During my 4 years of attending college, there has been a continuous shared objective in my friend group to find something fun and exciting to do on the weekends. While smaller groups have little to no limitations on where they can go to have a good time, it was difficult for my friends and I to find a place to hangout all together. Our group would typically fluctuate between 10 to 15 people, and so naturally, finding something to do that everyone enjoyed was difficult. Nevertheless, we found some places to go/things to do that created so many core memories for us. Here is a cumulative list of the best activities and locations for a big group of friends:
- Volleyball: It doesn’t matter if you’ve never played volleyball before. A majority of my friends didn’t play volleyball until they got to college. However, our friend group found it to be so much fun. It can be as competitive or as chill as you want it to be. In the summertime, our friend group would head to the sand volleyball courts next to the MU parking structure, and sometimes play until midnight. Additionally, we would rent out a court at a fitness center in Sacramento to play indoors. Our consistent playing has led to many of us developing our volleyball skills, which made the games so much more competitive and fun. It’s best to have at least 10 to 12 people to play 5 on 5, or the traditional 6 on 6.
- Bowling: Another activity our friend group really enjoyed was bowling. We love going to Fireside Lanes in Citrus Heights for their unlimited bowling for $10 on Sunday nights. We would play game after game, showing off our curve balls, or walk away sheepishly after tossing the ball straight into the gutter. It’s fun to make teams and compete with one another. We used to go so often, some of us began to break personal records. Fireside Lanes is far from Davis, but the MU also has bowling alleys where you and your friends can go too.
- Game Night: Some of the best memories I have from college are of the sleepless nights when our friend group would play round after round of games. We would play card games like exploding kittens or cards against humanity, or split up into teams and play group games like charades. We even learned how to play the traditional Chinese game Mahjong, and the Korean card game go-stop. Some games were intense and competitive, while others were more chill. It was always a good time playing games with a big group of friends because there were endless options for what kind of games we could play.
- Barbeque/Pool Party: A more recent thing my friends and I have been into is holding barbeques and pool parties. Now that the weather is getting warmer, hosting a pool party has been a great way to cool off and also have fun with friends. Our friend group really took advantage of the fact that our apartment complexes have a communal pool. As for having a Barbeque, all you have to do is decide what food you want to grill, and put together a list of things for everyone to bring. At our last Barbeque, my friends and I bought a rack of ribs, hot link sausages, mushrooms and onions to grill. Not only was it delicious, it was fun to prepare and cook together.
I hope you find this list helpful in planning your next hangout or small get-together with friends. Now that summer is approaching quickly, it’s important to make sure to make the most out of the time you do have with friends before the quarter ends!