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Are you looking for a fun summer activity, but don't want to break the bank? One of our family's absolute favorite frugal summer activities is trying out local bike trails in our community, and this year all our kiddos are finally old enough to ride their big kid bikes all by themselves. (We've spent the last twelve years pushing, pulling or toting one along with us, so I'm thinking we've finally arrived. . . WOOHOOO!)
If you haven't tried out a bike trail yet with young children, here are a few suggestions:
- Find local bike trails in your area at TrailLink.com. Â (If your family doesn't own bikes for everyone, or your little ones are too tiny to enjoy the ride, remember you can always take a walk on some great trails as well!)
- Plan your trip during the coolest part of the day.  By planning your trip in the early morning or evening, you'll avoid the heat of the day as well as miss naptime for the little ones in your family.  Around our house, an early evening bike ride makes for a very good night's sleep too! 🙂
- Pack appropriately for your trip. Â You'll want to take water bottles (carry a sack backpack if your bikes don't have racks for water bottles), helmets, bug spray, a few band-aids and some antibiotic ointment (just in case!), as well as a camera for pictures along the way.
- Plan the length of your trip based on the ages and bike-riding ability of your children. Â Our youngest just started riding a two-wheeler this Spring at the age of five, and she pretty easily handled four miles on her first long trip. Â Before setting out on a “longer” trail though, you may want to do a test-drive around your neighborhood to see how they do before planning a longer trip though! Â In case you do go further than your little ones can make it, many trails include places to stop along the way so you can usually send someone back for the car if you need to.
- Know what kind of surface you'll be biking on before you go.  Many trails have both solid and rocky surfaces, which may be difficult if you have little ones who are new to riding (or riding with training wheels.)  You can check to see if the trail that you're planning to ride is on a paved or gravel surface by looking on TrailLink.com for trails that are either wheelchair accessible or allow inline skating.  Most likely those ones will be an easy ride for your little guys!
- Plan a fun treat at the end of the trail! While we love the ride, one of our favorite parts is a special ending somewhere along the way.  Many trails include playgrounds at the end of the loop, and you can always swing by McDonald's for $1 Sundaes, Wendy's for $1 Frosties, or Sonic for half price slushes or milk shakes as a special treat.  (This is also a fantastic motivator if you're children's legs get a little tired . . . I'm always amazed at how much more quickly my children will pedal when there's food involved!)
Here are our kids enjoying Ice Cream Sandwiches at the only Nestle Toll House Store in Alabama after our bike ride in Athens last weekend . . . they were pretty pleased with themselves! 🙂
What other tips do you have for bike riding as a family, or frugal summer fun? Â I'd love to hear your thoughts, so take a minute and leave a comment to share!
I live in a big metro area, lots of parks and playgrounds as well as a few biking trails. One of my go to plans when I want to get out of the house is trying out a new playground. I don’t own a car, so it’s usually a bit of a trek, but for the price of a day pass, I can get out and see something new, along with whatever else I might find along the way.
My girl is just starting to walk, so I’m just starting to figure out what makes a playground really fun for her. We have four in a ten minute walk, but now I’m starting to rove farther. It might seem like most playgrounds are pretty similar, but some just seem to have more to do, or have a neat theme, or are easier to get to, or have an ice cream shop right across the street….
Right now, the adventuring is mostly to alleviate -my- boredom. But I figure when she gets older, just going somewhere different will help add variety to her days, and novelty always makes things seem more interesting. I could picture a whole summer slowly checking off a list of every park in the area, and ‘rating’ them together.
I love that Ana! I definitely visited a TON of playgrounds when my kids were little…. it helped those days pass so much more quickly! We had a playground almost in our backyard, and a great walking trail which made life so much easier (we lived 20 minutes from the nearest grocery, so I was always looking for a diversion!) I’m betting you and your daughter will both enjoy them even more as she gets older, and agree that that’s a great way to frugally enjoy each summer! 🙂
I just clicked on the Nestle Cafe link and about fell out of my chair. That brownie thing in the header looks to die for!!!!
I think everything there is to die for… You can even pick your own cookies and whatever ice create you want to make your own ice cream sandwiches – my kids thought they’d died and gone to heaven Jennifer!