May 24, 2021

Summer Bucket List for Seniors

About Brookdale Senior Living

Brookdale Senior Living offers multiple care levels for seniors in more than 600 communities nationwide. Brookdale helps you find the right care plan for yourself or your loved one. With amenities such as transportation services, salons and private dining rooms and activities such as gardening, fitness classes and trivia nights Brookdale caters to a wide range of interests and needs.

Summer is the season of 75 and better ... and we’re not just talking degrees Fahrenheit! As the days get longer, the mercury rises and the sun shines, it’s officially time for seniors to start taking advantage of all that life has to offer. Whatever that means to you — beach trips with friends, vacations with the grandkids, days by the pool with a fruity umbrella drink — you can make sure you cover all your bases by making your very own summer-fun bucket list.

What is a bucket list? Quite simply, it’s a list of dreams, goals and activities you want to accomplish in a certain time period. You can include anything you want on the list. The possibilities are literally endless! For extra fun, you can write your list items on a slip of paper and put them in an actual bucket. When you’re at a loss for what to do next, just reach in the bucket and grab a slip of paper at random. That’s your activity for the day. In case you need a few ideas to get your imagination going, here’s a list you can use to inspire your own personal bucket list.

Dance under the stars with your sweetie. Remember the first time you danced with your true love? Get a copy of that song in a format that will play in your car, then drive to a scenic overlook or sentimental location, crank the radio, and give your partner a whirl.
Catch fireflies in a jar. A firefly-powered lantern in an old Mason jar is as American as apple pie. Relive this magical childhood moment once those little blinking bugs make their appearance this summer. Just be sure to let them go afterward!
Enjoy live music in the fresh air. Does your community have a bandstand or open-air performance center? Check their performance schedule to see if any old favorites or intriguing new possibilities are going to be featured.
Become a power lifter. Or a power walker. Whatever your fitness goal is, partner with your doctor to create a plan then work to achieve it!
Go for a lazy drive to someplace new. Pick a destination on the map you’ve never visited, then plot the most scenic route to get there. And take your time! The journey can be as nice as the destination. Bonus points if you rent a convertible for the day.
Plan a picnic … with a twist. Throwing a gingham blanket on the grass under the ol’ shade tree is a classic summer experience, but if you want to shake things up a bit, ditch the potato salad and try a new cuisine you’ve been curious about. Korean barbecue? Sushi? A bit of Ethiopian cuisine? Don’t be afraid to shake things up!
Try stand-up comedy. You always were the class clown and the jokester of your group. The world needs to experience your comedic vision! Start practicing your freshest five-minute set and head to the next open mic night at the nearest comedy club.
Broaden your musical horizons. It’s easy to slide an old favorite record or CD into your music player, but have you wondered recently what your grandkids and their peers are jamming to? Ask them to take you on a musical journey through their world, and give them a chance to tell you what they like and why they like it. Even if the music is terrible, it could be a great bonding experience!
Plant a tree. An old Greek proverb says “A society grows great when people plant trees whose shade they will never sit in.” This could be your summer to contribute to the future greatness of your hometown!
Go skydiving. Why not?
Volunteer for a cause you believe in. This one’s easy to do, costs no money and makes you feel like a million bucks. Reach out to local organizations that support causes you are passionate about and see if they could use your talents to make a difference. Even seniors with limited movement can help by making phone calls or stuffing mailers.
Earn your Senior Scout badge. Do you have a special skill you’d like to pass on to the next generation? Contact a local chapter of the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts or similar organizations and ask if you could lead a lesson on knot-tying, whittling, baking, knitting, pitching a tent, knitting a tent … whatever your expertise is, offer to share it!
Have an adventure in our national parks. Franklin Roosevelt said, “There is nothing so American as our national parks,” and we couldn’t agree more! Whether you visit one park or all 423 sites in the national park system, odds are there are options near you.
Stop and smell the roses. Many locales have well-landscaped public areas and arboretums you can take advantage of year round, but summer is when things really start blooming. Take a flower tour in your local park and enjoy the best nature has to offer.
Be a tourist in your own city. Tourist traps and walking history tours aren’t just for out-of-towners (or people who love walking). Do some research using your town’s visitors and tourism portal on the web, then make a sub-bucket list of in-town delights you might’ve never even known about.
Walk across the United States. Okay, this one might be more of a summer PLUS fall bucket list item, but if you’re feeling spry and you have a hankering to get a first-hand look at all this country has to offer, a walking tour could be in your future. Don’t feel obligated to start with a coast-to-coast amble, though, if the big loop trail in your local park is more in line with your goals.
Arrange an al fresco dinner party with friends. After a long, dull winter, a dinner party in the open air with friends could be just the thing to start the season off right.
Take a class. If you prefer the sights and sounds of the lecture hall to the pool cabana, this could be the summer you finally sign up for continuing education classes. Whether you’ve always wanted to master the art of poetry or you just want to learn about the latest architectural trends, a summer course at a local college or learning annex could help you put the I in erudite.
Spend the afternoon at a farmer’s market. Fresh veggies, fruit and local treats abound at the farmer’s market. Many locations around the country have a regular meeting place where local producers can set up their stands and tempt your tastebuds with a variety of seasonal goodies.
Tell stories around a campfire. Whether you gather together with friends to reminisce about the good ol’ days or you’re doing your best to creep out your grandkids with your totally-not-made-up stories about the infamous Hook Hand who haunts Lover’s Lane, sharing tall tales around a campfire is a summer classic. Don’t forget the s’mores!

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