20 fun hobbies to pick up during the summer

Get out your binoculars and see if you can spot any new birds in the summertime. It’s also a great way to get some sunlight and a little extra exercise. Bird-watching is simultaneously a relaxing, educational, and productive hobby. 

You can sketch any time of the year, but when the weather is nice, you can sketch outside, giving you a whole new crop of potential subjects. You can enjoy the sunshine while you’re drawing, too. 

Gardening is one of the best summertime hobbies because it gets you outside, is great for your mind and body, and feels very gratifying. Thanks to canning and freezing, you can reap the benefits of your garden throughout the year. 

If you’ve ever wanted to make your own beer, now is the time. Brewing is an especially great summertime hobby to pair with gardening because you can use your produce in your brews. And if beer isn’t your jam, see about making your own wine. 

Combine your love for movement and water with artistic swimming. It’s a great workout, and it’ll get you connected with others who share an interest. If you get really into artistic swimming, you can continue it as a hobby all year if you have access to an indoor pool. 

Summer is the perfect season for getting into floral arrangements. Whether you have a garden of your own, can purchase stems at your local farmer’s market, or opt for picking wildflowers, there are tons of great ways to get into this hobby. You can keep your bouquets for yourself or give them to friends and family. 

Tie-dyeing is another hobby that can be done year-round, but it’s way less of a mess to do it outside in the summer. If you have something made of a white malleable cloth, use it to tie-dye and see what hypnotic patterns you can create. 

Photography is a super fun hobby to develop, especially in the summer. It will lead you to explore places you never thought twice about, and it’ll help you appreciate the beauty in your everyday surroundings. 

Summer is the season for updating old pieces of furniture into works of art. If you have a day or two to yourself in the summer, find a good space outside and learn how to refinish old furniture. It’s a relatively cheap hobby, and you can end up with a new furniture piece to love. 

Golf is more than just a game to some, but there are plenty of people out there who enjoy it as a hobby. Find a league to join and work on your swing this summer. 

If golf doesn’t suit your fancy, consider getting into rollerblading. It can be as intense or leisurely as you’d like it. You can join a league for loads of action or do it alone for a quiet jaunt around your neighborhood. It’ll get you moving in an organic and fun way. 

Chalk might seem like a default activity to get your kids out of the house, but it’s a legitimate art form that adults can partake in. It combines art and movement to create stunning works. They’re ephemeral, but that’s part of the fun. 

Like chalk art, sand castle art might seem like an activity for kids, but it’s a fun and relaxing way for adults to be creative, too. Creating a sand castle isn’t possible for everyone in the summer, but if it’s accessible to you, give it a shot. It’s a great excuse to go to the beach. 

Fishing isn’t accessible for everyone either, but it's a soothing and satisfying hobby for those to whom it’s available. Getting started doesn’t cost much, and if you don’t want to keep what you catch, you can throw it back. 

Reading has so many benefits, but so many of us find every excuse not to do it. It’s especially easy to let reading go in the summer, so make a point to pick it up this season by spending some time outside with a book, magazine, e-reader, or whatever else you want to peruse. 

You don’t have to be a kid to fly a kite. A whole world of kite flying is just waiting to be explored, and you’ll probably find that you’re better at it and enjoy it more as an adult. Plus, now you have the budget to buy the cool kites you wanted as a kid. 

If shooting sports interest you at all, get into trap shooting. It involves shooting clay pigeons in the air, and it helps you improve your aim. It’s an outdoor sport that lots of people love. Just be sure to take a gun safety course and all other necessary precautions before starting. 

If shooting sports interest you but guns scare you, try archery. It’s a bit more physically taxing, but the satisfaction element is just the same. And when you get good enough to hit the bullseye, you feel on top of the world. 

If you have the ability to kayak this summer, give it a go. It’s an active hobby that will do an excellent job of taking your mind off other stressors in your life. If you’re an inexperienced kayaker, go out a few times with someone who can show you the ropes before you venture out on your own. 

Zip lining is wholly underrated. It’s a thrilling way to see parts of the world from a totally new perspective. This hobby may require a fair amount of travel, but you’ll be glad you made an effort to find new lines to zip across.