As a self-reporting child of the 90s (1990s, I feel it’s important to clarify that), I look back fondly on our summers. The freedom (there was LOTS of it), the joy in simple activities, living at the outdoor pool, camping in the backyard, dripping root beer popsicles, the books, crafts (arts and crafts at the rec center was a MUST), endless supplies of scotcharoos from the designated neighborhood baking mom, and more. Those were the days (insert long dramatic sigh here).
But what if we could relive those glory days? What would it take? Whether you have kids or not, let’s declare this summer the summer of the 90s and recreate our favorite components. I certainly am and may have already ordered the vintage trio of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark from ThriftBooks. Bring it on 90s Scotcharoo Summer, the official title of our summer season.
If you need some ideas for celebrating summer 90s-style, below are a few, along with key characteristics of a 90s summer. Be sure to add your favorite ideas in the comments, and let’s grow this list together!!
The Basic Elements Of A ’90s Summer Vacation
There are a few key elements to the 90s summer. Some we can recreate (like endless unstructured time), but others we may need to reel in a bit, like independence. No way I’m letting the kids have the same kind of independence as I did in the 90s.
Endless Unstructured Time
The key component to a 90s summer vacation was an endless supply of unstructured time. Yes, we had the mandatory swimming lessons and the arts and crafts program at the rec center. But the majority of our downtime was unstructured. It’s where creativity was born, and it was glorious! The stories we wrote, the worlds we created, the strange neighborhood games we crafted, were all born of summer vacation boredom.
Outdoor Living
Was it a 90s summer day if you didn’t spend your entire day sunup to sundown bedtime?! Kids ran amok outdoors all day long, neighborhoods became one massive playground, and we mostly migrated by bike. Occasionally, a snack or meal was needed, and it would lure the children back home briefly, only to return to their natural summer habitat.
Neighborhood Friendships
The summer friendships with the neighborhood kids were so special, and sometimes I fear those days are gone. The days when kids knocked on doors instead of texting, moms didn’t set up playdates, a hodgepodge group of kids who would normally never be friends gathered to play, activities weren’t planned and were made on the spot, and they had each other’s backs.
Independence
As I organize playdates and supervise activities for my own children’s summer fun, my mind is blown by the amount of freedom we had as kids of the nineties. Parents had a general idea of where their kids were (for the most part), but they were allowed to play independently, solve their own problems, and entertain themselves without parent interaction.
Seasonal Excitement
There was always excitement surrounding the season. From bigger ventures like family road trips, fairs, and beach vacations to the simpler, everyday moments, including dripping popsicles, sprinklers, and Skip-Its or jump ropes. The lack of a school schedule, later bedtimes, and a general sense of a free-for-all added to the seasonal excitement.
Small Adventures That Felt HUGE
Do you also look back at your childhood and remember the magic that was an afternoon at the local lake, when your friend came out of the water with a leech on her leg, and you all screamed?! It was a BIG day, the BIGGEST! As a 90s child, the simplest adventures felt like such big deals. Whether it was going to a new playground in the rival town or going to watch planes land at the local small-town airport. The small adventures felt like a trip to Disney.
Outdoor Activities And Ideas
To recreate the 90s summer, you must include outdoor activities. It’s one of the hallmarks of an iconic 90s summer vacation. Whether you have children or not, here are some outdoor activity ideas to include.
Camping In The Backyard
Backyard camping was such an integral part of our summers. Although 98% of the time, we came inside to sleep in our own beds. So pitch the tent, haul out all the blankets, and declare a backyard camping night.
Play Outdoor Games
Here are a few nostalgic favorites: four square, tag, kickball, capture the flag, obstacle course, backyard Olympics (bonus points if you make your own medals), three-legged races, scavenger or treasure hunt, wiffle ball, red rover, hide-and-seek, street hockey, or even just shooting hoops or drawing with sidewalk chalk in the driveway.
Flashlight Tag
True story. The only run-in I’ve ever had with the cops was during a childhood game of flashlight tag. Let me set the scene.
The entire neighborhood had gathered one evening for an exciting game of flashlight tag. We had the genius idea of “ultimate flashlight tag,” moving our shenanigans from a trio of backyards to the local elementary school, which was just a few houses away. Well… we made the janitor, who was cleaning the school that night, nervous with all the lights outside, and called the cops. The police investigated, found us, and asked us if we had been on the roof (huh?!?! fields and playground only dude…flashlight tag rules).
Needless to say, we were sent home, but an epic night was had by all.
Beach, Lake, Or River Days
Bring out the boogie boards, sand toys, and inner tubes; it’s time for a water day. The cooler is stocked with watermelon slices and Capri-Sun, no one has nearly enough sunscreen, and the parents park it on the shore while the kids dunk into the water. Whether everyone is gathering at the local river spot or you’re road tripping it to the beach, make water days in nature part of your summer plan.
This is one of our favorite beach getaways, Long Sands Beach in York, Maine.
Lazy Town Pool Days
The smell of chlorine will forever take me back to childhood summers, where we started the day at the outdoor pool with morning swimming lessons, took a “break” at the playground for lunch, then back to open and close the afternoon public swim.
So load up the pool bag, get a pass for your local outdoor pool (indoor pools just don’t hit the same), and become a pool family this summer. And bring friends. Town pools are more fun with friends.
More Water Fun
Pick your poison. From sprinklers to slip ‘n slides, water balloons or water squirter fights, kiddie pools, and more, nothing says summer like incorporating all the water fun.
Growing up, we weren’t blessed with hilly yards. Our neighborhood was quite flat, so we really had to work for our slip ‘n slide thrills. My children do not appreciate the gift that is hilly Vermont for wild and raging water slides at home.
Riding Bikes EVERYWHERE
There is no location that we couldn’t ride our bikes to back in the summers of the 90s. Didn’t matter that it was 20 miles away and you had to cross and traverse two main roads (don’t do that today). If we wanted to go to the mall, we rode our bikes. Ice cream? On our bikes. Pop Rocks and Fun Dip cravings? Off to the corner store on our bikes. Bikes were life as a 90s summer child. This summer, skip the car as much as you can and take the bikes to town.
Summer Camp
If you were lucky, you got to go to a week of sleep-away summer camp. The best ones had a lake with canoes, squeaky log cabin screen doors, and friends you promised to keep in touch with. And bugs…lots and lots of bugs.
Other Mini Adventures
Go To A Mall
Do you remember getting dropped off at the mall with twenty bucks and your best friend, and you somehow came home with an entire outfit (with accessories from Claire’s) and treated yourself to an Orange Julius?! What entertainment it was just walking the mall with your bestie. And now do malls even exist?! Have a mall day before they completely die off and make sure it involves lunch in the food court.
Make Paper Fortune Tellers
My mama told me to pick you! Who made these?! I feel like I don’t remember at all how to make them, although I’m pretty sure the muscle memory in my hands can still be called upon to assemble one. It’s like riding a bike, right?!
Visit The Roller Rink
Growing up, the BEST birthday parties were at the local roller rink. Break out those skates, find a rink or street skating night (there’s been a resurgence lately), and see if you can still limbo on wheels.
Spend An Afternoon At A Vintage Arcade
There are some really cool, old-school style vintage arcades out there that are a throwback to our childhoods. Take a mini adventure trip to one closest to you and spend a day tossing quarters into the skeeball game or fortune teller. Our favorite is Fun O Rama right on Short Sands Beach in York, Maine. It hasn’t changed a bit since I was a kid.
Find A Toy Store To Explore
I feel like we lost a real icon with the closing of Toys R Us. Do toy stores still exist?! It was always such a dream to run through the aisles of the local toy store, armed with birthday money, deliberating on what to purchase. Recreate that memory with your children and take them to a toy store with a budget.
What To Watch On Rainy Days
If you’re looking for a nostalgic movie or television show to watch on a rainy day, here are a few ideas. Although movies and TV shows are highly personal when it comes to the nostalgia factor. So reach back into the depths of your childhood memories and draw out a few favorites. Odds are, you can find them on a streaming service these days.
Add extra nostalgia factor if you thrift a TV/VCR combo along with some favorite VHS tapes to watch. Show of hands, who had a kitchen TV like this?!
The Movies
In no particular order: Toy Story, Space Jam, Free Willy, The Little Rascals, Lion King, Sandlot, Homeward Bound, Richie Rich, Beauty and the Beast, Parent Trap, The Cutting Edge, Rookie of the Year, Hook, Aladdin, Cool Runnings, A League Of Their Own, The Mighty Ducks, Little Giants, Sister Act, Casper, Matilda, Baby’s Day Out, Beethoven, Blank Check, Dennis the Menace, Babe, Harriet The Spy, A Little Princess, My Girl, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jurrasic Park, and Jumanji.
The Shows
Also, in no particular order: Full House, The Magic School Bus, Reading Rainbow, Duck Tales, Pepper Ann, Rugrats, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Boy Meets World, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, or whatever your show of choice in the 90s was. Maybe even throw in a Nickelodeon game show or two.
Break Out The Nintendo
While not technically something to watch, it is screen time related. We all had that friend who had a Nintendo we would gather around, while the friend’s older sibling showed us all the shortcuts and tricks to get Mario to the princess. Our minds were blown! This summer, find an old game system and break it out on a rainy day and relive your Super Mario Brothers gaming youth. Might I suggest the Nintendo Classic Mini? It has all the throwback games!
Book Stacks
Is it summer vacation if you don’t have a mile-high book stack?! Well, for those of us who were readers (me). Others abandoned the books until school was back in session again (my brother). But I was, and still am, a voracious summertime reader. Bring it on, local library summer reading challenge!!
Scary Stories To Read In The Dark
I distinctly remember pining over these books in the Scholastic flyer. One day, reluctantly, my parents gave in and said yes, and I became the proud owner of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. They have long disappeared from my arsenal of childhood memorabilia, but that’s what they make ThriftBooks for. Grab a copy for yourself and relive those childhood memories fears.
Goosebumps
Did you know that the author of Goosebumps, R.L. Stine, never intended to write children’s horror books? He was asked to pen them by his editor as it was an untapped market. Now the series, originally launched in 1992, is one of the most popular lines of children’s books. Don’t mind me as I line up my Goosebumps book stack to read with my nine-year-old this summer.
Ride Your Bike To The Library
Another popular bike riding destination in the 90s was the local library to stock up on just a few more summertime reading gems. Bonus points if you stop for an ice cream sandwich at the local corner store on the way home. Weekly library visits were a must.
If you don’t have a library card, now’s the time to sign up for one. Having a library card was like a ticket to the world back in the 90s, and the sentiment still holds today. It also made us feel so cool to have a (single) card in our wallets. So grown up.
Summer Crafting
Woven Potholders Made On A Loom
I made so many of these as a child, but cannot recall what happened to them after I gave them to my mom….hmmmm. Grab a loom kit from your local crafts supply store and make a new potholder or two this summer.
Anything From Popsicle Sticks
And I mean anything. A birdhouse, raft, pencil cup, tent, ornament, you name it, it can be crafted with popsicle sticks. Just don’t skimp on the glitter and pom poms for decoration.
Friendship Bracelets From Embroidery Floss
If you’re not making friendship bracelets from embroidery floss, are you even a 90s kid?! Break out the stash of embroidery floss (and the vintage instruction book…who else still has theirs?!) and make some friendship bracelets. I am for sure teaching my daughters the way this summer. UPDATE…Rowan made the pink one in the photo below. Proud mom moment!!!
Tie-Dye A Shirt
90s summer fashion wasn’t complete without a DIY tie-dyed shirt. Grab a shirt or two, a tie-dye kit, and a stack of rubber bands and go nuts. You can even make an event out of it and invite friends (yours or your kids…or both!) over for a nostalgic afternoon of tie-dye fun.
Make Your Own Pogs
Who remembers the rise and fall of the pog on the elementary school playground?! Make your own this summer and relive the magic of pog trading.
Magazine Cut-Out Collage or Vision Board
I’m not gonna like, I still do this to an extent. But trade out pics of Jonathan Taylor Thomas from Tiger Beat Magazine for a beautifully rustic yet modern kitchen from Country Living. This craft activity is easy to set up. Plop a stack of magazines on the table along with some paper, scissors, and glue, and good to go.
Slime Making
Slime has stood the test of time and is still a popular item to make these days. I may sit out the slime-making since I’m still recovering from a series of unfortunate events related to a slime fight in our home. The PTSD is real. But to all those who celebrate, slime away!
Perler Beads
Perler Beads (aka melty beads…the little plastic beads you arrange on a board and then iron so they melt together and hold their shape/design) are another classic 90s summer craft. Perler bead day at arts and crafts was always a highlight! Oh, the things one can make with Perler Beads! So grab a bucket of beads and a few starter boards and make some basic designs. Or just search designs on Pinterest to see all the fancy ones people are making these days! The last time we were at Michaels, we spotted a Harry Potter Perler Bead kit.
Colored Faux Sand Art
This classic craft will forever remind me of the summer fair. You got to choose a glass vessel (so many shapes and sizes to choose from) and then fill it with layers of colored sand. Year after year, the collection on the shelf grew.
Gel Pens
That’s the craft. Gel pens. Just gel pens. Double the crafting fun and decorate a fun box to store the gel pens in. But use them to write in your journal or planner, make art with, or write a note letter to your bestie
F&B (Food and Beverage)
Scotcharoos
While most of the neighborhood children were running feral all summer with their parents at work, there was always that one neighborhood teacher mom who was home. Ours made us scotcharoos all summer long. What a delightful summer treat! I don’t think I’ve had a scotcharoo since the summer of ’98.
Pizza Bagels
A favorite 90s lunch (or snack…or who am I kidding…breakfast after the parents have headed to work for the day), pizza bagels. Fire up the toaster oven and throw together this classic 90s food.
Kid Cuisine
Growing up, our family was a frozen dinner, just microwave it kind of family, which meant we always had a healthy (healthy as in large, not necessarily in the good-for-you camp) supply of Kid Cuisine. It’s basically a kids’ frozen meal with a protein (fish sticks, chicken nuggets, hamburger pizza), veggie (most often corn), side (mac ‘n cheese or fries), and a dessert of some sort.
I’m scheming up ways we can recreate a healthier version of this for the kids this summer. There’s got to be a way. Basically, I just need small divided containers that aren’t plastic and that can go in the oven.
Kool-Aid
Show of hands…who else saved all the Kool-Aid stamps to cash in for super cool products like the plastic Kool-Aid man pitcher?! It’s me, hi! Sipping Kool-Aid just tastes like summer. Maybe it’s all the chemicals and high fructose corn syrup, or maybe it’s the twisty, crazy straw, but it just tasted like summer. Can you smell the picture below?!
Root Beer Popsicles
About 15-ish years ago, I saw the first Schwann’s truck since moving away from my hometown, and it immediately brought me back to summers at my grandmother’s house, downing as many root beer popsicles and orange creamsicles as I could. She notoriously bought them every time the Schwann’s truck came around. Maybe your nostalgic treat is push pops or ice pops, but whatever that might be, stock up on them for summer.
Ice Pops
Oh, the boxes of ice pops we could devour as kids. I was an ice blue kid. What was your favorite flavor?! These days, we’ve traded the red dye version for Johnny Pops, but they’re just as addictive.
Other Iconic 90s Summer Ideas
Give Your Kids A Disposable Camera
Okay, I know it’s ridiculously hard to find a disposable camera these days, let alone a place that will develop them. Maybe instead, try a Camp Snap Camera or another low-tech option. Something without a screen, so you get that anticipation over whether or not your photos turned out the beautiful piece of art you were envisioning or a hot mess with a random photo bomb.
Listen To A Mix Tape On A Boombox
This might be a little complex compared to life in the 90s. But if you can thrift some cassette tapes and a boombox, try your hand at making a mixtape to listen to all summer long. At a minimum, make a 90s summer playlist on your phone and play it outside via a Bluetooth speaker.
Iconic songs not to miss, Smile by Vitamin C, Men in Black by Will Smith (can you still do the dance?!), Quit Playing Games With My Heart or I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys, I Wish by Skee Lo, Return of the Mack by Mark Morrison, anything by Alanis, Summer Girls by LFO, Steal My Sunshine by Len, Dreamlover by Mariah Carey, and 100% Pure Love by Crystal Waters. To this day, Summer Girls is my summer song anthem on repeat.
Paint Nails In Bright Neon Colors
Do you remember, as a 90s kid, when our nails were always a neon shade? Or the brightest possible nail polish we could get our hands on? And often one hand sported a multitude of obnoxiously bright hues?! Those were the days. Grab a box of neon Piggy Paint and get painting.
Put On A Talent Show
How many talent shows did we put our poor parents through?! Take over the back deck, make a few costumes or props (raiding the deep closet of vintage threads is always a good idea for this), and welcome guests to the show.
Start A Summer Club
Club membership rules and the dues log must be kept in a fifty-cent spiral-bound notebook written with gel pens. Membership cards are a must, and there will be an end-of-summer club party for all members and their guests. It will be part adventure club, part friendship club, and part excuse to spend every day of the summer together with friends.
Enjoy Your Nostalgic 90s Summer Vacation
After all this, I can’t help but feel excited about the summer vacation to come. Who’s with me?! Normally, there’s this small part of me dreading the coming days. But the girls are 9 and 4 (almost 5) now, I feel like we’re coming out of our small children years, and the summer break won’t be as exhausting as years past. At least that’s the lie I’m telling myself to get amped up for summer vacation season.
So excuse me while I stock up on embroidery floss and dust off my friendship bracelet-making skills. I’ve some knot tying to do while I listen to the sounds of the 90s. Here’s to the end of the school year and a memorable summer of fun as we embrace the magic of a 90s summer!
Pssst…Now you tell me. What were the most iconic parts of your 90s summer vacations? Any special activities, treats, or adventures that take you back? Or what were the small things that just made it feel like summer? Do tell!
