101 Things To Do in Lake County This Summer {2016}

According to Phineas and Ferb, there are 104 days of summer vacation (you’re welcome for the earworm), but in Mundelein we have 74 days of summer vacation. I have 101 fun things to do this summer in Lake County. How many have you done? What did I miss?

101 Things to do in Lake County

1. Go out for ice cream
2. Visit Six Flags Great America
3. See a concert at Ravinia
4. Visit Independence Grove
5. Do your own playground crawl
6. Watch a Little League game
7. Take a walk in a Forest Preserve
8. Go for a bike ride
9. Fish
10. Camp (in your backyard or Illinois Beach State Park)
11. Pick an idea from Little Lake County’s 10 Fun Things to do With Kids in Lake County that Don’t Suck for Grown-ups
12. Lay in a hammock
13. Visit a restaurant (easier on the wallet when kids eat free)
14. Climb a tree
15. Splash at a spray park
16. Try yoga on the beach at Lindy’s Landing
17. Rent a boat
18. Wake up early and watch the sunrise over Lake Michigan
19. Grab a good book and sit on your deck
20. Let your children make a photo album, video clip or news broadcast of your summer goals or highlights
21. Watch the Olympics as a family
22. Have your own backyard Olympics with fun yard games
23. Train for a silly 5-K
    

    

24. Visit the Lake County Fair
25. Attend a nighttime activity with kids
26. Enjoy one of the amazing festivals in Long Grove
27. March in a Parade
28. Blow Bubbles
29. Draw with sidewalk chalk
30. Visit a Farmers Market
31. Make s’mores
32. Miniature golf at the world’s most unusual golf course
33. Visit the Lake County Discovery Museum before it closes!
34. Plant a garden
35. See the 30-foot DNA strand at Rosalind Franklin Medical College in North Chicago
36. Build a bird feeder
37. Grill out for dinner
38. Skateboard  (my favorite spot is E. Noel Dr., Mundelein)
39. Volunteer as a family (Try going to Save a Pet, Bernie’s Book Bank, or Feed My Starving Children.)
40. Borrow technology from a library–many now loan out telescopes, video recorders and cameras.
41. Write a letter to the President (or state representative or senator; find yours here under “Current Members of Congress” toward the bottom.)
42. Borrow a new book from the library, like bird watching, and try and find a new bird.
43. Make public art–paint rocks with smiley faces and leave them around town to make other people smile.
44. Fix something
45. Take something apart (give your kids $5 and head to Goodwill, The Salvation Army or the local dollar store and let them buy something that interests them, and then take it apart!)
46. Have a lemonade stand (for a charity like Alex’s lemonade stand, OR just for fun)
47. Take a tour! Find a police station, fire station, cemetery, church or something you’ve always wondered about.
48. See the stars at an Astronomy Under the City Lights event
49. See a play (Kirk Players, Marriott Theatre, Genesee Theatre)
50. Visit the Lake County Courthouse inWaukegan
51. Ride the train
52. Swim in a pool
53. Play at the beach
54. Pack a picnic lunch or dinner
55. Spend a whole day without screens (no phones, tv, Kindle, iPad) and write in a journal instead
56. Visit the Wildlife Discovery Center in Lake Forest
57. Have a water fight while you wash the car
58. Play tennis
59. Play golf
60. Run through a sprinkler
61. Take care of family–schedule a dental appointment, or the kids’ back to school physicals (and one for yourself, too!)
62. Walk around the neighborhood and find a garage sale
63. Fly a kite
64. Join us on safari – Playground Safari!
    
65. Build a sand castle
66. Watch a parade
67. Watch a boat parade (Mundelein has one on Diamond Lake in July)
68. Go to the Chicago Botanic Gardens
69. Do a messy science experiment (like mentos and diet coke)
70. Ride a carnival ride
71. See the Grayslake Color Aloft Balloon Festival
72. Take a glass blowing class
73. Take an art class
74. Read a new book
75. Read an old book–find your favorite children’s literature and make your own story time
76. Rent a paddle boat
77. Rain? Go bowling! Sign up for kids free summer bowling or try one of Little Lake County’s favorite places.
78. Write a song about someone you love
79. Visit the Great Lakes Naval Museum
80. Play disc golf
81. Visit a driving range
82. Water ski
83. Road Trip! Visit the Planes, Trains and Automobile Motel in Gurnee
84. Rollerblade
85. Have a pajama day
86. Visit the Volo Auto Museum
87. Go to the playground
88. Hula Hoop
89. Visit a local history museum
90. Play at Warren Township Park
91. Build a fort
92. Search for something weird in your neighborhood (we found this graffiti ninja under a bridge at Hanrahan Park in Mundelein)

    

93. Visit Lambs Farm Farmyard & Attractions (with a petting zoo)
94. Get Crafty!
95. Make sure you’ve done the whole 2015 LLC list!
96. Take a nap!
97. Search Little Lake County for a place you haven’t been before
98. Hang out at a Cruise Night
99. Take and PRINT photos of your kids doing ordinary things
100. Watch a drive-in movie
101. Do a Random Act of Kindness

BONUS! Our 100 things to do list from last summer is now a printable checklist! Click the link or the picture to print your own.

100 Things to do this Summer

What is on your not-to-miss list for the summer? Share it with us in the comments section below.