Need a New Hobby? Here Are 30 Fun Things to Try This Summer

Summer felt endless. No school, no place to stay, no pool, no bikes, that special quality of light at 7pm when no one has called home yet. Somewhere along the way, it actually got shorter, but like the seasons when a calendar runs your life instead of the sun, it actually just got shorter experientially. That’s why summer hobbies are more important than you think. Not as a self-improvement project or a resume that represents your personality, but as something that will make the next few months feel completely yours.

Here are 31 summer hobbies that are actually worth trying. There are some things you’ve probably thought about but haven’t gotten around to, and a few you haven’t even thought of yet, but none of them require you to be a different kind of person to enjoy them. Choose what sounds good in the moment, not what sounds like a better version of yourself in theory.

1. Press flowers to make art

Summer flowers are at their peak for about 3 days before drooping over your countertop. The job is to press it. Place it between parchment sheets under a heavy book, wait 2-4 weeks, and you’ll have something ready to frame. The commitment is low and the rewards are truly beautiful and cost about the same as a bouquet of flowers at the farmers market.

2. Try painting watercolors outdoors

This hurdle is lower than you think. All you need is a small paint set, brushes, a glass of water, and a place to sit outside. The point is not to make something good, but to spend an hour actually looking at something rather than looking through it. Can be used in parks, patios, backyards, or anywhere with a nice view.

3. Sketch outdoors

The premise is the same as watercolor, but the muscles are different. Grab your sketchbook and pencil and sit in front of something worth looking at, like a building, a tree, a fountain, or a friend’s face. The act of painting makes you notice things that you would normally pass over. That’s the point.

4. Learn calligraphy

It’s meditative, just as puzzles are meditative, and you can absorb it without making demands. There are inexpensive starter kits and workbooks available to get you started, and the learning curve is more satisfying than frustrating. It’s also very useful for people who still send cards.

5. Try natural dyeing

While tie-dyeing has PR issues, shibori, the Japanese indigo dyeing technique, does not. The results are graphic and beautiful, best done outdoors, and can be applied to clothing, tote bags, linen napkins, and basically anything you want to work on. Starter kits are inexpensive and the process is easier than it looks.

6. Make your own jewelry

The combination of doing it with your own hands, the finished product that you actually wear, and the option of doing something while you look at it is hard to beat. Start with a basic kit, and then let the choice of beads become a problem in itself. Fair warning: You will develop an opinion on the findings.

7. Start crocheting

There are good reasons to have cultural moments. It’s portable, meditative, and there’s a satisfying immediacy to creating something three-dimensional from a single thread. YouTube tutorials are great for beginners. Before you throw on your sweater, start with a market bag or a simple dish towel.

8. Start a junk diary

Every summer, receipts, ticket stubs, coffee sleeves, postcards, Polaroids, and more are generated and end up in drawers and recycling bins. A junk journal is just a blank book with all the information layered, taped and scribbled on it. Not as valuable as a scrapbook, but more interesting than a photo album. The only rule is that nothing should be good.

9. Start film photography

Using a film camera changes the way you shoot. Once you get 24 or 36 frames, all you have to do is wait. This constraint makes it more intentional than any photography tutorial. Disposable products are an obvious entry point. A used autofocus is an upgrade. The time spent waiting for prints is itself a small pleasure.

10. Try your hand at flower arranging

It’s more than just unpacking and finding a vase. Flower arranging is a real skill: how to cut stems, what goes together, what vessels to choose, and grocery store flowers are a perfectly legitimate place to learn that. Head to the farmers market, pick up a few different varieties, and spend an afternoon figuring out what works for you. Your kitchen table will thank you all week.

11. Read cookbooks and cook

Choose one cookbook and decide to make a few recipes a week to change up your dinner rotation. The one-book constraint is important. It forces me to make things I would never have chosen otherwise. Wear The Bear for inspiration and get started.

12. Making bread using seasonal ingredients

Summer baking has a completely different logic than baking during the cozy season. It’s lighter, brighter, and built around things that are actually good at the moment. Stone fruits, berries, and citrus: Farmer’s markets are a great place to start. Peach galettes and blueberry buckles are different from December’s cookie exchange, but that’s what makes them special.

13. Try foraging

This sounds more ambitious than it actually is. Start with something low-stakes and recognizable, like blackberries, dandelion leaves, or oxalis, and work your way from there. A good entry point is a local foraging walk or a good guidebook specific to your area. The combination of going out, paying close attention, and coming home with what you found is really satisfying.

14. Start a garden or grow your own herbs.

No backyard needed. Having basil, mint, and chives on your windowsill can transform the way you cook for the cost of a few small pots. If you have outdoor space, one raised bed or a few containers is enough to get started. The learning curve is real, but generous. The staff at your local garden center is almost always a talented but underutilized workforce.

15. Go hammocking

Probably the most honest hobby on this list. The point is to lie on the hanging fabric and do nothing, read a book or take a nap. It takes 10 minutes to set up once you know what you’re doing. Find two trees, follow the instructions and spend the afternoon in the horizontal park. That’s important.

16. Golden hour hike

You’ve probably already done some hiking. This means changing the timing. The light hours of 6pm to 8pm in the summer are a completely different experience from daytime trails, with nicer temperatures and exceptionally good photos. Research the trails closest to you and add two hours to your regular departure time.

17. Let’s ride a bicycle

The unique feeling of cycling in the summer with the wind in your hair can’t be achieved any other way. If you don’t own a bike, there are affordable rental options available in most cities. No destination required. Ride comfort is important.

18. Try swimming for practice.

If you have access to a pool, lake, or beach, this summer is a good time to treat swimming as something you do rather than something you happen to do on vacation. This is a really fun full-body workout, and a more unusual combination than you might think.

19. Play tennis

You’ll need a court (most public parks have them, and they’re often free), a racket, a friend, and a willingness to chase the ball for the first few sessions. It’s socially active and has a very steep learning curve, which keeps it interesting.

20. Try rock climbing

Let’s start with an indoor gym. Most gyms have introductory classes, gear rentals, and staff experienced with beginners. It’s both a physical sport and a problem-solving sport, which makes it more mentally engaging than most workouts. Once you’re comfortable indoors, the outdoor version is a completely different and better experience.

21. Go on a creative field trip.

This is more of a practice than a specific activity. It’s about moving around your city with the intention of noticing what other people are building, managing, and caring about. Galleries, markets, shops with fancy windows, anywhere someone has made a creative decision about what to put where. You don’t necessarily have to buy anything. You’re just learning to pay attention. (I’ll write more about why this is important here. )

22. Walking date with friends

The best conversations happen when you’re moving and you’re not looking directly at each other. Schedule regular walking dates with a friend. Set a new walking date for the same time, same route, or every week. It’s sociable, active, and doesn’t require reservations or reasons.

23. Take classes with friends

Whether it’s pottery, natural dyeing, a cooking class, or a flower arranging workshop, the specific activities are less important than the combination of learning something new and doing it with someone you actually like. Most cities have more of these events than you would expect, and the social pressure of an appointment with a friend forces you to actually go.

24. The beginning of craft night

Pick something specific (crocheting, embroidery, collage, candle making), invite a few people and do it over and over again. This activity allows everyone to do something with their own hands and relieves the pressure of conversation in the best way. Rotating whose home it is will lighten your commitment.

25. Host a progressive dinner.

One friend will be in charge of the drinks and appetizers, another will be in charge of the mains, and another will be in charge of the desserts. Everyone moves between houses during the night. The logistics are easier than having just one host carrying everything, the pace is really fun, and the night feels like an event without having to do all the work alone.

26. Host a themed dinner.

Choose a cuisine, color palette, season and decade. Provençal dinner in July, backyard clambake, Negroni and small plate situations. Whatever your theme, make your evening feel more intentional than your average dinner party. Get inspired by these summer party ideas.

27. Find the best outdoor patio in your city

Make it your mission, not an afterthought. Choose one new outdoor patio a week, bring someone along, and rank them at the end of summer. Ranking is arbitrary. Not an excuse to go out on a warm night with a drink.

28. Explore the city like a tourist

Most of us have a list of places we’ve wanted to visit in our city for years. Summer is when it really gets going. Pick one or two new spots a week. It could be a neighborhood you don’t usually visit, a small business you’ve passed hundreds of times, or a market or festival you always want to check out. You already live in a place worth exploring.

29. Read outside

Not revolutionary, but consistently underrated. Take whatever you’re reading outside to a park blanket, porch, hammock, etc. (see #15). The combination of a good book and actual sunlight is one of the most reliable sources of summer satisfaction.

30. Go camping

Full immersion option. You don’t need a lot of things like a tent, sleeping bags, or a scenic campsite. If you don’t have gear, borrow it from a friend, or autocamp somewhere with amenities and decide if you like it. The forced simplicity of spending a night outdoors, away from your phone and to-do list, resets something that’s hard to reset otherwise.