View Full Version : A mini bucket list of things to do
Yesterday we were driving up in our favorite towns on the lake and we always notice things to do "some day." I said to my husband that we needed to start a list so that we can remember to try these things one day when we are wondering what to do for fun. I thought it might be fun to start a list of things that we want to do someday where we live--so that we can all get ideas. (Not sure if this is the right place, but the daily challenge thing made it seem appropriate.)
This is a mini-bucket list; no finishing novels, no learning a new language, no going back to school and becoming a whatever. This is something you can do in a couple of hours. Small things that have been nagging at you--"try me!"
So far on our list--
have a meal at the oldest restaurant in Michigan, which we pass most days
go to the Ottawa and Chippawa museum that we pass by on our way and always mean to stop in
take some pictures at the top of the Sleeping Bear Dunes-- must do this before winter
make a lavender wreath for my door--this has been on my bucket list for years, and I actually did it this morning, with lavender from the farmer's market. Have decided in future to leave wreathmaking to others, I much prefer growing the lavender myself, much more rewarding, but it was on my list, and now I can check it off. Wreath is hanging in a non-prominent spot, not great, but okay.
What is on your day to day mini-bucket list?
iris lilies
10-16-16, 11:50am
Yes! this is exactly what I've thought of.
Last year during winter months I tried out a rule that we must go to a new place 1X weekly, or at least visit a place we havent seen for some months. It can even be in the city. It kinda worked, we got out to see new thngs about 2-3 times a month. i also threw in to "count" toward the 1X weekly event that I must attend a theatrical production at least once a month. Movies don't count. And since I cant stand musicals, it is almost always dance or drama, and I will go to occasional operas. I am learning the location of all of the small theatres in St. louis includng the ones that allow wine. Yay! We have a wealth of small, professional theater companies.
so, the places to visit on my immediate list are:
Chess Hall of Fame--current chess art exhibit and curator talk
Missouri History Museum -- Route 66 exhibit, take DH (I saw it once already)
Documents museum--a new one in town set up by a wealthy guy
Jefferson Barracks museum of largely civil war army items from St. louis--take DH. I went last year and need to spend more time there
Grant's Farm-- before the Busch family closes it down. i have never been; DH has been there many times
Eugene Field House Museum--it has been 20 years since I visited that victorian house, the home of Eugene Field, Victorian writer
African -American History museum
Scott Joplin House and museum
and, I need to make several trips to the St. lous Art Museum to become familiar with their permenant collection. i go there once a year for Art in Bloom and it so CRAZY then with hundreds of people in big crowds, ned to go at quieter times.
That is a short list, there will be others. I am scoping out the theatrical productions to attend now thru next spring and am really concentrating on the small venues, skipping over the
fabulous Fox and its highly commercial productions. I adore that old gaudy theater but dont much love the productions.
iris lilies
10-16-16, 11:52am
Last year I spent much time at the AKC Museum of the dog. i am hapoy at how thoroughly I now know that building and the collection. I was there for both dog events and flower show events. i would like to be that well versed about other smallish museums around here.
Great idea. I will start now!
greenclaire
10-16-16, 11:59am
This is an excellent idea, I walk past tons of tourists every day to get to work and I've realised that I haven't been to any of the famous things they come to see. I'll make a list :)
iris lilies
10-16-16, 12:02pm
I'll bet that your lavender wreath isnt that bad! Its going to be a little uneven, thats adds to its charm.Did it have a base, such as greens or grapevine?
Funny that one of the thngs on my design "to do" list is to make a huge, oval grapevine wreath to sit over our fireplace mantal. It neds to be about 40" high.
I was going to ask about the Museum of the Dog. I have a brochure and I so wanted to go to that. Next visit to St. Louis, for sure. We did the wonderful city museum--door knobs were my favorite! Such a strange and eclectic collection. My friend was a great friend of Buzz and attended his funeral.
For the wreath base I used a wire circle thing I got at a garage sale. I did not use greens. I probably should have???? I used the wreath, floral wire, and ribbon. I will try to post a photo.
I misread your grapevine wreath post, IL, as 40 feet. Jeesh.
greenclaire
10-16-16, 1:25pm
Local places to visit (all 30-minutes or under away)
- Visit local wetlands bird reserve (Burton Mere)
- have a coffee in the independent coffee shop in town (Elephant Coffee)
- walk round the walls of Chester
- the cathedral falconry centre
- go to an open air concert in the Roman amphitheatre
- take a boat trip on the River Dee
- visit the Military museum
- visit the new ancient Egypt display at Liverpool museum
- visit Ness Botanical Gardens
- take the open air bus trip around Chester
- visit Lady Lever art gallery
- visit Port Sunlight village
- visit Williamson art gallery
- walk/cycle the Wirral way
- visit Speke Tudor Hall
- go to the top of the radio city tower
- visit Parkgate at High tide to see the bird displays.
Super idea! I had started last week actually: Taking my bike and going to as many trails that are a one day trip away from home. Last week I went to Jackson MI Falling Waters, wonderful. Swanton OH Oak Openings, great and going back for a longer ride. This week I have two more on the list!
PS where is the oldest Restaurant?? Sounds fun.
Sleders in Traverse City, ctg!
iris lilies
10-16-16, 1:43pm
I was going to ask about the Museum of the Dog. I have a brochure and I so wanted to go to that. Next visit to St. Louis, for sure. We did the wonderful city museum--door knobs were my favorite! Such a strange and eclectic collection. My friend was a great friend of Buzz and attended his funeral.
For the wreath base I used a wire circle thing I got at a garage sale. I did not use greens. I probably should have???? I used the wreath, floral wire, and ribbon. I will try to post a photo.
well, the Museum of the Dog may be a disappointment. It is an art museum, exclusively. It is not a museum that shows history and geography and artifacts related to canines, although certainly some of that is covered in its art. I was a bit disappointed the first time I went, not sure what I expected. But now that I understand its limited focus, I love it.
City Museum is fabulous. i should put that on my to do list, adult drinks at City Museum one of these ucoming Friday nights. Bob Cassily lived in my neighbrhod for decades as a youjg sngle guy and then with wives 1 and 2. His scuptural work is all over our neghborhood. He was a mad genius who loved architecture. I wonder who your friend is, hmmm. His death has recently been investigated as a murder ( the current wife instigated this investigatin) but city officials cant find evidnce of that.
greenclaire
10-16-16, 1:52pm
Related to this is something I've wanted to start for a while now: a bucket-list of cooking. I love trying new recipes and I've thought about starting a challenge to try and cook a typical dish from each country around the world. Some would be easier than others and I could check off some each week without much thought and some I could focus on during the weekend and holiday time. I might make another list ;)
iris lilies
10-16-16, 1:59pm
Oh Claire, I started this when I retired and it has been one big fat FAIL! I sincerely wanted to improve my nearly non existent Indian cooking skills but after many years and several cookng classes, not much is happeneing there. I did host a Indian food potluck for our world food group that had some spectacular dishes, mine was not amoung them! Haha. Sad but true.
Ive done better in the other challenges, the visiting museums and etc challanges.
greenclaire
10-16-16, 2:06pm
Oh Claire, I started this when I retired and it has been one big fat FAIL! I sincerely wanted to improve my nearly non existent Indian cooking skills but after many years and several cookng classes, not much is happeneing there. I did host a Indian food potluck for our world food group that had some spectacular dishes, mine was not amoung them! Haha. Sad but true.
Ive done better in the other challenges, the visiting museums and etc challanges.
I think I've realised I actually enjoy planning challenges more than I do carrying them out. When the olympics were in London 2012 I planned a whole challenge about how I would try every olympic sport before Brazil 2016. I went to great lengths finding local sports clubs, e-mailing them about the challenge, even getting some responses. How many sports did I actually try before Brazil? Zero, unless walking from the bus to work counts!
rosarugosa
10-16-16, 2:18pm
I have a list like that:
Mt Auburn Cemetery
Institute of Contemporary Art
Tower Hill Botanical Garden
Middlesex Fells Reservation
Lyman Estates Greenhouses
Addison Art Gallery
Ward Reservation
Teacher Terry
10-16-16, 3:27pm
When I lived in other states I had a list of things I wanted to do locally and many I never did. I have lived here for 20 years and have done all the local touristy stuff, go to all the festivals, etc. We are only about 4 hours from SF so we go off and on. I realized the last time that we were there that we had seen everything we want to and won't be going there again. My DH agreed.
Sleders in Traverse City, I just looked it up. How cool, yes that would be wonderful to visit if I ever get that far north in Wonderful Michigan again! Maybe on one of my trail rides I can do that.
For the very reason you mention, many years ago we started doing "brown sign" trips for our anniversary. You know, those natural wonder signs put out by the parks services. It's been a great thing to do. We've seen quite a lot of Idaho that way. There are many many little towns that are "famous" to locals. Certainly not places I would send a tourist, but for locals, it's fun to go to them. We celebrated our 25th in the panhandle of Idaho which is beautiful country.
I can't think of anything left that I want to see/do. I guess that's a good thing:)
Teacher Terry
10-16-16, 7:46pm
Idaho is beautiful! WE went there last year. Mainly what i want to do is take more cruises and see more of Europe.
Of course we also have this kind of bucket list. But one thing that really got on my nerves when times were tougher was this living in the future thing. "Next month, when we have a little more money, we can...", "When I have some more time...", worst "Some day, I want to..."
So I try to avoid putting things on my bucket list, but just do them. Of course I cannot go to the Route 66 trip I always wanted to do at right now. But we try to do the little fun things as fast as possible and enjoy something nice every day.
Someday, the 8th day of the week:(
Yes! this is exactly what I've thought of.
Last year during winter months I tried out a rule that we must go to a new place 1X weekly, or at least visit a place we havent seen for some months. It can even be in the city. It kinda worked, we got out to see new thngs about 2-3 times a month. i also threw in to "count" toward the 1X weekly event that I must attend a theatrical production at least once a month. Movies don't count. And since I cant stand musicals, it is almost always dance or drama, and I will go to occasional operas. I am learning the location of all of the small theatres in St. louis includng the ones that allow wine. Yay! We have a wealth of small, professional theater companies.
so, the places to visit on my immediate list are:
Chess Hall of Fame--current chess art exhibit and curator talk
Missouri History Museum -- Route 66 exhibit, take DH (I saw it once already)
Documents museum--a new one in town set up by a wealthy guy
Jefferson Barracks museum of largely civil war army items from St. louis--take DH. I went last year and need to spend more time there
Grant's Farm-- before the Busch family closes it down. i have never been; DH has been there many times
Eugene Field House Museum--it has been 20 years since I visited that victorian house, the home of Eugene Field, Victorian writer
African -American History museum
Scott Joplin House and museum
and, I need to make several trips to the St. lous Art Museum to become familiar with their permenant collection. i go there once a year for Art in Bloom and it so CRAZY then with hundreds of people in big crowds, ned to go at quieter times.
That is a short list, there will be others. I am scoping out the theatrical productions to attend now thru next spring and am really concentrating on the small venues, skipping over the
fabulous Fox and its highly commercial productions. I adore that old gaudy theater but dont much love the productions.
So have you been to the Vacuum museum? That's on my list to do next time we're up by St Louis. Also Grant's Farm, I went many times when little...but I've never taken the kids. Another MO things I need to do is the 4 remaining covered bridges. My parents are near the one outside of Madison, MO and I've been to that one a lot, but not the other 3. Though I've been, I've never taken husband or kids to Elephant Rocks or Johnson Shut-Ins. So many things to do without leaving the state.
frugal-one
10-17-16, 2:15pm
Inspired me to set up a day this week to visit a few museums in the area that I have wanted to visit for more than 30 years and never have. Thursday is the day and going to out to a new/different restaurant too. Woohoo!
iris lilies
10-17-16, 2:43pm
haha, that Vacuum museum, nope, havent been there. It is a little way out of my immediate way. I have too many small museums to visit here in town. I didn't even name all of them, just the top 10% on my list.
greenclaire
11-2-16, 9:16am
Local places to visit (all 30-minutes or under away)
- Visit local wetlands bird reserve (Burton Mere)
- have a coffee in the independent coffee shop in town (Elephant Coffee)
- walk round the walls of Chester
- the cathedral falconry centre
- go to an open air concert in the Roman amphitheatre
- take a boat trip on the River Dee
- visit the Military museum
- visit the new ancient Egypt display at Liverpool museum
- visit Ness Botanical Gardens
- take the open air bus trip around Chester
- visit Lady Lever art gallery
- visit Port Sunlight village
- visit Williamson art gallery
- walk/cycle the Wirral way
- visit Speke Tudor Hall
- go to the top of the radio city tower
- visit Parkgate at High tide to see the bird displays.
I have nearly actually done two of my list now. I have been for coffee in the little coffee shop - will be going back there again, it was lovely and far nicer than the Starbucks type places. This afternoon I'm going to the Lady Lever gallery.
Has anyone else checked off any yet?
I have nearly actually done two of my list now. I have been for coffee in the little coffee shop - will be going back there again, it was lovely and far nicer than the Starbucks type places. This afternoon I'm going to the Lady Lever gallery.
Has anyone else checked off any yet?
Not yet, although I thought about the list last night when we were across the street from the oldest rest. in Michigan, getting ice cream because the ice cream place closes Nov. 6 for the season. I almost took a picture of the restaurant to post here and will try to do so this week.
I did get back to the town I grew up in for the wedding of my goddaughter, and got to see places I had not seen in 48 years, which was very eerie and bucket-listish. My old country club had disappeared and looked like a post apocalytic landscape--very disturbing. My old church, however, was going strong, a haven of spirituality in an urban center doing lots and lots of good works. So that was pretty awesome.
I have been doing this also. I have always wanted to ride the Mac Woods Dune Buggy rides at Silver Lake (MI), so we did that this summer. Kind of hokey in spots but so much fun. There were a couple of really small kids behind us who were having such a good time it made the ride even more fun.
And I have always wanted to take a horse & carriage ride around Mackinac Island so we hired one of the private carriages (with a driver) and really enjoyed the ride.
Oh, and I caught my first teeny brook trout on a fly rod!
My DH had found a few geocaches in new areas too.
Now I am on the hunt for some Christmas outings that DH & I can both agree on.
Finally went to the oldest restaurant in Michigan. It did not disappoint! Best hamburger I have ever had in my life. Will upload photos later if I can figure out why phone not sending photos.
I've lived in the area almost 50 years so seen and done most things, but there are several new restaurants that opened I would like to try sometime. I only go out to eat though for special occasions.
My travel bucket list is further afield, but all in the U.S.
catherine
10-29-17, 11:21am
Best hamburger I have ever had in my life.
Wow! Glad it was worthy of your bucket list! What made it so good?
Wow! Glad it was worthy of your bucket list! What made it so good?
I honestly don't know--maybe the flavor? But I rarely, rarely eat meat, and so maybe I'd forgotten how good a hamburger can be. My husband is allergic to beef so I never cook them anymore, and usually I order a salad, but this looked like a hamburger type place!
early morning
10-29-17, 12:21pm
What fun! My bucket list of "visitations" is a mix of close and far-away places, places that are one-night stays, etc. So for this I've just pulled the "day trip" ones (but most will be more than just "a couple of hours" because we're not within an hours drive of much we've not already visited extensively):
Bicycle museum
Airstream factory tour
Kitchen-aid factory tour
Auburn-Cord museum
Springfield/Whittenberg art museum
National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center (I've been, but an exhibit I want to see opened in MAY, closes in three weeks and I've not made it yet, arggg!!)
Mucha exhibit at Dayton Art Institute (we're members but I manage to miss a lot of exhibits I want to see)
President Harding's home
President McKinley's museum
President Haye's home
President Garfield's home
First Ladies National Historic Site
The John and Annie Glen museum
Some of these are stretching a day trip, but do-able. If only there were more Saturdays in a week! :~)
Wow, I would do a meetup for the Airstream Factory Museum, but it would take me a day to get there--it would be so fun.
I have driven by the Glenn family homestead , I think--I recall it being sort of near Lehman's, which I have been to several times (lucky me!)
On our list is "every NASCAR race once". It takes $. We plan and save and go with no credit card loans. We're going to #2 on Nov 10.
While we are at the location, we do the tourist thing adding 2d to see the area. Our first was Atlanta. We've seen everything within 2h of the city that we wanted to see. We're not done with Georgia-that will take another week, an airline ticket and a rental car. But we'll do it!
We have 2 firsts on our immediate post-retirement list. Drive Route 66 in it's entirety and 3weeks fall in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine.
We've seen everything in our valley and much of our state between high school trips, our anniversary brown sign trips and our 25th anniversay trip to the far north of our state. (we started these brown sign trips nearly 20y ago and that was very worthwhile.)
I want to visit all our national parks. I've been to 7.....many left. But again, before we both retire, those will take airline tickets and rental cars.
It's just money and time right?:~)
iris lilies
10-29-17, 6:56pm
Wait--Airstream museum?
I must look upl this site. Could be fab!
early morning
10-29-17, 7:07pm
Tybee, that WOULD be fun! I've only ever met one other forum member IRL, and that was Fawn, ages ago. One of the reasons I've not gone to the factory is that I'd have to take off off work, as would DD, and that's hard to justify sometimes. They have a virtual tour online, but I prefer the real thing:~)
We love Lehman's. Or we did until it turned into an uber tourist attraction. Now we're more inclined to mail order.
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