Having traveled extensively all across the US, I can testify that the possibilities are endless when it comes to stuff to do in the United States! The summer break – although busy - is by far one of the nicest times of the year to travel up and down the country, plan road trips, go on a camping vacation, visit a water park, spend time at the beach, etc.
Having said this, what else can you do for fun during the summer vacation? To joggle your brain, I’m putting together some ideas of things to do over the summer vacation in the States besides having picnics in the park and doing water sports:
Watch live rodeo action
Even if you aren’t a rodeo enthusiast, attending a rodeo is such a cool thing to do because absolutely everyone can have a blast! Rodeo events are “live and kicking” all through the year, though there isn’t a better time to experience a rodeo action than during the summer break.
You won’t only get to see huge bulls buck, but you can also take part in fun activities such as breakaway roping, goat tying, barrel racing, pole bending, etc.
Miles City Montana, Sheridan Wyoming, Fort Worth Texas and Ogallala Nebraska are cool cowboy towns to go for a rodeo event and soak in good ol’ cowboy atmosphere. Top rodeo summer events in the Us worth going are the Reno Rodeo in Nevada (June 14-23), the Greely Stampede in Colorado (June 22-July 4), Prescott Frontier Days in Arizona (June 28- July 4), which is the oldest rodeo event in the country.
Go on a cross-country train vacation
With ever increasing gas prices, it seems like a good idea to consider a train vacation, right? Road trip vacations don’t seem as appealing as they used to a few years back, which is a good reason now to consider Amtrak train vacations and book train rides such as the California Zeyphir and the Empire Builder.
The famous California Zeyphir runs from Chicago to Emeryville California, while the mighty Empire Builder runs between Chicago and Seattle/ Portland in the Pacific Northwest. On either train ride you’re looking at a couple of days train travel through the American West and seeing the Rockies and the North Dakota plains in all their splendor.
Of course, you don’t have to go cross-country to enjoy a fun train ride for the day. You could book scenic train rides on the Durango Train, the Alaska Railroad, Disney Steam Train, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, or the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
Set out on your own off-road adventure
There’s no denying that one of the most popular things to do over the summer vacation in the States is to hit the road, though you don’t necessarily have to go on a road trip vacation or ride the road per se!
Going off-road and experiencing dirt roads, muddy tracks, sandy desert pistes, etc is one of the coolest things to do over the summer and the best thing is that you can easily book ATV tours or cheaply rent out a dirt bike, four-wheeler or buggy for the day.
Sand dune riding is real good in Saugatuck and the Sleeping Bear (in Michigan), while the area around Las Vegas - in the Valley of Fire - you can ride some awesome dunes too.
Go cave exploring
You can find decent caverns to explore in almost every state in the US as well as tourist caves that you can visit with small kids. Either way, exploring a cave is real cool thing to do out of the ordinary and allows to get out and explore the outdoors.
The Wind Caves of Anza Borrego State Park (San Diego), the Grand Canyon Caverns (Arizona), the Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky) and the Talking Rocks Cavern (Missouri) are some of the top caves in the US.
If you want to see beautiful native rock art, the Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park (near Santa Barbara) has on display one of the best rock art you can see anywhere in the States.
The United States also boasts some really amazing sea caves on the west coast that you can visit such as Sea Lion Caves (Oregon), Kauai Sea Caves (Na Pali Coast, Hawaii), La Jolla Caves (California), and Painted Cave on Santa Cruz Island (California), which is the largest sea cave in the world.
Kick back and relax on a natural hot spring
Who says you have to spend the summer doing water sports or hiking up a mountain? Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool to be active during a summer vacation doing fun stuff you love.
If you ask me, my idea of a perfect summer break is enjoying plenty of unwinding soaks (preferably in a natural hot spring pool) with family or while-away a day with friends catching up on the latest gossip!
As far as natural hot springs, you’ll find natural hot springs all across the USA although the best ones are located in the western part of the States in places like Nevada, Colorado, and Montana.
Strawberry Park Hot Springs (Steamboat Springs, CO), Hot Creek Hot Springs (Mammoth Lakes, CA), El Dorado Hot Springs (Tonopah, AZ), and David Walley's Hot Springs (near Genoa, NV) are some cool spots where you can go for a relaxing soak.
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