Camping has always been popular in America, and that popularity has swelled in recent years. There are loads of campgrounds scattered across the country, and any of them could potentially hold a singularly awesome experience for you and your crew. Establishing a meaningful connection to nature, even if only for a few days, is exhilarating. Whether you’re in an RV or a pop-up camper or roughing it on the ground with a tent’s soft walls, camping satisfies an itch that a lot of us have. To have the most fun, there are loads of cool camping activities to engage in when you’re roughing it with family and friends.
Camping Activities for Daytime
If there’s a community field at the campground, that can be the perfect place to have a football or wiffleball game or to throw a disc around. You can make a disc golf target out of just about anything. Cornhole or Kanjam can be set up right on the site.
These days, you can do some research and find some hiking or biking trails around the campground. Nature walks — long, short, moderate or difficult — are great for slowing things down and reducing stress. They also tend to facilitate social behavior in kids. By the way, if you’re camping with kids who are first-timers, there are ways to help them to appreciate, rather than be anxious about, the trip.
Camping Activities for Evenings
As afternoon settles into evening, make dinner a happening event. One of the most compelling parts of camping is preparing meals. Everything is a bit different when you’re cooking outside so lean into it. Get everybody involved in some aspect of it and enjoy moving around each other while collectively taking care of a basic need, as though it were a few thousand years ago — except for the propane and whatnot. Camping dinners are seriously good for bonding.
You can do just about anything around the campfire. Not to be too vague, but as the campsite is your little home and the fire ring is a naturally inviting host. Set up some chairs and experience the night settling over your heads while you enjoy camping activities that make you all happy:
- Make s’mores
- Roast hot dogs
- Read a story
- Talk about life
- Play cards
- Listen to music
- Sing
The fire is the hub, and the area around it is a blank canvas upon which you’ll write your memories. We’re partial to Mad Libs — good for kids and grown-ups, alike — but anything that you do together, even just prolonged periods of watching the fire burn, is A-OK.
The ambiance of the campground, especially at night, is compelling. Walking around the serpentine layout of a typical campground at night is a sensory experience of lights winking, cicadas chirping and campsites buzzing with all sorts of energy and sounds. It’s also a perfect memory to share.
All campers should have a few great camping activities up their sleeve. Visit us at Rugged Standard to learn more about us and about stuff that all guys should know. We’ve got you covered on everything from searing a great steak to picking the perfect wedding ring and beyond.