Everyone makes such a big deal over New Year’s Eve every year. But this year I have been way too swamped for an over the top New Year’s! That’s why me and my friends got together and came up with a few ideas on how we wanted to spend NYE. We haven’t made a final decision yet but I know I will enjoy whatever we choose off this list!
1. Rent a cabin
As a child, we spent many a New Year’s Eves in a cabin. Any year that none of the adults in my dad’s friend group wanted to throw a party they would all pool together to rent a cabin in Sun Valley, Idaho. Then 4 or 5 families would all head up there and enjoy the weekend away!
It is a way better alternative to throwing a party at your own house because no one is fully responsible for the cleanup. Everyone would throw away trash before we left but housekeepers come in and do the dishes and make the beds for the next group and we didn’t have to worry about a thing! And the other benefit is that you don’t have to worry about people driving if there is alcohol involved. All of us, adults and kids alike, LOVED the weekends we spent at a cabin together.
2. Barn Party
I know this isn’t available everywhere but if you have an old barn that someone rents out for parties, snag it up for New Year’s Eve! Same concept as the cabin, no one has to clean up alone and everyone can bring tents and crash there instead of driving. It is fun, outdoors, and usually in the middle of nowhere so you aren’t bothering neighbors or being bothered by all the people out this night!
Barn parties are fun year round and seriously can be thrown together in a day. Other than finding the barn it really doesn’t take much planning! Get some snacks, drinks, and make sure there is a speaker to play music and you are set. You don’t really need to decorate much because barns are pretty cool on their own.
3. Hike to watch the fireworks
If your town does fireworks, sometimes the best place to watch them is on the outskirts of town. We love finding a great spot to watch fireworks on NYE that isn’t totally crowded with people. We usually climb to the top of Evel Knieval’s jump and hope that no one else had the same idea for watching fireworks!
If we are in a new city we usually just wing it and find a nice high spot that we know we can hike. We take some blankets, hot chocolate, snacks, and maybe a Bluetooth speaker. It is always enjoyable and relaxing! Definitely not a crazy NYE but probably one of my favorites.
4. Back yard camp out
This one is great, especially if you have kids! What is better than setting up a tent in your back yard and roasting marshmallows by the fire? Nothing. Nothing is better than that. I loved this as a kid and I love this as an adult. It is fun for everyone! And if it gets too cold just run inside and warm up! You are at home after all!
This is such an easy way to make everyone excited. It takes no planning other than walking to the garage and dusting off the old tent. Send someone to the store for s’mores fixins and call it good! Turn it into a boozy campout for adults and then cuddle up in a sleeping bag after midnight. Sounds like the perfect night to me!
5. Sign up for a bar crawl
Alright this is an obvious one but if you don’t want to be the one to plan the night, leave it to the professionals. Bar crawls are always a good idea if you’re into drinking or people watching. NYE bar crawls are especially fun since there are so many people there! Get signed up and enjoy the ride!
Meet up with a group or just make sure that your entire group is at the same bar at midnight. Either way everyone is going to have a good time. How can you not?! This one definitely takes some energy though so make sure you eat beforehand and are ready for anything that comes your way that night! The spontaneity of a bar crawl is what makes it so fun!
Do you have some great last minute NYE ideas? Please, let me know in the comments! I am looking for something fun to do as we roll in 2018!
Always Adventure,
