Summer bucket list ideas for 2025 coming at you!
While the official start of summer is still a couple weeks away, school just got out in South Charlotte, and we’re feeling the summer vibes. Every year, I think about making a bucket list, but never get around to it. Well, this year, I’m doing it.
In fact, today, I’m going to give you some summer bucket list ideas for 2025 and then share my own summer bucket list too, which contains mini goals and things I’m hoping to do over the next 11 weeks while Brady is out of school.
Let’s do it!
Put your toes in the sand. For some people, beach life is no big deal and very routine. For other people, it takes a lot more planning to get seaside. Breathing in that ocean or gulf breeze and letting the sand exfoliate your skin is a healing feeling. When was the last time you had it? I’m definitely in need of it.
Make a summer playlist and incorporate music into your daily life more. Music lover over here! I think music makes everything better, and we have music on at all times. You know how songs can elicit all sorts of feelings? Use your favorite streaming service to make a playlist of all the summer songs you like, and hit play on that playlist whenever you’re at home, in the car or hanging out.
Try a new workout class. Any season is a good season to try a new workout class, but especially summer. I recently tried a new reformer studio, and although I didn’t love it, I loved the feeling of trying something new. It’s so good for us to challenge ourselves and try things where we don’t know exactly what to expect or what’s next.
Read a light beach-read book. Do you know why some novels are called beach reads? It’s because they’re light and fluffy, they’re easy to read and they’re often set in the summertime as well. There’s something so fun about opening up and devouring a beach read. Now’s the time. I’m working through a deeper fiction book now, but a beach read is next for me, for sure.
Get away for a night or two. A change of scenery is good for you! Are you able to take a little trip this summer? Hope so.
Set boundaries around your screen time. Do you know one way you shouldn’t spend your summer? Scrolling social media. Listen up, I’m a content creator, so it’s hard for me to tell you this, but I also feel responsibility to say it too: Life is better off screen. In the real world. With real people. I absolutely appreciate and love that you’ve come to read my words here, but I’d also like you to put down your phone and go do stuff.
Host or attend a game night. Playing games is good for the mind! We’ve been playing Scrabble as a family on Sunday nights lately, and it’s so fun. I have two upcoming game nights on the agenda this summer, and I can’t wait for both. When was the last time you played a game? Maybe it’s a board game with your family, maybe it’s a card game with a friend. Get playful and play some games.
Catch up with an old friend. Life gets busy and friends lose touch. But if they were really your friend, you can reconnect at any time. I know for those of us who aren’t big phone-talkers, it can seem like an undertaking to catch up with someone on the phone. But it often feels so good to do so. I’m due for some catch-ups with some old friends too, and I hope to do some this summer.
Start that new thing. Is there something you’ve been planning to start? Maybe it’s a workout routine, a hobby or a side business. Now’s the time. Don’t wait, just do it. Summer is as good of a time as any.
And those are some bucket list ideas for 2025 for you. Now, let’s talk about me …
My personal summer bucket list for 2025
Take a family trip to Europe. Our tickets are booked, and we’re pumped. I haven’t traveled hardly at all this year (like only two tiny weekends away), and this European adventure will be our one big family trip of the year. We’re doing England and Scotland.
Go to an outdoor concert. We love live music. I went to a concert this past weekend with Dave, Brady and some visiting friends (we saw Dave’s favorite band, Guster, and this was Brady’s first concert, which he loved). And Dave and I have tickets to see one of my favorite bands, Old Dominion, at an outdoor venue in July. I literally can’t wait for this night.
(Here are my shorts, and they’re great for summer bucket list tackling.)
Visit the neighborhood pool once a week. Every summer goes by and I wish I had spent more time at the pool. This year, I’m telling myself to get there a minimum of once a week. It’s an effort to pack up the pool stuff and get in our suits and apply the sunscreen, but I’ve literally never regretted it. Brady and I went last weekend and we’re going this weekend too.
Commit to minimal work on the weekends. Because I have non-traditional jobs (teaching fitness and content creation), it’s nearly impossible for me to keep my working hours to the weekday daytimes. But this summer, I’m going to do my best to set some boundaries around weekend work. While I already committed to teaching a double-header of classes on a Sunday next weekend, after that, I’m not going to teach classes or schedule work events on Saturdays or Sundays, even though I will have some weekend class prep throughout the summer, which is unavoidable. And quite honestly, this item may be the toughest on the list for me to complete, because I have trouble saying no to extra work stuff!
(Here are my leggings, and they’re currently my favorite go-tos.)
Try new restaurants. When you get busy, the things you used to do can easily slide off your schedule. In fact, I mentioned to Dave the other day how our favorite thing used to be to go to dinner together every weekend at a new spot. Now, we hardly ever go out to dinner, and if we do, it’s almost always at a repeat location. This summer, I want to try a new-to-me restaurant (or two or three) in Charlotte.
Clean out closets, purge and sell some things. Do you know how much I love to sell things? I do. I just sent one of my few designer bags off to The Real Real, and I also sold my fancy tennis backpack via Facebook marketplace. This summer, Brady and I are going to work together to sell off all his big-ticket toys that he never uses. He’s only into sports and occasionally Legos, so it’s time for all the other stuff to go. We’re going to do some major purging in the afternoons when I’m done with work, and I look forward to it. Is this a fun summer bucket list idea? Not for most people, but it is for me.
Get dressed in regular clothes more often. This one is unique to me, but instead of going from workout clothes to fresh workout clothes, my goal is to wear more summer dresses and regular clothes even during the week. I have a decent amount of clothes, and I barely wear a small fraction of them. It’s time to incorporate more regular clothes into my weekdays. Today is day one of that mission.
(Here’s my dress, which I’ve been wearing on repeat the last few weeks.)
In addition to these bucket list ideas, I’m looking forward to a fun Fourth of July weekend. My brother and his wife will be visiting us, and our neighborhood has a huge festival with fireworks, which will be awesome. We’ll also be spending a lot of time with sports, as usual. Brady has both tennis and soccer in the evenings, and we’ll be going to some Charlotte FC games too.
While the summer certainly won’t be relaxing, I hope it seems a little slower (without the school drop-offs and pick-ups), and we’re able to soak up some good quality family time.
Thanks for reading this one about my personal summer bucket list ideas for 2025. I’d love to know what’s on your bucket list too!
Here’s to a great summer!
Other posts you may like
Question of the day for you
Do you have a summer bucket list? If so, what’s on it?
