With family budgets stretched to the max, parents need entertaining spring break and summer ideas that don’t break the bank. Staycations are an excellent way to give everyone the rest and fun needed without spending a lot of cash.
If you’ve never tried a staycation, there are many ways to make the best of home or close to home. From booking a hotel in your hometown to reduce travel costs to house swapping with a friend in another city or state to staying in your own home, there are many ways to make a staycation memorable!
Here are some of our top recommendations for a low-budget or no-budget staycation!
1. Be a Tourist in Your Town
Being a tourist in your hometown is likely what most people think of when they hear the word staycation. Depending on where you live, there may be numerous things to explore and do, or you may have to dig a bit! Check out local museums, nature centers, historic sites, or even a popular restaurant you’ve always wanted to try but never have!
2. Stay a Few Nights at the Closest City
If you live within driving distance of a major city, book a few nights in town to reduce travel costs. You won’t have to deal with the hassle of airports and extra fees, and you can wait until you see the perfect deal and book last minute! Midweek hotel prices are often lower, so if you can swing a few days of work or school, take the kids downtown for a Tuesday through Thursday and avoid the weekend rush!
3. Visit a Farmers’ Market or Local Farm
Farmers’ Markets are everywhere; they have much to see, taste, buy, and look at! From fresh flowers to book vans to delicious bakery treats and local honey, a Farmer’s Market is an excellent way to spend weekend hours. Fall is the ideal time to visit a local farm, especially if they offer apple picking, a pumpkin patch, or other fall fun like hayrides and a corn maze!
4. Have a Home Spa Day
Head to your local Target or Walmart and stock up on facemasks, manicure and pedicure supplies, aromatherapy, and foot scrubs! Pamper yourselves at home for a fraction of the cost! Kids love painting their nails, and pedicures and manicures are for men, too; forgo the polish if that’s not your thing! Play relaxing spa music on your Bluetooth speaker, light some candles or incense, and spend the day relaxing!
5. Try Geocaching
Geocaching is next-level scavenger hunting, perfect for the entire family. Even toddlers can help search for items, and it’s an excellent opportunity to teach kids about map reading, directional words, and geography.
Check out geocaching.com. It’s a free site, and chances are there are dozens, if not hundreds, of geocache items hidden in your area. You can search by distance, difficulty, size of the item, and the terrain type to ensure you’re on a suitable search for your family.
6. Head to a Local Show or Sporting Event
Take the kids to a show, watch your favorite team play, or see a local touring musical production! The excitement of going somewhere like a huge stadium or theater is enough for most kids to feel like they’re on vacation. Throw in a meal at a restaurant downtown, and if you have the funds, splurge for a one-night stay at a nearby hotel!
7. Home Movie Festival
Load up on your favorite movie snacks and foods and have a movie festival at home! Everyone can take turns picking one movie, or you can do a theme like Classic Disney Films or the Harry Potter series. If you decide on a theme, visit your local party supply store and add decorations to complete the atmosphere!
To make the room feel more like a movie theater, hang blankets to block out the light and add inexpensive surround-sound speakers.Â
8. Have a No Electronics Day
Put the phones away, turn off all work alerts, and don’t check those emails! Play games with the kids, set up an obstacle course in the backyard, or set up some sprinklers and have fun splashing in the water! The simple act of not looking at your phone all day or dealing with work messages will make you feel like you’re on vacation!
9. Indoor Camping
Set up some tents, build a fort, and camp in your home for a low-budget staycation! Then you’ll have the modern conveniences of a bathroom and running water, but with the feeling you’re somewhere new! If you have the space, consider pitching a tent in the backyard for a more realistic camping vibe!
10. Head to a Local Amusement Park or Carnival
One of our summer trips every year is a few days at Hershey Park! It’s a two-hour drive from our home. We stay mid-week, so hotel costs are lower. And since we can drive, transportation is efficient as well. Even a one-day trip to a local theme park or a night at the local carnival is a fun escape from reality and a great staycation idea! For something even less expensive, the kids will still love, head to Chuck E. Cheese or Dave and Busters for the afternoon.
11. Picnic in the Park
Traditional picnics have fallen by the wayside, so why not revive the tradition by taking the kids on a picnic at your local park? You can pack games to play, a Bluetooth speaker for some music, and, depending on the size of your park, enjoy a hike or bike ride! In winter, some parks offer ice skating and other holiday fun, like markets, Christmas tree farms, and visits with Santa!
Want more staycation ideas? The Piglet lists 62 different staycations you can do with kids.
Updated April 8, 2025 by L. Elizabeth Forry
