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My friends and I usually get bored after we walk around Wal-Mart or Target and then go to Starbucks. We usually run out of ideas after that. We usually don't have money to go bowling and we save our money to go to the movies more often. Our parents go to bed early, so we can't watch movies late. We occasionally head to the beach, but that's only in the day time.
The only places to go late in a suburban town I can think of are:
-Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Kmart, or Lowe's shopping center (closes at 10)
-Denny's
-Starbucks
-bowling alley (if we can afford it)
-the movies
-laser tag (if we can afford it)
-watching movies at some one's house (when parents are away)
-the mall (none nearby)
If we lived in a big city I can't think of much more to do. Maybe there would be more malls and a theme park in their suburbs and night clubs in a downtown, art galleries, and cafes in a downtown.
Yeah, it's a pain in the a$$. I live in pretty much the same area you described, except that I'm 30 minutes away from Milwaukee and a couple hours from Chicago, so when it gets too stifling I just visit one of the cities. But before I got my license a few years ago, it drove (lol) me crazy.
How old are you? That might change some of my suggestions. But here goes:
Go for a drive.
Go for a walk in the woods or at a nature center.
Volunteer at a local charity/humane society/soup kitchen.
Take up hobbies like painting, photography, playing instruments, etc. A lot of those can turn into group activities.
Ride bikes, skateboard, roller blade, etc.
Get a job, this would at least give you something to do Might not help the boredom, though.
Do any of your friends' homes have a basement or garage where you could hang out if you're quiet?
I once read that a major component of boredom is hidden or repressed anger and a restricted range of possible responses. Interesting concept and I think there can be some validity to that. Be willing to go outside of normal routines in finding answers to your problem, and you may find the problem disappears.
Many people spend time playing cards or chess or board games. Once you get past the kiddie games, a lot of these games build up mental muscle and discipline. In some card games, you win by not only knowing what is in YOUR hand, but understanding what is likely in the hands of your opponents. That is a skill that can translate to real life, as can the math skills required in some games. Try a few games to see if any "click."
mchlle gave you some great possibilities. Expanding on one or two of those;
Photography is an amazing possibility for kids today. When I was growing up, it was expensive and unforgiving. Even with those restrictions, I still cherish a lot of the pictures I took as a kid, since it gives me a remembering of just what was happening at the time. People often don't think of documenting the everyday activities but the mundane can oddly go completely out of existence. We used to play croquet and badminton til all hours. Many kids don't even know what those games are.
Job restrictions are tough these days, but even a very part-time job can be valuable in learning the ropes of the workplace, and in putting on your first resumes and job application forms that get you into better jobs.
Building - doesn't have to be a treehouse. Woodworking, carving, fiber crafts, there are a lot of things that can be either solitary or group activities. Visit a few local artists and get inspired.
Unfortunately, OP, the 'burbs were designed literally from the ground up to extract money from consumers. Anything that's not solitary is almost guranteed to involve driving a car, and that's never free.
Certainly chess is cheap enough to get into and can consume a lot of excess mental horsepower.
Harry and mchelle have listed some good possibilities.
My friends and I usually get bored after we walk around Wal-Mart or Target and then go to Starbucks. We usually run out of ideas after that. We usually don't have money to go bowling and we save our money to go to the movies more often. Our parents go to bed early, so we can't watch movies late. We occasionally head to the beach, but that's only in the day time.
The only places to go late in a suburban town I can think of are:
-Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Kmart, or Lowe's shopping center (closes at 10)
-Denny's
-Starbucks
-bowling alley (if we can afford it)
-the movies
-laser tag (if we can afford it)
-watching movies at some one's house (when parents are away)
-the mall (none nearby)
If we lived in a big city I can't think of much more to do. Maybe there would be more malls and a theme park in their suburbs and night clubs in a downtown, art galleries, and cafes in a downtown.
Yes, it must be terrible to be a well fed, clothed & sheltered young person so bored with life they don't know how to entertain themselves.
Tell ya what kid. Take some of the youthful energy and go help the poor and underprivileged to see how good YOU have it then come back and whine about your boring life.
Pan out a bit and you will see TONS of caches in your area. Little bit of gas, lots of fun! Grab some things from around the house to replace cache items and GO!
Many people spend time playing cards or chess or board games. Once you get past the kiddie games, a lot of these games build up mental muscle and discipline. In some card games, you win by not only knowing what is in YOUR hand, but understanding what is likely in the hands of your opponents. That is a skill that can translate to real life, as can the math skills required in some games. Try a few games to see if any "click.".
This is an excellent suggestion. Also, spending some time learning how to dance.
I so wish I had learned how to play poker and bridge back when I was in my 20s and bored. I can't tell you how many times later in my life I was asked to a poker game or to play cards and had to say no because I never spent any time learning how to play it well. Just a few years ago I was kicking myself when I missed out on a great job networking opportunity that came up during a poker game. Iif you've got time on your hands that's a great skill to perfect.
How about taking up a hobby? Anything from flying a kite to building models will do as long as it's something you enjoy. This is the hobby thread, after all. You could even turn the hobby into a competition between you and your friends. For example, have a contest to see who can build the best flying kite using only household items they have on hand. Another idea would be to have a model building contest, and have each participant rank their favorites in order. Add up all the points given to each model, and assign awards accordingly.
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Might not help the boredom, though.
