Meet some animals or pick your own berries. Picking is seasonal — strawberries wind down by mid-June, then blueberries & blackberries take over into July — so check the farm's Facebook before you drive out.
Spring Haven Farm· Chapel Hill · baby-goat snuggles, goat yoga, highland cows & alpacas, plus a gem mine
Yum Yum Better Ice Cream· a Greensboro institution since 1906 — homemade ice cream + famous hot dogs, by the UNCG campus
Make the train the trip 🚆· skip the drive — ride NC By Train to downtown Greensboro, then walk to the Children's Museum. Kids 2–12 ride half-price; check the site for the cheap summer kids fare.
Heading west? Triad Moms on Main
For the Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point direction, this site keeps a live family-events calendar (sortable by kid stage): triadmomsonmain.com.
FreePaid
🦒 Asheboro · ~1 hr 30 min
NC Zoo· world's largest natural-habitat zoo; a big day of walking — bring a stroller + water$$
The Table· downtown Asheboro · bakery + eatery with house-made desserts and Homeland Creamery ice cream, minutes from the zoo
Ride the zoo tram· the park is ~2 miles end to end — hop the tram between the North America & Africa entrances, and rent a stroller to save little legs
🦩 Scotland Neck · ~1 hr 45 min
A scenic countryside drive east — an easy half-day.
McDowell's Pharmacy soda fountain· downtown Scotland Neck · old-school soda fountain & ice cream, vintage vibes and a bird mural out front
La Casetta· Main St · the local Italian spot — friendly, New York–style pizza if you'd rather sit down for lunch$$
🏖️ Carolina Beach · ~2 hr 15 min
A classic NC beach day — sand, a boardwalk, and the best donut in the state.
Carolina Beach Boardwalk & beach· Ferris wheel, amusement rides and beach access steps away; rides run Memorial Day–Labor Day, weeknights are calmerFree to stroll
Britt's Donuts· boardwalk legend since 1939 — hot glazed donuts, cash only, summers only; get in line early before it grows
Where to park· paid lots & meters by the boardwalk — arrive early for free street parking (and to beat the Britt's line)
🎢 Charlotte · ~2 hr 30 min
A bigger haul — best saved for a full day or an overnight.
Slick City Action Park· South Charlotte · indoor slide park — giant drop slides, climbing, air courts$$
Carowinds· Charlotte · roller coasters + the Carolina Harbor water park; a big-kid thrill day$$
Discovery Place Science· Uptown · hands-on science museum — aquarium, big experiments, an IMAX dome; a great rainy-day anchor$$
Take Back the Summer · Raleigh
Our Summer Bucket List 🌞
A short list of good days.
📝 Bucket list
Tap to check off the ones you want, ✕ to remove, or add your own. When it's how you like it, hit Print / Save as PDF to keep it — it's your list to print for the fridge or save to your phone.
0 of 0 done — let's make some good days
☀️ Outside
Run through a splash pad
Ride the train & carousel at Pullen Park
Play at Gipson Playground at Dorothea Dix Park
Swim at a lake or pool
Catch a free outdoor concert at sunset
Watch an outdoor movie under the stars
Pick your own strawberries or blueberries
Snuggle the baby goats at an animal farm
❄️ Cool off / indoors
See the dinosaurs at the Natural Sciences museum
Catch a $1 summer movie at the theater
Jump it out at an indoor play place
Meet a friend at a kid-friendly coffee shop
🌧️ At home
Build a blanket fort and read in it
Make homemade popsicles
Have a living-room dance party
Build something epic out of a cardboard box
🚗 Big adventures
Spend a day at the Museum of Life & Science
Meet the lemurs or the tigers
Take the train to Greensboro for the day
Walk the whole NC Zoo
Spend a beach day at Carolina Beach (+ Britt's Donuts)
See the flamingos at Sylvan Heights Bird Park
Take on Charlotte — Discovery Place & Carowinds
✏️ Our own family picks
Our Week 🗓️
Take Back the Summer — Raleigh family edition
🗓️ My week
Can't face planning? Tap the button and I'll fill your week — one good thing a day. Tap any day to write your own (emojis welcome 🍦), swap it, or skip it. You don't have to do all seven. 💛
Your week's a blank slate. Tap ✨ Plan my week and I'll do the deciding. 🌞
Take Back the Summer · Raleigh
Our Crew Faves 💛
The spots we all love.
💛 My crew
Add your kids, give each a color, then tap their heart on the Outside & Indoors spots they love. I'll build each kid's list — and show you what everyone agrees on.
👶 Your crew
Once you add a kid, little colored hearts appear on every Outside & Indoors spot — tap the ones each kid loves.
Tap one kid, a few, or all — you'll see what they all love.
Be first to know what's next — for the invisible list running in the back of your mind.
Coming soon
Take Back Mealtime 🍽️
Take the overwhelm out of "what's for dinner," for good.
✨ The part I'm obsessed with
Add anything to your list, pick your store, and it builds a shopping plan organized by aisle — so you shop in one smooth loop instead of zigzagging back and forth. It even groups everything by store for online ordering.
💙 Built with the Type 1 diabetes community in mind — carb counts that travel with every meal.
💛
You're on the list!
I'll only reach out when there's something good — like when Take Back Mealtime is ready.
