Fun Activities to Enhance Your Next Family Reunion

When is the last time you and your extended family had a family reunion? Five years? Ten years? Never? Well, it’s time to bring that tradition back. Covid-19 has done a fantastic job of reminding us how precious and fleeting these family connections are. You and your loved ones are long overdue for a family get together. We’ve got your back – today we’re sharing some of our favorite activity ideas to help make new memories and maximize time together.

Activities the Kids Will Love

One of the best parts about a family reunion is watching all the cousins – both young and old – make memories together. And what better way to encourage that than with plenty of games, toys, crafts and activities?! Here’s our top family reunion venue WI list of supplies and game ideas broken down by age:

Ages 2-5: Bubbles, sprinklers, water balloons, chalk, coloring books, doll houses, watercolor painting, music, balloon volleyball, glow sticks and glow jewelry.
Ages 6-11: Simple crafts (think popsicle sticks, markers, and glue), badminton, water balloons, slime making stations, paper airplane contest and hula hoop contest.
Ages 12-17: Swimming, ATV (for 16+), geocaching or a scavenger hunt, card games, a manicure station, hiking, paintball or nerf guns, nature/wildlife photography and Would You Rather

Activities that Celebrate the Past

One of the unique gifts of an intergenerational family gathering is the history that can be shared and cherished together. However, when you bring together a large group, there can be a tendency for chaos to take over. Don’t get us wrong – we’re all for a little chaos – but when Grandpa is sharing the story about how he and Grandma met, you want as many people listening in as possible! So, to that end, a little structure doesn’t hurt! Here’s a handful of our favorite recommendations:

Have each family bring a photo album or put together a digital slideshow of a collaboration of photos. Make sure each photo has a short caption to explain the core elements of the memory featured in the photo.
Organize a scavenger hunt where people are put in uncommon pairs. (IE: a young child with their great aunt or uncle or a teen with his/her second cousin.) Give each pair a list of questions that will help them get to know each other and the shared history they have as they also look around for the scavenger hunt items.
Build out an itinerary that gives specific “story times” listed. Maybe at 1:00p Uncle Leo will tell the story of how he and his brothers all got stuck in a tree and Grandpa had to call the fire department. You could also pair a story time with a mealtime if you have a potluck meal plan.

Activities for the Adventurous Crowd

Every family has at least a handful of them – cousins, aunts, uncles and even grandparents who like to walk on the wild side! They are the ones you often see daring each other to a cannonball contest in the lake or performing tricks on the back patio with their skateboard. If they were in charge of planning the retreat, it would probably be held at a theme park or a ranch. But now that you mention it – maybe that’s not the worst idea! What if the retreat venue had a bit more adrenaline in its list of amenities?

Edenwood Ranch and Preserve is one of the top family reunion WI resorts that feature a robust “all you can eat buffet” of adventurous options on site. When you book an event on our property, you have access to all 500 acres of our property. This means space to spread out and enjoy the following:

Swimming
Canoeing/kayaking
Fishing
Ziplining
UTV Rentals
Archery range
Bike riding
Much, much more!

Activities for the Night Owls

When you plan a family reunion at a resort or getaway location, it’s wise to also plan some late-night activities for those staying for more than a day. Weather permitting, it’s highly recommended that you embrace the great outdoors as much as possible, even late at night. Try to see it as a time to revisit your favorite childhood overnight summer camp. For example, try some (or all) of the following:

S’mores Bar
Midnight Lantern Hike
Campfire
Firefly catching
Stargazing
Childhood games like Flashlight Tag or Capture the Flag

If you are staying closer to a major city, consider an evening visit to a local comedy club as a group or trying an Escape Room all together. You could also use the time to walk through more of the touristy areas of the city that won’t be quite as busy later in the day.

Family Reunion WI

We are a premier private vacation destination and hunting preserve offering guided trophy deer hunting, glamping tent packages, luxury cabin rentals and a variety of outdoor activities that the whole family will enjoy. Have your wedding, family reunion, private retreat, or vacation getaway in Wisconsin’s Northwoods at our unique and PRIVATE venue. Open all year-round! Contact us today to book your next big get-away.