The day after American Thanksgiving (this year it’s Friday, November 23) is considered Black Friday, when many people start their holiday shopping and decorating. If waiting in line for doorbusters isn’t your style, consider to #OptOutside. It’s an idea started by gear company REI, to get people outside instead of at the mall. If you’re on social media, use the hashtag to show what you’re doing with your family that day … or any day you choose to go outdoors.
Ways to #OptOutside
- Walk or ride your bike to a nearby neighborhood park.
- Take a hike and look for wildlife. Here’s one list of great places for family hikes around the country.
- If you’re hiking with small children, try an ABC hike. That’s when you look for things on the trail that start with each letter of the alphabet.
- Visit a lake, river, or the ocean. Get out on a paddleboard, kayak, canoe, or boat. Or go fishing.
- Got Thanksgiving leftovers? #OptOutside by having a picnic with family or friends.
- If you have snow on the ground, play in the snow.
- If you’re feeling more adventurous, visit a park, forest, or refuge near you that you haven’t been to before. Google “Find a park/forest/refuge near you” to get a map of locations. Check out the National Park Service park-finding tool. Find state parks here.
- Some botanical gardens are still open; visit a garden or arboretum if you can’t make it to someplace wild. You’re still outside and in nature’s beauty.
- Turn your Black Friday “#OptOutside into a long weekend spent outdoors with a weekend getaway.
Get more ideas for outside family fun in the winter issue of The Pack’s Family Adventures Magazine.