A wise man once said:
“When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn’t imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter.”
Ok, so it was Bill Murray’s character Phil Connors in Groundhog Day – but it rings true! At least it does if you can find something interesting to do in the middle of winter other than sit inside and stare at a screen – or at the people in your life who are trapped inside with you by the cold!
I’ll admit to feeling a little housebound myself during the winter. When you work from home a lot of the time and see a lot of the same 4 walls for most of the day you come to relish your time out of the house, and especially with friends. Spring, summer, and fall make great times to get outside, and it’s easy to find activities in your backyard if all you have to do is put on a jacket and step out the door.
Winter is a different beast altogether. You could get all swaddled up and go out on a major expedition such as skiing or snowboarding, or going to watch a football game, and those will all get you outside in the winter. But what if you wanted to keep it closer to home. What if you only wanted to go outside for a little while and enjoy the crispness of the air – and then get the heck back inside and soak up the heat? What I think we need here are some fun activities for adults in the backyard in the midst of winter.
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12 Backyard Activities for Adults in the Winter
We’ll go through these in detail but if all you’re looking for are ideas, here’s the list I came up with:
- Traditional Backyard Snow Activities (Building Snowmen, Making Snow Angels, Snowball Fights, etc…)
- Backyard Winter Fire
- Ice Wine Tasting
- Build an Outdoor Rink – Then Go Skating
- Make Maple Taffy
- Blow Bubbles and Watch them Freeze
- Snow/Hot Tub/Snow/Hot Tub
- Snow Mini Golf
- Winter Cosplay
- Watch a Movie in the Backyard (In the Cold!)
- Try Winter Camping
- Just Go Hang Out
When you’re out in the cold – always make sure that you’re taking the appropriate precautions around the weather – wearing appropriate attire for the temperature and the length of time that you’re going to be out there. You’re responsible for your safety here – don’t take it from fun to stupid.
Ok – that out of the way – here we go!
Traditional Backyard Snow Activities
Let’s get the simple one out of the way early. When there’s snow outside, go play in it! I know that’s typically something to be said to kids but it’s true for adults as well. There is a sense of comfort and nostalgia that will bring you back to a time where you didn’t have the responsibilities that you have now. It’s also great to let loose and just have fun – a great way to get rid of some stress. Some easy examples:
- Building Snowmen
- Making Snow Angels
- Making Snow Forts
- Snowball Fights
- Etc…
Now if you’re having a little trouble reverting to a more child-like state that might be required for this kind of activity, start your day off with a nice mug of hot chocolate – with a good slug of Bailey’s Irish Creme. Also a great way to end off the day.
Backyard Winter Fire
Ah the smell of a nice wood fire. If you walk around your neighborhood during the cold months you can smell the wood-burning fireplace scenting the crisp air. But what if you don’t have that option? What if all you have is a snowy backyard and a lust for roasted marshmallows? What you have is an opportunity for outdoor winter entertainment.
Now before you start with the fire, make sure your local bylaws allow you to have an open fire in your backyard. Some municipalities will allow it with certain caveats (such as more than 10 feet from a fence) but some (like mine, unfortunately) don’t allow for an open fire in your backyard at all.
If your bylaws do allow you to have an outdoor fire, the same rules and setup as a summertime fire would need to be taken into consideration. A good fire pot or fire pit would be required, if you do have your fire in a grassed area be prepared for dead grass come spring. Make sure you have something to put out the fire with – and don’t leave it burning unattended.
When your fire is burning you have multiple options for seating. Camp or patio chairs can be pulled out. If you have extra logs those can always be upended and used, or lay down some tarps and sleeping bags or blankets – just not too close to the fire. If you have snow pants – just sit on the snow!
If you can’t have an open fire in your yard, an alternative option is to get a gas burning fire table. With this kind of table you can still have your fire and roast those marshmallows while still complying with local rules.
Ice Wine Tasting
Ice wind an winter months go together like peanut butter and bananas. If you’ve ever had a chance to visit the wineries of the Niagara region (or out in British Columbia), one of the specialties that they make is ice wine – a wine that is harvested at night after the grapes have frozen. The wine is a little syrupy and very sweet, and is best consumed cold.
There are several opportunities – festivals, winery tours, etc… – to taste ice wine in the growing regions in the cold – Some wineries keep an ice room for visitors to enjoy the ice wine in – but you can host your own frozen ice wine tasting at home in the winter.
All you’ll need for a great ice wine tasting party is cold, clear weather and a few bottles of ice wine. Set the glasses outside on a cold day for at least 30 minutes and make sure the wine is fully chilled in the fridge. When you’re ready take yourself (and/or your guests) outside to the glasses and go through the wines one by one. Remember to take at least two sips per wine!
Build an Outdoor Rink – Then Go Skating
Now this one takes a little more preparation. Okay, it needs a lot more preparation. And time. And patience. But if you do take the time you will be rewarded with a repeatable activity to share with friends and family.
Building a backyard rink isn’t really difficult – what you really need is a fairly big level space (although you can adapt it to almost any size back yard), some boards (2X12’s work well) and a big tarp or sheet of plastic. You clear a space, make a frame like a sandbox, drop the tarp down on the ground and fill with water in layers. This link is a great tutorial on how to build a really (really!) little rink, but you can use the same technique to make a bigger rink.
When the time comes strap on some skates and enjoy your own private ice paradise!
Make Maple Taffy
Everyone loves a sweet treat any time of year, including right after a nice snow! It can be a lot of fun to make your own candy outside in the winter, and maple taffy is about as easy as it gets. There are only two ingredients – maple syrup and clean snow! You’re also going to need a container for snow, a pot for cooking syrup, a wooden spoon (for stirring) and a metal spoon (for dispensing) and some wooden sticks (think Popsicle) or forks/spoons for winding. This is much easier with a candy thermometer as well.
Start by getting together some clean (VERY clean) snow in a decent sized container. Metal or plastic doesn’t really matter as long as you’re not going to be close to the edges, but a Pyrex or metal lasagna pan or a half sheet pan work great here (or even a foil baking dish from the dollar store). Grab a pot and light your fire or barbecue side burner (or fine, stovetop burner if you must do this part inside) and get it up to high. Pour a good amount of maple syrup into the pan and get it on the heat and boiling (you can leave the wooden spoon in it to prevent boiling over.) When the candy thermometer reads 115c/239f, ladle the syrup onto the fresh snow and then twirl it around your sticks or utensils. Check out the visual here.
If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you’ve got to drop a bit of syrup in some water and have it clump up – beyond my abilities. Check out how to do that here (you’re trying to get to soft ball stage).
Blow Bubbles and Watch them Freeze
Did you know that soap bubbles freeze into orbs when it gets cold enough? A standard bubble solution will freeze at any temperature below freezing but the sweet spot looks to be below -15c/5f where bubbles will freeze quickly.
While you probably won’t be able to find a standard solution in the store like it was summer, but it’s easy enough to make your own bubbles. Start with 3-4 parts of water and one part of liquid dish soap. Add in some light corn syrup (about half as much as the soap) to add extra strength so the bubbles last long enough to freeze.
Anything that makes a contoured shape can be used to blow bubbles, although the standard wand is easiest. Blow them upwards in an area protected from wind (or they will blow all over the place) or catch them on the end of your bubble wand and watch them freeze – the colder it is the faster they freeze.
While this seems a bit like a kid’s experiment, it can be turned into a fantastic romantic experience or a great opportunity to practice some photography.
Snow/Hot Tub/Snow/Hot Tub
Hot tubs are awesome, but the winter months give you another benefit that you may not know about – Contrast Therapy. Contrast therapy is when you alternate hot and cold treatments in order to achieve a therapeutic response for your body. Contrast therapy can reduce pain, increase circulation, and have a number of benefits for your body. It can also make you feel great.
Once you’ve gone back and forth a few times (and maybe included a snowball fight in there) chill out in the hot tub for a while and enjoy the cold crisp air above and the heat generated in the tub.
Snow Mini Golf
If you have a good amount of snow, you’ve got a chance to play snow mini golf. Grab your friends and get out in the snow and create a three, six, nine hole course (or whatever your backyard can handle.)
Lay out your course and stamp down (and smooth) the snow for each of the holes. Introduce barriers and objects that you have to move around and dig out some holes. If you don’t have enough snow for holes consider using something like a solo cut on it’s side as the target. You might also spray lightly with water and let it harden to help improve the golf ball roll. When you’re done, grab your putter and some balls and get to playing.
This kind of play allows for unlimited creativity and constant change. A new layer of snow means a new change to the course.
Winter Cosplay
Winter is coming! Or it might be here, but you get my drift (snow pun!) Cosplay has been growing in popularity and if it’s your thing the backyard in winter can provide some interesting opportunities for a little fun.
Game of Thrones, Avatar Water Tribe, Frozen, LOTR, Empire Strikes Back, characters with kimonos and multiple layers, the options are limitless. This is especially true if you plan to attend a con in the winter months. Making sure your costume will handle the cold is a helpful test run before moving away from the safety and security of their own home.
Watch a Movie in the Backyard (In the Cold!)
Want to watch a movie outside in the cold? A few things that you’ll need to think about when you do so, but check out this link.
As long as you can keep your equipment safe and your guests warm, an outdoor movie in the cold can be an amazing and rare experience that most people won’t have ever had.
Try Winter Camping
If you have ever had an interest in winter camping, your backyard can be a great way to test out the experience before setting out on a larger scale expedition. The benefits of having your home just steps away in case it really gets cold, and your barbecue available to take the place of a camp or backpacking stove.
Winter camping take a lot of preparation and has to be done in a way that’s safe, so rather than go into the details I’m going to suggest checking out this link here to review a comprehensive winter camping article. You definitely don’t need all of it to do some backyard winter camping, but it’s a great primer to get started with.
Just Go Hang Out
Yep. That’s what I said. Just go hang out. You might find you enjoy just being outside in the cold with your adult friends. Grab a travel mug with some nice hot chocolate (with or without addition of some Bailey’s) and just go outside to your patio or porch. Look around at the snow. Enjoy the crisp cold air. Reminisce about the fun you had outside in childhood. See what develops.
I hope the next time you’ve got some adults around with nothing to do and a nice winter day you can spend some time enjoying your backyard.