For decades now, every summer my husband's extended family has rented a big house on the beach for a week of relaxation, food and fun. The following list contains a couple of hundred ideas of ways to have fun on the shore, most of them extensively beta-tested by us! DURING THE DAY
Swim, float, body surf, dive under waves
Go snorkeling, scuba diving
Play wipe-out (turn your back to the waves and deal with what comes)
Surf the waves on an innertube, raft, boogie board, surfboard, wakeboard
Go kayaking, canoeing, waveriding, sailing, parasailing, waterskiing, jetskiing
Play a beach-friendly sport: volleyball, racquetball, horseshoes, frisbee, dodgeball, tag, tug-of-war or football
Have a sandcastle building contest
Have a sand sculpting contest
Host beach olympics (see separate blog entry for a list of suggested events)
Have a watergun fight
Enjoy music (listen to radio, iPod, sing, or bring an instrument and create your own)
Hang out in a comfy chair: read, sleep, sunbathe, catch up on phone calls, drink something fruity
Daydream (see separate blog entry for list of suitable daydreaming topics)
Put your chair in the surf and dangle your legs in the surf
Write words in the sand large enough to show up on Google Earth
Carve a maze in the sand
Bury people
Dig a pit big enough to float in
Use a metal detector to hunt for buried treasure
Feed the seagulls
Go fishing, crabbing, clamming
Search for tidal pools
Search for sea creatures: dolphins, whales, seals, puffins, turtles, mermaids
Fly a kite
Stroll/hike/jog along the shoreline
Reenact the D-Day landing
Watch the sunrise/sunset
Have a picnic
Talk about your favorite episodes from Shark Week
Create art: paint, sketch, take photos, compose music, write in a journal, compose poetry
Go topless
Leave something funny on your chest, fall asleep, and wake up with a goofy sunburn
Identify shapes in the clouds
Practice your life-saving skills
Blow bubbles
Meet someone new
Take photos of the family (serious or goofy - for example, posed as bathing beauties or muscle men)
Exercise (jog, do yoga, gymnastics, calathenics)
Walk a dog
Reenact your favorite beach/ocean/island movie: Beach Blanket Bingo, Little Mermaid, South Pacific, Robinson Crusoe, The Odyssey, Jaws, Blue Lagoon, Apocalypse Now, Lord of the Flies (just kidding about the last few ...)
Swim/walk in the rain
Read stories/poetry about the sea (see separate blog entry for an appropriate selection)
Identify plants, shells, or wildlife (birdwatching, identify animal footprints in the sand)
Play Pictionary in the sand (your team has to guess what you're drawing before an incoming wave erases your picture)
People-watch (cutest kid, best body, worst body, best tan, worst sunburn, ugliest hawaiian shirt, etc.)
Seal a message in a bottle and send it out to sea
Give yourself a beach spa treatment (exfoliate using wet sand, have someone lay warm stones on your back)
Wave at passing boats, airplanes
Have a beach party (music, food, , goofy games, dancing)
Ride dunebuggies, horses, motorcycles on the sand
For the ladies: don a guazy dress and stand in the wind
Pick up trash, litter
Pretend to be a pirate: tie a kerchief around your head, bury treasure, make a map, talk like a pirate, drink grog, force people to walk the plank
AT NIGHT:
Enjoy fireworks (watch others or set off your own)
Hunt for crabs
Light a fire and have a cookout/clambake
Tell spooky ghost stories about pirates
Attire yourself in glowsticks and go for a walk
Watch lightening (from a safe vantage point, of course!)
Watch the stars/moon using a telescope
Watch for shooting stars, UFOs
Walk hand-in-hand with a loved one
Look for glowing seaweed, seacreatures
Recreate the beach scene from From Here to Eternity
DURING THE DAY
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