It feels good to get outside. Breathe in the fresh air. Soak in the sun’s warming rays. Get that boost in vitamin D. Listen to the birds chat and the leaves rustle.
Whether you’re too impatient waiting for summer vacation to arrive, choosing to stay close to home for summer break or just want to spend more time outside, enhancing your landscape can definitely boost your mood and enjoyment.
And while you might be content with a great patio for dinner, a hammock in the shade for reading books and taking naps or an outdoor fireplace to stay cozy when nighttime temperatures dip, the rest of your family may need some more motivation to get outside. After all, those video games and television shows can be pretty tempting, but you know the value of getting some fresh air.
Enter backyard games. Sure, summer camps and community pools can bring kids and families together, but who doesn’t love a game of putt-putt or a bocce ball match? There are ways to incorporate these fun features into your landscape so they cohesively blend in and make your yard the neighborhood entertainment hub.
Here are four creative outdoor game ideas you can include in your backyard to enhance summer enjoyment for the whole family this year.
Up Your Putting Game
Don’t have a chance to make it to the golf resort this summer? That doesn’t mean you can’t work on your short game. This could be the year you finally perfect your putting skills.
Install a backyard putting green that’s as unique as you want to make it with hardscape borders, curved edges or a rolling green. You could be stepping off of your backyard patio onto your golf green daily with a cold drink in hand, getting an edge that you can bring back to your foursome.
Lawn Bowling, Anyone?
Even though bocce ball dates back to the Roman empire, it’s a game anyone can learn to play and enjoy on a summer afternoon.
For this yard game, you want a relatively flat stretch of land to create your court. Regulation bocce ball courts are 90 feet long by 13 feet wide, but friendly games don’t have to be exact.
The clean, naturally designed area can add a classic appeal to your landscape, while elevating backyard excitement. You can even have adult friends play bocce in their finest garden party attire; this outdoor game is truly for everyone.
Horseshoe Pits & Tetherball Sets
Some classic games never get old. You can create a horseshoe court in your backyard to keep this favorite alive.
This outdoor game doesn’t take up much room, depending on how you set it up — an empty corner or outer section of your yard will do for just a pit to test your tossing and aiming skills and throw a few horseshoes around. For a regulation-sized pit and full-on game, you need stakes that are set approximately 40 feet apart.
Tetherball is also a game that can be easily incorporated into a corner of your yard — a 20-foot square will suffice. And the result is hours of fun for you, your children and friends.
Energy-Burning Adventures
While playgrounds, jungle gyms and water slides may sound like they might just be eyesores if you add them to your yard, there are better ways to incorporate these fun areas without losing the aesthetics you’ve worked so hard to create.
You can have a children’s wonderland and grown-up entertainment space in one. The trick is to look for charming outdoor play structures that can be cohesively built into your design, so they blend in instead of detract from your overall look. Think of a whimsical gazebo-shaped playstation, a hardscaped rock wall that’s both visually intriguing and a place for kids to get that extra energy out, or a quaint tree house that matches your own abode.
Zip lines are also becoming popular for those who love adventure. You can get your zip line fix at home with a set up between two sturdy, healthy trees. The zip line equipment itself doesn’t stand out as an eyesore and can mean hours of enjoyment for your kids while you cheer them on as you sip lemonade on the patio (or join in yourself).
Transform Your Backyard Into a Fun Zone
You’re looking for a different and interesting way to ensure everyone in your home enjoys your yard. But you also want to keep your high-end, elegant design aesthetic.
You don’t have to choose time with family or time in your backyard. You can have both with some unique outdoor games.
Worried about how you can do this right? Looking at your space and thinking it might not work? Let Rossen Landscape experts help. We’ve designed and installed numerous landscapes to boost homeowners’ joy factor while also embracing sophistication and style.
We’d love to help you achieve a space that merges fun and fancy into one cohesive package. Learn more about gardens we’ve designed here or contact us for a consultation about how we can bring your dream landscape to life.
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