The Good Host?

[DollarBill]

When you have friends or family come visit with you for a week or so; what types of things do you plan with them? I live alone and I'm easily entertained but when someone comes to visit I scramble to find things to keep them entertained. Most of things I think of all swirl around eating and drinking. I know it mostly has to do with the area you live in and the time of the year (Because it's really freakin cold right now). I'd like to see some of your ideas that wouldn't break the bank.

[gt7152b]

Check with local libraries for free museum passes you can check out.

Hiking can be fun even in cold weather.

Plan good meals at home so you don't get the dining out bug.

Discount movie theaters or watch rentals/netflix at home.

Short road trips to interesting places. With the car full, gas per person will be pretty cheap (not implying that you ask them to chip in but it's just a better use of your dollars than going alone).

Think about the interests of your guests so you can plan some things they enjoy. Bowling or a pool hall doesn't have to be too expensive. Any outdoor activities are usually a good choice. Just let your guests know to bring proper clothing and you'll be fine in the cold.

[swick]

Usually, I start by asking what they want to do or if they have any plans to work around - they  will often have their own ideas which makes it

Having a variety of board games on hand can provide hours of instant entertainment for relatively cheap - ask around if you have any friends who have a collection you can borrow from - think beyond the "traditional" board games no one actually likes.

My MIL has a side table in the living room during the holidays  with a puzzle on it that people can work on during downtime or if they are waiting for the others - even people who don't like puzzles always seem to get involved.

Have an idea for some kind of crafty/DIY project they can help with or create?

Really it depends on the ages/interests of your guests - the communal making of food/drink always goes over well in our house.

Some sort of outdoor activity embracing the cold would be good too, just make it comfortable by bringing hot chocolate (spiked or plain) and the proper gear/clothing. I live in Northern BC sometimes you just gotta go out and make the memories.

See what free attractions are in your town, most small museums/galleries etc are free or super low cost.

[2ndTimer]

Wow, it depends so much on the people involved.  I try to focus on something they wouldn't get at home.  So my city friends get taken to see the forest and the bird sanctuary and my country friends get taken to wander through fancy department stores and drink coffee at a downtown coffee shop.  Everybody loves the two local chocolate factories with their attached outlet stores and local wineries and coffee roasters.

[Fodder]

Mostly we just have family visiting, so it is just all about the company and food and drink.

If we had out of town friends visiting, there are any number of things we could do (I'm in a national capital, so there are a lot of cool things to do):
- walking around downtown
- tour of Parliament
- Gatineau Park hike or South March Highlands hike
- tons of museums
- some great parks/splash pads (for kids/during summer)
- Diefenbunker (cold war museum and nuclear shelter). 
- depending on the season, apple picking, sugar bush, berry picking, pumpkin patch (mostly for the kids).  For adults, we have some very cool haunted hayrides at night.
- skiing (downhill or cross country), snowshoeing, sledding, skating (we also have the Rideau Canal)
- mountain biking or city biking

There are also more expensive outings in our area - trampoline gym, water parks, fancy farms.

Really depends on the interests of the folks coming and their ages.  Most of my ideas revolve around kids because I have young kids.

[MBot]

Stuff outside. Hiking, waterfalls, beach, snowshoeing, farmers market, boardwalk.

Which also means they will want to come back and eat food and watch Netflix or play cards after :)

[Thegoblinchief]

Board games! Lots of choices at all levels of nerd.

[Calvawt]

Local sites, etc, but I am sure to leave them some time to explore on their own and also down time.

[Dicey]

Although I think both of these sites must be visited with caution, Living Social and Groupon are always full of deals for things to do and see. I turn them on and off so I'm not bombarded with ads multiple times a day.