Get Ready for Some Serious Family Fun
June 15th, 2012 
Carol 
In today’s hurry-up world, many families are looking for ways to slow down a little and spend some quality time together, just having fun. The good news is that it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, and you don’t have to go very far to have a great time.
Here are some ways your family can make the most of family time and have some serious fun.
Become day trippers.
• Visit a state park. You can go on a hike or bike ride, have a picnic and enjoy the great outdoors on your own, or participate in events such as fishing tournaments, wildlife education, moonlight walks or star gazing talks.
• Play tourist in a city that’s close by, but you haven’t been to before. Get suggestions from your friends using Bing’s new social search features; someone you know may have recently been there and have some great ideas. Or you could find people who are experts on that area and can help you find the perfect place to visit.
Have some homegrown fun.
• Art, history, science, kid-themed and quirky – there are all kinds of museums just waiting to be explored. Keep an eye out for special exhibits and family events. Many museums have free days and no- or low-cost activities and classes you can all do together.
• Pitch a tent or two in the backyard and spend the night under the stars. Grill dinner, or make s’mores over the fire pit, and “rough it” together without ever leaving home.
• If you’ve always wanted to go on a treasure hunt, geocaching just might be for you. You use a GPS-enabled device and clues to navigate to a specific set of coordinates in order to locate hidden containers. Search online for geocaching near you.
Help your community.
• Sign up to help with or participate in a charity race. From planning and organizing, to checking people in, setting up water stations and actually racing, there are plenty of ways you can help make a fundraising event a success.
• Sowing, watering, weeding and harvesting – there’s always something that needs to be done in a community garden. Even the littlest ones can have some fun doing good.
• Make a difference in your neighborhood - www.DoSomething.org and Bing have teamed up to inspire people to “do good” in their neighborhood by hosting various events across the country this summer. Visit www.bing.com/doing to see if they’ll be stopping by a neighborhood near you, or learn how you can participate online.
Be hometown foodies.
• From apples to zucchini, you can find just about any kind of fresh produce, as well as bread, honey, herbs and more at a farmers market. Bring home some fresh ingredients and experiment with new recipes.
• Restaurants – Try that new restaurant down the street, or the one you’ve driven by a few times but have never been to. If you’re not sure where to go, or if you want to know if a restaurant is good, look it up on www.Bing.com and check out the new feature which allows you to do this all in one place. It shows you reviews from across the web, location maps and directions, as well as interior shots – you can make a reservation, find where you’re going and see what it’s like, all without leaving your search page.
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