Lifestyle

37 Greatest Girls Weekend Ideas for 2024

by: Kristy Bowen

Last Updated on Aug 7th 2024

Looking for inspiration for the perfect girls weekend ideas for you and your closest gal-pals? A girls weekend is the perfect way to connect with existing friends and family or to create new ones.

Planning perfect weekends for female bonding requires a little preparation: How do you make a girls weekend special? Where is the best place to take a girls trip? What should I take to a girls weekend? What is there to do during a girls trip?

The answers to each question vary depending on the budget and length of time involved. If you're in search of the ultimate girls trip or girls night ideas, you're in the right place. We’ve rounded up a few great ideas that are perfect for a number of interests, goals and total costs.

From foodie-focused weekend activities inspired by various cuisines to outdoor adventuring, creative jaunts or DIY projects, you can find the perfect way to celebrate your friendships this year.

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Creative Girls Weekend Ideas

1. Paint and Sip

Paint and sips are a perfect way to express some creativity, bond with friends and relax while enjoying your favorite beverages. This also makes a perfect bachelorette painting party idea!

Whether you are looking for paint and sip in Houston, paint and sip in Chicago, paint and sip in NYC or paint and sip near you, they are a fun, creative idea for a girls weekend.

paint and sip girls weekend idea — *via Canva*

2. Pottery Classes

Another great creative girls weekend idea is enrolling everyone in a pottery class. Not only do you get to learn a new skill and get access to equipment, but you get to create something that will remind you of both your friends and the great time you had making it.

Whether you are looking for pottery classes in Boston, pottery classes in Houston, pottery classes in Los Angeles or elsewhere, you can surely find some fun pottery classes near you.

3. Dance Classes

Dance classes are an energetic and active way to spend time with friends learning new steps and techniques on the dance floor.

Whether it’s ballet, hip hop or even pole dancing classes, you can book dance classes in Las Vegas, dance classes in NYC, dance classes in the Bay Area, as well as a wide variety of online dance classes.

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4. Museum Visit

A perfect way to add some culture to your girls weekend ideas is to take some time to visit museums and do cultural activities as a group. Much more fun than visiting alone, you will get to not only take in some great art or artifacts but also discuss and appreciate it as a group.

5. Journaling or Writing Retreat

Even if you are not a writer, a retreat is a great girls weekend idea to increase your creativity, document your thoughts and get some words down on the page or screen.

While formal writing retreats can be costly, a great girls weekend idea for an impromptu retreat is sharing a cabin or Airbnb with some friends for shared time reading work aloud, stimulating discussions and dedicated solo writing time.

writer journaling on an outdoor table — *via Canva*

6. Theater Outing

The performing arts are a perfect addition to your girls weekend ideas, especially live theater, which can be a fun activity for a group. You can also sometimes get discounts the more the block of tickets you buy, so grab some friends and make a night out dinner and a show for the perfect girls weekend idea.

7. Bookstore Crawl

Some cities are known for their bookstores, from larger chain outfits to small indie outlets. A great idea for a more introverted girls weekend is to spend some time crawling your favorite bookstores.

Set aside some time to enjoy your spoils, then come together later to talk about what you’ve read. Or share a book for an impromptu book club.

Foodie Girls Weekend Ideas

8. Cooking Classes

For a fun and educational girls weekend idea, try enrolling in a cooking class. Not only will you and your friends learn great new culinary skills, but you’ll get to enjoy the results of the class as a group.

Check out cooking classes in Houston, cooking classes in Washington, D.C., cooking classes in Portland or find cooking classes near you. For a virtual gathering, online cooking classes offer you a chance for a shared and fun experience in your own kitchens.

9. Visit a Vineyard or Brewery

A wonderful girls weekend idea is visiting a vineyard or brewery and sampling their goods. Not only will you get the opportunity to relax with some beverages, but many offer courses and classes on wine, delicious meals to accompany the booze and other fun activities while you're there. You can also try a virtual wine tasting in the comfort of your very own home.

virtual wine tasting girls weekend idea — *via Canva*

10. Take a Bartending Course

A fun way to learn drink-mixing techniques from professionals, bartending and mixology classes are great for learning new things for future gatherings and well as sampling new cocktails.

If your friends are not in the same locale, try an online mixology class. With an element of celebration, bartending and mixology classes make a fun adult birthday party idea.

11. Enjoy Local Cuisines in a New City

Many cities in the U.S. and abroad are renowned for their cuisine. Consider a trip to Chicago for some great Windy City eats like hot dogs and Italian beef for other best girl trip destinations in the world for foodies.

Visit Nashville for BBQ or New Orleans for some amazing Cajun cuisine. Many locales also offer food tours detailing can’t-miss spots and dishes and make a perfect idea for your girls weekend.

12. Take Turns Cooking for Each Other

A great idea for a fun girls weekend, particularly if you are all dedicated foodies, is to spend some time taking turns cooking for each other.

A cabin rental or Airbnb with a great kitchen is all you need to spend some quality time in the kitchen and devour delicious food. Take turns making your favorite dishes for each other.

13. Have a Charcuterie Board Night

With charcuterie boards all the rage, it’s a perfect opportunity to host a pot-luck style selection of boarded appetizers and desserts, ranging from traditional cheese and fruit boards to selections like popcorn boards, cookie boards and butter boards.

hand assembling cheese charcuterie — *via Canva*

14. Themed Dinner and a Movie

If you're celebrating your big day, you could bring in birthday party themes for your dinners. These are great ways to spend time being both creative in your dishes and presentation. Try creating a meal or potluck built around a theme like Stranger Things, Harry Potter or Star Wars, with courses and appetizers inspired by the movies you are watching.

DIY Girls Weekend Ideas

15. Make Beautiful Things for the Home

A fun learning idea for a girls weekend is enrolling in a course devoted to picking up a new skill like flower arranging, woodworking or glass blowing.

You get to spend time learning as a group and walk away with valuable new knowledge on creating beautiful things for the home like arrangements, cutting boards and glass bowls. While some crafts require studio presence or special supplies, you can also take virtual flower arranging classes.

16. Habitat for Humanity

A great cause and way to build new skills is to help build a Habitat for Humanity home in your community. Built from the ground up by volunteers, Habitat brings the possibility of homeownership to those in need. You will learn everything about how to build a frame, tile a roof and paint walls while working as a team.

17. DIY Spa Weekend

Full-service spa weekends are glorious, but can often be too expensive for everyone to participate. A great solution is to round up your girls, furnish some pampering supplies like face masks, nail polishes and fluffy robes and spend some time indulging in massages, manicures and facials.

DIY spa weekends also make a great girls weekend gift idea for someone celebrating a special occasion, making it a memorable birthday, bachelorette or even divorce party idea!

18. Thrift Flips

Thrift flips are a low-cost and easy way to spend a day or weekend. All you need is a thrift store, a couple of friends and a little creativity.

Spend a morning hunting for your treasure, then spend the rest of the day or weekend transforming or restoring your find into something new. This works great for everything from refurbishing furniture to making ugly Christmas sweaters.

19. Make a Scrapbook

Scrapbooks, both physical and digital, are a great way to capture memories. Consider spending some time with your gals committing those memories to the page or camera.

This also works great as a way to review your past year and set goals for the future, be crafty and innovative and create a record of your friendships.

20. Make Adult Charm or Friendship Bracelets

A fun girls weekend idea that only takes a few supplies is making bracelets. With some embroidery thread and beads or some chain and metal charms from the craft store, you can spend some time making personalized clay bead bracelet ideas for yourself and each other that will be treasured keepsakes.

21. Make Candles

Melt-and-pour candles are relatively easy to make and make a great girls weekend activity idea. All you need are meltable soy wax, scented oils, containers and wicks.

Heat the wax in a double broiler and pour it into your chosen container. You can also add colors and other fun elements like glitter, herbs, flowers and coffee beans to your candles. This activity makes a perfect Galentine’s Day idea.

three women melting candle wax — *via Canva*

22. Paint a Mural

Another fun DIY girls weekend idea is painting a mural. Choose a blank empty wall in someone’s home or elsewhere and create a new work of art. Not only will it be a unique group project, but will remain as a record of a fun weekend and friendships.

Outdoor Girls Weekend Ideas

23. Hiking

One of the easiest entry points to outdoorsiness, hiking can happen anywhere, from vast national parks and trails to the forest behind your house. Grab some friends and spend a weekend on well-traveled trails or forging new ones.

24. Camping

Whether you prefer roughing it or glamping, spending some time sleeping under the stars is a perfect way to get ample time with friends — bonus if you can put away the phones and media devices and enjoy both nature and each other’s company.

25. Canoeing or Kayaking

A great way to spend a weekend navigating a river, either a rushing and rocky one or a slow and soft meandering one, depending on your tastes and thrill for adventure. Either way, you get to bond with your friends, see some gorgeous waterfront scenery and picnic or camp in some amazing locales.

kayaker holding her paddle above her head in celebration — *via Canva*

26. Scuba Diving Lessons

Scuba diving allows you to see a whole new underwater world and what better way to enjoy it than with friends? Many coastal and inland communities offer lessons in both ocean and freshwater locales throughout the country, making this an especially adventurous girls weekend idea.

27. Biking Trip

A weekend biking on scenic routes is a perfect way to get some exercise in and spend some relaxing time enjoying the scenery. Many bike trails extend over 100 miles and cover serious ground. They also travel through various locales and small towns that you can stay in, grab a bite or camp overnight.

28. Have a Bonfire

Another outdoor girls weekend idea is having a large bonfire or campfire, either in a park or your own backyard. It makes a great opportunity for telling stories, spooky tales and singing songs. Add in roastables like marshmallows and hot dogs.

29. Host an Outdoor Movie Night

A great way to spend some time out under the stars is to host an outdoor movie night for your next girls weekend. This idea can be accomplished with a large white surface, a portable projector and a speaker. This also makes a great activity if kids will be present.

outdoor movie night girls weekend idea — *via Canva*

Free & Cheap Girls Weekend Ideas

30. Volunteer

A thoughtful idea for a girls weekend is giving back and spending some time helping to change the world. With a wealth of organizations like food pantries, shelters and other charities in need of volunteers, helping others brings you and friends together and does some good.

Try volunteering at an animal shelter, lend a hand by sending out postcards or mailers, or serve dinners to those in need.

31. Travel by Rail

A more budget-friendly alternative to air travel, Amtrak offers affordable fares to a number of destinations. If you are all about the journey and seeing some amazing landscapes as you travel.

You can also book a sleeper car for your girl’s weekend trip, which allows you a bit more room to spread out, bunk sleeping and meals while traveling in the train’s dining car.

32. Book an All-Inclusive Travel Experience

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly travel option for your girls weekend, a great idea is an all-inclusive package that includes flights, hotels and dining. Many packages also give additional discounts the more people booked.

Places like Las Vegas and Cancun offer a number of different all-inclusive girlfriend getaway packages, and many of their best resorts offer seriously low rates when you book everything together. All-inclusive bookings make a great bachelorette party idea.

33. Go on a Road Trip

Whatever your destination, the road trip to get there can be one of the best parts of the journey. Try exploring some famous routes like the Old Route 66 from Chicago to the West Coast or one of the beautiful coastal highways.

Stay in roadside motels and dine in vintage diners, all of which make great cheap girls weekend getaway ideas.

road trip girls weekend idea — *via Canva*

34. Staycation

One of the best cheap girls getaway weekend ideas is staying exactly where you are and eliminating costly travel expenses. Staycation ideas are a great chance to support local businesses and hotels, as well as get to know your own town through the eyes of a tourist.

Visit a park or museum you’ve never been to, sample new restaurants and performing arts venues, and more — all within close proximity to home.

35. Be Kids Again

A raucous girls weekend idea is pretending to be a kid again and taking advantage of all the favorite activities of your youth. Try roller skating at a rink, playing at an arcade or mini-golfing.

Visit your favorite amusement park or spend a day at the mall. Since most of these activities are designed to be cheaper for the young, take advantage of a whole lot of fun packed into a tiny budget.

36. Farmers Market

Farmers markets are a great way to find excellent produce, support farmers and sustainability and find some great deals outside of supermarkets. Try spending a day shopping at the market with your girls, then a weekend cooking and sampling dishes made from what you bought.

37. Board Game Tournament

An engaging idea for a girls weekend is bringing on the competitive spirit and spending a couple of days playing your board game favorites like Monopoly, Scrabble or Clue. You can even include playoff rounds of competition and prizes.

women playing vintage board game together — *via Canva*

So, there you have it! With this list of girls weekend ideas under your belt, you're sure to plan a fun weekend to remember! Make it an annual event and return to this list to try a new idea every year.

For even more fun weekend ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!