Let’s be honest about how Memorial Day weekend actually goes. Thursday night, you tell your partner “we should do something fun this weekend — it’s three whole days.” Friday rolls around and you’re tired from work, so you push it to Saturday. Saturday morning you sleep in, putter around the house, and then your neighbor texts: “Hey, firing up the grill around 4, come on over.” So you go. You eat the same slightly-too-dry burgers on the same paper plates with the same warm potato salad that’s been sitting in the sun for an hour too long. You make small talk about lawn care. You come home at 8, watch something forgettable on Netflix, and go to bed. Sunday and Monday blur together in a haze of errands you didn’t need to run and screen time you didn’t need to have. Tuesday morning you’re back at your desk thinking, “What did I even do this weekend?”
I’ve lived that loop more times than I want to admit. But a few years ago, my wife and I made a pact: no more wasted long weekends. Not every three-day weekend needs to be an epic vacation — but it should be something. Something you’d actually tell someone about on Tuesday. Something your kids might remember in ten years. Or honestly, something that just makes you feel like you used those 72 hours on purpose.
This isn’t a Pinterest board of aspirational ideas you’ll never actually do. These are things our family has tried, mostly loved, and occasionally failed at spectacularly. Pick one. Just one. And commit to it. Your Tuesday-morning self will thank you.
At-Home Ideas That Don’t Suck
You don’t have to go anywhere to have a great weekend. Some of our best Memorial Day memories happened in our own backyard. The trick is making it feel different from a regular Saturday — give it a theme, put your phone away, and actually lean in.
Backyard Movie Night (Memorial Day Edition)
We’ve done this enough times that I wrote a whole guide to pulling off the perfect backyard night, and Memorial Day weekend is the ideal time to try it. The weather in the PNW has finally decided to cooperate (mostly), sunset is late enough that you’re not waiting until 10 PM to start the movie, and the kids are already in summer-brain mode.
For Memorial Day, go with a classic — Top Gun: Maverick is our family’s go-to because even the kids get into the flight scenes, and my wife tolerates it because she thinks Tom Cruise “still has it” (her words, not mine). String up some lights, throw a couple of blankets on the lawn, and set out popcorn in actual bowls instead of eating it out of the bag like animals. The whole setup takes maybe 30 minutes, but it feels like an event. If you want to make it a neighborhood thing, combine it with the block party idea below.
The Memorial Day Cook-Off
Forget the default BBQ. Instead, turn it into a competition. We started doing Sunday Family Cook-Offs last year, and the Memorial Day version is the championship round. Here’s the twist: pick a theme. Best burger, best sides dish, best dessert that involves a grill — whatever gets people invested. Last year we did “best thing you can cook on a stick” and my daughter made these absurdly good grilled cinnamon roll-ups that absolutely destroyed my attempt at fancy kebabs. I’m still not over it.
The key is making it low-stakes enough that everyone participates but competitive enough that people actually try. A $5 trophy from the dollar store goes a long way. Trust me, adults will fight harder for a plastic gold cup than they ever would for a real prize.
Game Tournament Weekend
Three days is the perfect excuse to run a proper tournament. Not just one game night — a multi-round, bracket-style event that spans the whole weekend. We’ve tested this format extensively (I’m slightly obsessed with game night optimization) and Memorial Day weekend is when you can actually do the full experience.
Friday night: party games and qualifiers. Saturday afternoon: semifinals with the serious stuff — Catan, Ticket to Ride, whatever your crew is into. Monday evening: the finals. For couples without kids, check out our board games for couples guide for some excellent two-player options. My wife and I have a running Carcassonne rivalry that has gotten genuinely heated on more than one occasion. Healthy marriage, I’m told.
Throw a Block Party
Memorial Day might be the single best day of the year for a neighborhood block party. Everyone’s home, the weather’s nice, and people are in a generous mood. We put together a full Block Party Playbook because organizing one is way easier than people think — the hard part is just being the person who says “hey, let’s actually do this.”
The Memorial Day angle: make it a potluck so you’re not stuck cooking for 40 people, set up lawn games in the cul-de-sac (cornhole, ladder toss, a slip-and-slide if you’ve got kids), and do a group moment at some point to actually acknowledge what the day is about. We usually do a quick toast before the food. It doesn’t have to be elaborate — just intentional. Last year our neighbor Dave, who’s a veteran, said a few words and it was genuinely the highlight of the whole party. These are the moments that turn neighbors into actual friends.
Day Trips Worth the Drive
If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, Memorial Day weekend is when the mountains finally start opening up, the ferries start running full schedules, and you remember why you put up with eight months of grey skies. These are all doable as day trips from the Seattle area — no hotel required.
Leavenworth, WA
I’m biased here — I own a place in Leavenworth and visit 15+ times a year. But that bias comes from experience: this Bavarian village about two hours east of Seattle is genuinely one of the best day trips in Washington, and Memorial Day weekend is a sweet spot. The summer tourist crush hasn’t fully hit yet, the weather on the east side of the Cascades is usually gorgeous, and the whole town is walkable.
Hit up the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum (weirdly fascinating), grab a bratwurst from München Haus, and let the kids run around Waterfront Park by the Wenatchee River. If you’re feeling ambitious, the Icicle Gorge Trail is a flat, easy loop that’s beautiful this time of year. The drive over Stevens Pass is half the experience — windows down, mountains everywhere, stop at the Sultan Bakery for a bear claw on the way. I wrote a full Leavenworth weekend guide that covers everything from restaurants to hikes to where to stay.
Mt. Rainier — Paradise or Sunrise
Memorial Day weekend is when Paradise area typically opens for the season (check the NPS website before you go — snow levels vary by year). Even if some trails are still snow-covered, just being up there with The Mountain filling your entire windshield is worth the two-hour drive. Pack a picnic, do the Nisqually Vista Trail if it’s open, and bring layers because it will be 20 degrees colder than you expect.
Pro tip from someone who has made this mistake: leave early. Like, 7 AM early. The parking situation at Paradise on a holiday weekend is genuinely terrible, and sitting in a line of cars on a one-lane mountain road is not the nature experience you’re going for. Get there first, hike while it’s empty, eat your lunch with a view, and be driving home while everyone else is still circling the lot.
San Juan Islands
Whale watching season is in full swing by Memorial Day, and the San Juan Islands are magical this time of year. Take the ferry from Anacortes (about 90 minutes north of Seattle), spend the day on San Juan Island or Orcas Island, and catch an evening ferry back. Friday Harbor has great little restaurants and shops, and Lime Kiln Point State Park is one of the best spots in the world — not exaggerating — to see orcas from shore.
The catch: ferry reservations. Book them now. Actually, stop reading this and go book them right now, then come back. The Washington State Ferries system on a holiday weekend without a reservation is an exercise in suffering that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Walk-on is also an option if you don’t mind renting bikes on the island, which is honestly a better way to see it anyway.
Olympic Peninsula
Hurricane Ridge and the Hoh Rainforest are two completely different ecosystems, and you can technically hit both in a long day trip, though I’d recommend picking one. Hurricane Ridge gives you alpine meadows and panoramic mountain views — on a clear day, you can see all the way to Victoria, BC. The Hoh Rainforest is like walking into a Jurassic Park set, minus the velociraptors (probably). The Hall of Mosses trail is short, flat, and jaw-dropping. Our kids spent half the hike whispering because it felt “too quiet to talk normal” — which, from a seven-year-old, is the highest possible compliment.
Fair warning: the Olympic Peninsula is a solid 3-4 hours from the Seattle area depending on where you’re headed. Doable as a day trip, but you’ll feel it. If you can swing an overnight, do it.
Local State Parks
Not every day trip needs to be a production. Deception Pass State Park is about 90 minutes north and has one of the most dramatic bridges in the state — walk across it, hike down to the beach, done. Moran State Park on Orcas Island is stunning if you’re already doing the ferry thing. And closer to home, Wallace Falls is an easy-ish hike with a huge waterfall payoff that works for most ages and fitness levels.
The beauty of state parks on Memorial Day: they’re open, they’re cheap (Discover Pass gets you in everywhere for $30/year), and they don’t require a plan. Just pick one, pack some sandwiches, and go. Not everything needs to be an Instagram-worthy adventure. Sometimes the best weekends are just “we went outside and it was nice.”
Outdoor Adventures
If you want to use the long weekend to actually do something physical, here are a few ideas that work whether you’re a seasoned outdoors person or someone who considers walking to the mailbox a warm-up.
Family Hike
I wrote The No-Stress Family Hiking Guide after our first family hike lasted exactly 22 minutes before someone had a meltdown. That someone was me. But we figured it out, and now hiking is one of our favorite family activities — as long as we follow the rules: short trails, lots of snacks, zero expectations about pace.
For Memorial Day weekend, Rattlesnake Ledge (near North Bend) is a classic for a reason — relatively short, moderate climb, and the payoff at the top is an incredible lake view that makes everyone forget they were complaining five minutes ago. Get there early, though. Holiday weekend + good weather + popular trail = a parking lot that fills up by 9 AM. If you want something quieter, try the Big Four Ice Caves trail off the Mountain Loop Highway. It’s flat, it’s beautiful, and there’s ice. Kids love ice.
Weekend Camping Trip
Three days is the perfect amount of time for a camping trip — especially if you’re not a camping family yet. You get Friday to set up without rushing, all of Saturday to actually enjoy it, and Monday as a buffer day to recover before real life kicks back in. We laid out the whole approach in our camping for couples guide, and most of it applies to families too.
For Memorial Day, reservations at popular spots are probably gone already (you needed those in February, sorry). But first-come-first-served spots still exist — try the dispersed camping areas along the Mountain Loop Highway or the national forest sites east of the Cascades. Lower expectations, higher adventure.
Trail Running
Memorial Day weekend is a great excuse to try trail running if you’ve been curious. The trails are dry enough to be runnable, the mornings are cool, and you’ve got three days so you can be sore on Monday and still recover by Tuesday. Start with something flat and forgiving — the Snoqualmie Valley Trail or the Burke-Gilman are both paved-to-gravel transitions that ease you into it. If you’re already a runner, hit Tiger Mountain or Cougar Mountain for something with actual terrain.
Stargazing Night
Here’s one most people skip: a dedicated stargazing night. Memorial Day weekend usually has decent weather, and if you drive 30-45 minutes east of Seattle, the light pollution drops dramatically. Tolt MacDonald Park in Carnation is close and dark enough to see the Milky Way on a clear night. Bring a blanket, download a stargazing app, and just… look up. It’s one of the most underrated family activities we’ve found. Our kids ask to go stargazing more than they ask to watch movies, which is either a testament to how cool it is or a commentary on our movie selection.
The Gear Upgrade
Memorial Day weekend is also prime time to invest in a few things that make your outdoor time way better. Here’s what I’d prioritize:
A decent portable speaker. Not the $15 one that sounds like music is being played through a tin can. Something waterproof with actual bass that you can throw in a backpack or leave on the patio. Makes backyard movie nights, camping, and day trips significantly better. JBL and Bose both make excellent options in the $80-150 range.
Proper hiking boots. If you’re planning any trail time, stop hiking in running shoes. The Columbia Newton Ridge (mentioned in our hiking guide) is the best entry-level boot I’ve found — lightweight, decent ankle support, and they don’t cost $200. I’ve put serious miles on mine and they’ve held up through mud, rock, and one unfortunate creek crossing that was entirely my fault.
A good camping blanket. The kind that’s waterproof on one side and soft on the other. You’ll use it for camping, picnics, outdoor movies, beach trips, and basically every outdoor activity for the next five years. Rumpl and Kelty both make great ones. It’s one of those purchases where you wonder how you ever lived without it.
A portable grill or camp stove. If you’re doing any day trips or camping, a small propane grill changes the game. You go from sad trailhead sandwiches to actual hot food in about five minutes. Weber makes a solid portable option, and if you want something more compact, a Jetboil will at least get you hot coffee and ramen — which, after a morning hike, is basically a five-star meal.
Make This One Count
Here’s the thing about Memorial Day weekend: you only get a handful of three-day weekends a year. Maybe five or six, depending on your job. Each one is a chance to do something — not something huge or expensive or Instagram-worthy, just something intentional. Something that breaks the routine of regular two-day weekends where Saturday is errands and Sunday is dread.
You don’t need to do all 15 things on this list. You need to do one. Pick the one that made you think “oh, that actually sounds fun” and commit to it. Text your partner about it right now. Put it on the calendar. Buy the supplies. Tell the kids. Make it real before the inertia of “let’s just stay home and relax” takes over.
Because here’s what I’ve learned after years of both wasting and winning long weekends: you never regret the ones where you did something. Even the ones that went sideways — the camping trip where it rained, the hike where the kids mutinied, the cook-off where I burned the main course and my daughter won with dessert — those are the ones we still talk about. The weekends we spent on the couch? Can’t remember a single one.
Happy Memorial Day. Now go make it a good one.