By Kathleen Hager

Vacation is right around the corner, so start planning your summer of fun!

Sweet freedom—can you smell it? You’re mere days away from a summer full of shenanigans with your besties. So what are your plans? Wait… you haven’t made any? You do realize the second that last bell rings, it’s going to take three months to get all your friends together again in one place, right? When you call a friend to go to the mall or the pool, that’s one thing. But if you want to plan some summer outings with the whole gang, that takes a bit of preparation. You’ve got to work around family vacations, BFs and GFs, summer jobs and any number of other commitments that will keep your friends scattered.

Luckily, summer hasn’t yet begun, and you’ve got an empty calendar to work through. All you have to do is come up with some killer plans that will make it easy for everyone to get together. So check out AC’s top five summer activities that are easy, cheap and oh-so-fun, and let the good times roll!

5. The Park O’ Amusement

Amusement parks are classic summer retreats because everything there is literally a screaming good time. And all you need to plan is the date. Otherwise, as long as people show up, you’re in for a fast-paced, high-flying, rolling, whirling, bouncing, thrilling, 8 to 10 hour ride. We’ve put this at number five because parks aren’t always the best option when everyone’s keeping a close watch on their wallets. But most of the time, if you stick with smaller and/or more local parks, you should be able to find a good deal. Plus, if you’ve got a large posse coming along, you can probably score a group rate. Keep in mind that weekends are always super-crowded, so try and work out a weekday that’s good for your pals. Also, odd numbers can make it awkward on rides. You don’t want anyone stuck as the cheese standing alone, do you?

4. A Day At the Beach

All you need to make a day at the beach (ocean, lake, river—who cares where it is?) the best day of your life: your most fun group of friends, a cooler filled with sandwiches and icy treats, a volleyball, football or Frisbee, some portable speakers (and someone willing to play DJ with his iPod) and enough sunscreen to avoid that horrible lobster red color that clashes with your entire summer wardrobe. A beach trip is so simple; it’d be interesting if you could find friends who’d actually say no. The only reason it’s at number four is because beaches aren’t easily accessible for everyone. But if you’re near a body of water, pack up your mom’s station wagon and head to the nearest patch of sand.

3. Happy Campers

Oh, the great outdoors! Camping is a great idea for a group outing because the sleepover aspect gives it the feel of a mini-vacay, even if you’re only 20 minutes from your hometown. And depending on how many friends you bring along, splitting the cost of a campsite or two is no biggie. Just don’t sit around in your tent all day. Go explore! Almost all camping grounds should have info on interesting sites to visit, hiking trails, bodies of water and other cool activities to get you back in touch with nature and having a blast doing it. Just remember that not everyone is into roughing it. If 80 percent of your buds are repulsed by dirt or refuse to sleep on the ground, then camping probably isn’t the smartest plan for your group.
Also, camping requires a bit more planning than the other items on our list. Campgrounds fill up fast during the summer months, so you’ll need to set your plans early. You’ll also need to make sure you have all the necessities to make it through a couple of days in the wilderness, like lanterns and flashlights (and extra batteries), tents, sleeping bags, food and water, coolers, bug spray (trust us, you’ll definitely need it), matches, etc. But if you’re willing to plan it out, there’s no reason your trip into the woods shouldn’t be the highlight of your summer!

2. Let’s BBQ, Poolside

Nothing says fun in the sun like an old-fashioned BBQ or pool party. These are pretty uncomplicated because most of the time they’re hosted in someone’s backyard, each person can bring something to eat or drink and it’s super-easy for your friends to come and go as they please if they have other commitments during the day. Just make sure you get the parents’ OK, and then you’re good to go! But eating and drinking doesn’t make a good party, so be sure there’s lots of other fun to be had by your friends. Set up a volleyball net, rig a makeshift dance floor in the yard or get a bonfire going once the sun goes down (with parental permission and supervision, of course). Just remember to get firm yes’s and no’s before you go all out. If five people say they’re definitely coming, but 20 say maybe, you might want to rethink the 30 hamburgers and hotdogs.

1. Old-School Kickball

OK, it doesn’t have to be kickball (try flag football or ultimate Frisbee, too!), but putting on your own sporting event is a surefire way to get everyone together. Who can say no to some friendly competition? Planning for a game is a cinch, since essentially all you need is a ball and a friend’s backyard or a public park. Recruit the gang as players, pick a Saturday afternoon (or a weekday when everyone’s free, along with a rain date) and you’ve got yourself the makings for an awesome and memorable day. You can even make it more interesting with a harmless wager, like the losers buy the winners ice cream sundaes. Your big game could potentially live on forever between your group of friends, because, let’s face it, bragging rights never expire.

What’s your favorite summer tradition with your BFFs? Leave us a comment!

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