warmer, and you’ve been itching to get back out onto the water after the long winter season. As far as family spring break ideas, it doesn’t get much better than a day spent near the water with a line in and your favorite people close.

4. Ziplining and Ropes Course

Outdoor spring ideas for kids and families don’t get much more fun than ziplining between trees with the sun shining down or climbing through elaborate ropes courses. Find a wooded area near your home and we bet that a zipline course won’t be far away. Sometimes, you need a few precious moments alone in nature to reflect, exhale, and feel unburdened by your daily responsibilities. Try doing one of these 14 fun things to do outside by yourself.

5. Kayaking, Rafting, and Boating

Rafting is one of the best Colorado spring break ideas, while hitting the water for some kayaking is one of the spring break ideas in Florida. Whether you kayak, raft, or rent a boat, these outdoor spring ideas can bring peace and calm exactly when you and your kids need it the most.

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6. Cherry Blossoms and Botanical Gardens

Not all outdoor spring ideas need to be an adrenaline rush! A stroll around a picturesque grove of cherry blossom trees as they bloom bright pink makes for a fantastic day spent outside. No cherry blossoms nearby? Find your closest botanical garden or arboretum to experience the rebirth of spring in all its fragrant, colorful glory.

7. Picnic

On the grass of your own backyard, on the steps of your front porch, in a neighborhood gazebo, or at a picnic table in a nearby park, a picnic is never a bad outdoor spring idea! A picnic doesn’t require advance planning, just some tasty food, drinks, and games. Soon, your family will be enjoying one of the best outdoor spring ideas ever…without spending an extra penny.

8. Spend a Weekend in a Tree House

Do you need the best spring break ideas in Ohio? Check out The Mohicans tree houses for epic last minute spring break vacation ideas in the Midwest. This site, oh so close to Columbus yet a world away, features a cluster of luxurious tree houses, including an actual Airstream silver bullet that’s been raised up into the canopy of trees. As a bonus, there’s some superb fishing in Clear Fork River that runs through the campgrounds area and is well stocked with brown trout, but you will also find smallmouth bass and other species!

 

Need more outdoor spring ideas to occupy the little ones this month? Check out these 30 other outdoor activities for kids!

Jeff Bogle
Jeff Bogle
Jeff is a dad of teen daughters, avid traveler, photographer, and freelance writer. He’s penned stories on family travel, outdoor recreation, the environment, parenting, and more for Fodor’s, Reader’s Digest, Parents Magazine, Good Housekeeping, PBS, and Esquire, among other publications. Find him on his blog, OWTK.com and on Instagram @OWTK. Jeff is also the publisher of the quarterly literary zine, Stanchion