18 New Things To Do On The Weekend

The best 18 ways to spend your weekend doing something different than your usual routine!

Weekends are universally loved, but I think they’re kind of weird. We wait all week for them, and then when they show up, we either end up doing a lot or nothing at all.

There’s this pressure to make your weekend good, but you might also be tired and don’t want to do anything that requires pants.

But the thing is, weekends are for you.

If you need rest and self-care, then do just that and don’t even care about how others are spending their weekend.

But if you want to make your weekend different from your usual routine (be it by heading outdoors or staying indoors), then keep on reading!

I’ve got some amazing ideas for you down below that will inspire you to spend a couple of hours of your weekend doing interesting things.

But first, pin the post, please!

Here are 18 things to do on the weekend to shake up your routine and have a good time:

18 Fun Things To Do On The Weekend

1. Hit Up a Farmers Market

Farmers’ markets are actually pretty cool. Yeah, they seem like something your mom would drag you to, but there’s this whole vibe happening.

People are chatty, everything smells amazing, and you can sample weird cheese without anyone judging you.

I went to one last month just because I was bored and ended up talking to this lady about her homemade hot sauce for like twenty minutes. It was so fun!

So, if you have a weekend farmers’ market happening in your town, then show up and stroll around. Even if you don’t buy much, the vibe will make the visit worth your time.

2. Cook Something You Have No Business Cooking

Pick something that sounds way too complicated for your skill level and just go for it.

Homemade ramen, sourdough bread, or whatever Jamie Oliver is posting about this week.

Will you mess it up? Probably. But you will definitely learn something and maybe create a hilarious disaster story.

I tried to make croissants once, and they looked like sad buttery rocks. But I ate them anyway and felt accomplished. The bar is low here, people.

So, this weekend, just head into the kitchen and try something new. You might just end up surprising yourself.

3. Wander Around a Random Neighborhood

Get in your car, pick a direction, and drive until you see a neighborhood that looks interesting. Then just walk around like you belong there.

Every area has its own unique personality, such as the street with too many garden gnomes, the coffee shop with great lattes, and the house with too many cats.

It’s fun to discover such unique spots and open up your senses.

I found my favorite coffee stall this way, and I am so happy I chose to get out of the car and walk the street that day. Otherwise, I’d have totally missed it.

4. Build Something Stupid Simple

Go to Home Depot and buy wood for a basic shelf or plant stand. Look up on YouTube for how to put it together.

It might turn out to be crooked, and you might even curse at your power drill.

But you’ll be super proud and satisfied making a thing that didn’t exist before (even if it’s ugly).

You can also just gather some cardboard pieces and make something out of them. It’s a pretty creative way to spend a weekend afternoon.

My first DIY project was a pen stand that looks like it was built during an earthquake. But I loved using it as a kid and was very proud of myself.

5. Read The Whole Newspaper

It’s hard to get through a complete newspaper on a weekday morning, or even glance at the headlines.

But on the weekend, you can actually read the full newspaper — every section, every paragraph, and every line.

Doing this on Sunday morning is especially fun because the newspaper comes with special editions and fun puzzles and crosswords.

Most importantly, you’ll catch up on all the important news going on around the world and also brush up on your reading skills.

6. Find a Trail and Walk on It

I’m not talking about becoming a hiking influencer here. Just find a path somewhere and see where it goes.

Most cities have easier trails that don’t require special gear or for you to be athletic.

Bring water, wear decent shoes, and prepare to be amazed by how different everything looks when you’re not in a car.

You’ll get to feel outdoorsy without actually camping or doing anything that involves sleeping on the ground.

7. Have People Over for Something Easy

Text a few friends and be like, “Hey, come over Saturday, bring snacks.”

That’s it. No elaborate planning, no themed decorations, just humans in the same space eating food and talking.

You can later play some card games, just sit around, and complain about work.

You’ll get to empty your mind before the chaos of next week begins, and also catching up with friends is always a good way to spend the weekend.

8. Learn Something Useless

Not every lesson needs to have meaning and productivity. Sometimes, you learn things just for fun or to pass the time.

YouTube University is free and has classes on everything. Spend an hour learning to juggle, or how to say weird phrases in Japanese, or the history of rubber ducks.

Will this change your life? Nah. Will it give your brain something new to chew on? Yeah!

Completely pointless, I know, but a mildly entertaining way to spend an hour on the weekend.

9. Make Reading Feel Special

Instead of just reading in bed while half-watching Netflix, make it a whole thing.

Set up good lighting, make some fancy tea, and maybe serve some of those cookies you’ve been saving.

Pick a book that’s totally different from what you usually read. If you only read self-help books, grab a mystery novel. If you’re all about fiction, try a weird memoir.

Then, get cozy and read like you’re the main character of a movie. You can also have an outdoor reading session with a picnic basket!

This is the one thing in my weekend routine that always stays consistent, and I wouldn’t swap it with anything else.

10. Help Out Somewhere

Animal shelters always need people to walk dogs or play with cats. Food banks need help sorting stuff. Community gardens need weeding.

It’s a couple of hours of your time, and you’ll meet people who actually care about something, which is refreshing in our age of ironic detachment.

Also, animals don’t care if you’re having a bad hair day, which is a refreshing change from always having to look good at work.

11. Take Pictures of Random Stuff

Grab your phone and go hunting for interesting things to photograph.

Click pictures of weird signs, cool shadows, people’s interesting front yards, and dogs being dogs.

You don’t need to capture perfect shots. You don’t even need to be good at it. The point is just paying attention to stuff you normally walk past.

If you’re not in the mood to head outside, just do it in your house. You can post all your shots on Instagram and share your slow weekend vibes with the world.

12. Clean One Space Really Well

Instead of cleaning up the whole house, tackle just one drawer, one closet, or one corner that’s been bugging you.

Put on a podcast or some music that doesn’t suck and get to work.

You’ll find stuff you forgot you had and probably throw away a bunch of junk you’ve been keeping for no reason.

It’s weirdly satisfying, and your future self will be grateful.

13. Chase Down Food Trucks

If you’re a foodie like me, you’ll love this weekend idea.

Look up where the food trucks are this weekend and hit a few different ones.

Food truck people are usually pretty passionate about their food, and the quality is often surprisingly good.

Also, there’s something fun about eating amazing tacos while standing in a parking lot with a bunch of strangers who are also excited about their tacos.

14. Take a Short Road Trip to Nowhere

Pick somewhere within two hours of home that you’ve never been to. It can be a small town, a state park, or a scenic route you’ve always meant to check out.

Make a playlist, pack snacks, and just drive there to see what’s up.

Sometimes the best adventures are the ones where you’re home by dinner but feel like you’ve been somewhere completely different.

15. Hang Out at a Bookstore

Don’t just buy a book online like usual. Go to an actual bookstore and wander around for a while.

Read the first chapter, ask the staff what’s good, and maybe sit in their café if they have one.

Independent bookstores especially have personality, and the people working there usually know their stuff.

I’ve discovered some of my favorite books just by randomly browsing sections I usually ignore. For me, there couldn’t be a better way to spend a weekend.

16. Make Art That Sucks

Buy some cheap art supplies and make something terrible. Draw, paint, sculpt with clay, or do whatever.

You do not have to create a masterpiece, but just use your hands for something other than typing.

I keep a sketchbook and draw stuff around my house when I’m bored. My artistic skills are questionable, but it’s relaxing, and sometimes I surprise myself.

As I’ve said before, there’s something really satisfying and joyful about creating something that didn’t exist before!

17. Go to Whatever’s Happening Locally

Check your city’s event calendar and pick something that sounds vaguely interesting.

There might be a street festival, art walk, outdoor concert, marathon, or weird cultural thing you don’t quite understand.

Even if it’s not amazing, you’ll be around people doing something together, which is increasingly rare.

I went to a poetry reading once just because it was happening, and talked to some really cool people. The event was alright, but I had some conversations that made my weekend great!

18. Do Absolutely Nothing On Purpose

This is the hardest one for a lot of people. We are so used to always being doing something that the idea of not really doing something, or being slow, scares us.

This weekend, take a break from your need to hustle by doing nothing, or just being slow.

Take a bath without rushing, sit outside without your phone, lie on your couch, and just think about stuff.

We’re so used to constant input that actual quiet time feels weird. But your brain needs space to process things and come up with ideas.

Some of my best insights have come during boring moments when I wasn’t trying to be productive or entertained.

It’s also the best way to do a life detox and enter the new week with a fresh mind.

Make Your Weekends Count!

Look, I’m not promising any of these things will change your life or give you the perfect weekend.

But they might shake you out of the scroll-and-sleep cycle that makes weekends feel like they never happened.

So, pick a couple of things from this list and do them this weekend. I promise you’ll have a good time.

You just discovered 15 different things to do on the weekend! Which one are you going to try first? Let me know in the comment box!