Activities for Outdoor Entertaining

Over here at ToughGuyOutdoors, we obviously love taking the party outdoors. We love the BBQs, the balmy evening air, the scent of freshly mowed grass, and especially the games and activities outdoor parties lend themselves to. Here are some of our favorite outdoor activities that will crank up the fun at your outdoor party no matter the occasion or theme.

Bocce Ball is a lawn bowling game. It can be played between two single players or two teams, so it’s super versatile. You need a bocce set, which will include eight large balls and one smaller ball, called the pallino. Carve out an area of your lawn, the beach, or even a part of the park with packed down dirt and get started. Throw the pallino down toward the far end of your play area, then take turns underarm throwing or rolling the bigger balls toward the pallino. After all players have thrown their balls, the person or team with the ball closest to the pallino gets a point. Continue until one player or team has hit a predetermined score. Traditionally, this number is 13.

Pétanque is similar to bocce in many ways. You need to get a set, which will include big metal balls and a small wooden ball called a cochonnet. Divide teams in the same way you would in bocce and throw the cochonnet out like you would the pallino. The goal in pétanque is the same as bocce, getting the big balls as close to the small ball as possible. However, in pétanque, you must throw overhand, keeping both feet within a small, 50 cm diameter starter circle. 

Lawn bowls is another variation on boules. The twists here are that the small ball is called a jack and the larger bowls that you roll or throw are actually uneven. The goals, scoring, and just about everything else are the same.

Horseshoes is another competitive and fun outdoor activity, but it takes a bit more set up than the lawn bowling games above. Here’s what you have to do. Measure off an area about forty feet long. Drive one stake into the ground at each end. Then, with 2x4s, create a large, rectangular box surrounding the two stakes and fill it with a few inches of sand. Buy horseshoes, divide into teams or go one-on-one, and start throwing. Scoring here is a bit tricky. First thing to know is that a horseshoe has to land within 6 inches of the stake to count. There are two ways to earn points. Either ringing, encircling the stake with a horseshoe, or landing your horseshoe closest to the stake. Ringing a horseshoe is worth 3 points and having the closest horseshoe is worth 1 point. Play until you hit a predetermined score.

Sprinklers make for a blast of an evening for little ones. To play our favorite sprinkler game, hang a few sprinklers from trees in your yard. Play tag around the trees running through the sprinklers. Anyone who’s out of the range of the sprinklers is out of bounds and has to sit out a turn.

Here’s to a fun season and lots of time entertaining outdoors with friends and family!

ToughGuyOutdoors is a site is dedicated to those who enjoy the outdoors. From picnics to recreational sports, if it’s done outdoors, you’ll find info on it at ToughGuyOutdoors!