We absolutely view our house as a gift for spending time with family and friends. With the 4th of July next week, I wanted to share some of our favorite things to do with friends outside in our backyard. A lot of these are games, which I love because it’s a dedicated activity for people to do together. I promise, even something as simple as cornhole can help create a connection and bond!

A lot of these things can also be done indoors obviously, but I do think there’s something special about being surrounded by the smokiness of the grill with some music on in the background, and if we’re lucky, some fireflies buzzing around!

Where Should We Begin

Johnny and I absolutely love listening to this psychotherapist named Esther Perel and she came out with this really cool “game” to get to know your friends better. While I wouldn’t play this with people you just meant, we played it with a group of six couples and had some GREAT conversations as a result. We love having conversations with our friends and hearing different viewpoints, and it’s been an interesting new take on “game night.”

Settlers of Catan

This one is a classic! For more advanced board game enthusiasts, we couldn’t recommend it more. There is a bit of a learning curve, but you can learn by either reading the manual or watching a quick 5-minute YouTube tutorial. Watch out, the friend you don’t think is super competitive might reveal their true colors!

Mexican Train

We love Mexican Train for a shorter game night, especially with beginners. After being introduced to it at a friend’s house, it quickly became a favorite. It’s surprisingly fun and so easy, you can play with your entire family!

Traeger Pellet Grill

We’ve had our grill for a couple years and it’s been so fun to take advantage of with friends! We’ll put together a meal with them from start to finish, and I swear it makes eating it that more satisfying. Our friends also have this grill and we love going to their house to do the same! I have a full, super in-depth review on my blog if you want to learn more about it.

Cornhole

Is there any more quintessential outdoor activity than cornhole? This is a mindless, low-commitment activity great for waiting for people to arrive or food to be done grilling. This can also become surprisingly competitive!

Tumbling Timbers

Tumbling Timbers is basically a giant version of Jenga, and one of our favorite things to do with friends outside. Even if that’s not normally a game you reach for, I promise this will be a hit! Honestly it’s actually kind of addicting, both as a player and a spectator.