Events

Every December, tens of thousands of volunteers fan out across the country to count every bird they can find in a single day. The Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running citizen science project in America, and it welcomes families with kids of any age. Plan a full weekend around it and your family comes home with a life list, a story, and a new way of seeing the outdoors.

Every spring, cities across the country compete to find and photograph the most wildlife in four days, and any family with a phone can join in. The City Nature Challenge turns a walk around the block into a genuine scientific expedition. This guide covers when it happens, how to participate through iNaturalist, and how to build a full weekend around the hunt.

Every January 1, state park systems across the country throw open their gates for First Day Hikes, free guided walks designed to start the new year on the trail. It has become one of the most reliable family outdoor traditions in America, welcoming first-timers and seasoned hikers alike.

Every February, the Great Backyard Bird Count turns kitchen windows and backyard feeders into real scientific field stations. Families spend as little as fifteen minutes counting the birds they see, then submit their tallies to a global database that researchers actually use. It is one of the easiest ways to do genuine science together without leaving the neighborhood.

Every April, International Dark Sky Week gives families a standing invitation to step outside after sunset, switch off the porch lights, and look up together. It is one of the simplest annual traditions a family can build, requiring nothing more than a clear night and a willingness to let your eyes adjust.

National Fishing and Boating Week arrives every June and brings with it free fishing days in nearly every state, making it one of the best weekends of the year to hand a kid a rod for the first time. No license, no pressure, no experience required. Just find the water and go.

National Get Outdoors Day falls on the second Saturday of June every year and opens a door for families who have never quite made it to a trailhead, a paddle, or a campfire before. Free events happen at national forests, parks, and public lands across the country, guided by rangers and volunteers who make a first trip feel easy and genuinely fun.

Every July, National Moth Week invites families to flip on a porch light, lay out a white sheet, and discover how many remarkable moths live right outside the back door. It is one of the easiest citizen science traditions a family can build, requiring no special gear and no travel. The data you collect goes directly to researchers studying moth populations across North America.

National Park Week happens every April and opens the gates to every national park in the country without an entrance fee for several days. Ranger programs, junior ranger activities, and special events run across hundreds of sites, making it one of the best times of year to introduce kids to the parks. Plan ahead, pick your park, and go.

Every September, National Public Lands Day opens the gates of hundreds of federal sites for free and invites families to pitch in on trail work, plantings, and cleanups across the country. It is the largest single-day volunteer effort in the United States, and it doubles as one of the best excuses of the year to get outside together. Plan a full weekend around it and your kids will come home with dirty boots and a genuine sense of ownership over the land.

National Trails Day falls on the first Saturday of June every year, drawing families across the country into parks, forests, and greenways for organized hikes and hands-on trail work. It is the largest single-day trails event in America, hosted by the American Hiking Society and local trail partners. A morning of digging, clearing, or walking with a crew is one of the best ways to show kids that public lands belong to the people who care for them.

The day after Thanksgiving, millions of American families skip the shopping crowds and head outside instead. Opt Outside Day is a growing annual tradition that turns Black Friday into a celebration of trails, parks, and fresh air — and it is easier to plan than you might think.

The summer solstice falls around June 21 and delivers the longest evening of the year — plenty of time for a family hike that ends in a sunset worth remembering. This guide walks you through what the solstice actually is, how to build an evening hike tradition around it, and how to plan a full weekend your kids will ask to repeat every year.

The Geminid meteor shower peaks each December and reliably delivers more shooting stars per hour than any other annual shower. Bundle the family up, find dark sky, and plan a full weekend around one of the best free shows in nature.

Every August, the Perseid meteor shower lights up warm summer nights with dozens of shooting stars per hour, making it the best meteor show of the year for families with young children. Plan a backyard vigil, a camping trip, or a drive to dark skies and turn it into an annual tradition your kids will ask for every summer.