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Two in Tow & On the Go | Low-pressure January outing ideas for families

A lot of people take January as an opportunity to plan things, make lists, and look ahead ahead to the new year with a renewed sense of purpose. Me? With the holiday hustle (plus our kids’ two mid-December birthdays) officially over and done with, January feels like a good time to … do absolutely none of that. Lol.

But parents and grandparents know “doing nothing” isn’t a real an option. Because, sigh, the children still want to do things. (Drat!). This coming-to-terms with reality has led me to think, begrudgingly, that I guess January could be a good time to refill those back-pocket plans for local things to do with kids.

So I pulled some low-pressure January outings from past Two in Tow adventures around Gig Harbor and the South Sound. As I looked through the archives, (setting aside the local guides and history pieces), I came up with quite a few places where the kids and I have made the most of ordinary afternoons. With — bonus! — no overachieving required.

So let’s take a little look-see, shall we? I separated them into four category options and everything:

Option 1: The “One Thing Only” rule

On a free afternoon, I pick one thing to do. Not an indoor jump park and a restaurant and another stop “since we’re already out.” The whole “Let’s Make It a Day!” mindset was surely created by some overly excited marketing exec in the tourism industry. Yes, I realize I have “On the Go” in my column title. But given the choice, I don’t actually like rushing from place to place to place in a single day. And if it involves getting in and out of the car more than twice, the kids don’t like it either. And they will tell me. Audibly.

So I pick one thing. Then I let it breathe. I let it be enough. Sometimes I don’t even tell the kids what that one thing is until we’re in the car. I can’t have them saying “no” and ruining all my carefully curated calm, now can I?? Ha. Overall, I pick places where the kids can thoroughly explore, notice details, invent games, and ask questions we can look up the answers to later. The magic isn’t in doing more, it’s in staying a little longer in one spot.

Some past posts that fit this rule well include:

Walking the Tacoma Narrows Bridge with Kids (Feb. 9, 2023):

Fast times on Tacoma’s Chutes and Ladders (Oct. 4, 2024):

An adventure at the Port Orchard Hobbit House (June 9, 2023):

Tacoma’s Mountaineer Tree is a giant of the forest (June 12, 2025):

A towering view (at the Port of Tacoma) (Sept. 12, 2025):

Option 2: Park first, questions later

For this option, we pick a park we already trust: one with room to roam, a restroom that’s usually open, and at least one feature that feels a little special. Sometimes it’s a playground park, sometimes it’s a walking-trail park. Mostly, it’s somewhere outside where the kids can burn just enough energy to feel accomplished, but not so much that we trigger full pre-teen hiking mutiny.

We show up, the kids lead, and I mosey over to a bench to supervise water bottles. The key is not overscheduling and not having to rush out before anyone’s ready to leave. A park visit that ends while everyone’s still having fun is a small parenting miracle.

From past columns, examples include:

Kenneth Leo Marvin Veterans Memorial Park (May 19, 2023) and its beloved disc swing

Tacoma reaches new heights with tower slide at Foss Waterway (April 26, 2024):

Get to know Crescent Creek Park (Jan. 12, 2023):

Kids’ Gig playground charms with nods to local landmarks (Feb. 2, 2023):

Tacoma’s Franklin Park has Gig Harbor ties (Oct. 18, 2024):

Option 3: Indoor place re-set

Other afternoons call for the structure of operating hours and shelter from the rain. A museum or indoor play-place visit is usually a reliable good time.

We’ve leaned into curiosity and creativity at places from the following titles:

Ahoy Kitsap Playland is worth the drive (Nov. 17, 2023):

Plush animal scooters at the Kitsap Mall (Jan. 31, 2025):

Shoot your shot in Ocean5’s laser tag arena (March 1, 2024):

Option 4: Lower the bar and raise the incentive

If the afternoon feels fragile with tired kids, a late lunch (or, I don’t know … a tired mom with no tolerance for nonsense but a real need to get out of the house, for example) I lower the bar and raise the incentive. We do a short walk somewhere with something to look for (boats, yellow cars, weird rocks — whatever), followed by a treat. This strategy, bribes and all, has saved me more days than I can count.

The walk doesn’t need to be epic. It just needs open space, a view and a mission. Adventure bags or baskets with which to collect stuff also help. The treat at the end doesn’t have to be fancy either. Sometimes it’s ice cream. Sometimes it’s a stop at the gas station mini mart, which somehow still feels exciting for reasons I no longer question.

We’ve detailed trips like this with the following columns:

Four surprising finds to explore outside the Gig Harbor Civic Center (Aug. 23, 2024):

Hey look, my place + treat strategy is even displayed in the headline here! Spring 2025 Tonya knew what’s up.

$2 movies and the Skittles machine (April 4, 2025)

Claybabies are a Fox Island find (Oct. 20, 2023):

Views, do’s and don’ts at the Old Ferry Landing (Sept. 1, 2023):

A walk up North Harborview Drive (July 28, 2023)

By any name, Donkey Creek Park is a good time (Aug. 18, 2023):

Nature, but nearby, at Adam Tallman Nature Park (April 21, 2023):

Love-locks in Gig Harbor (July 21, 2023):

It’s OK to play on these works of art (April 7, 2024)

The real win

The truth is, the kids rarely remember how much I packed into a day. They remember how it felt. So if you have a free afternoon, don’t try to make it perfect with a long to-do list. Make it manageable. Make it yours. Or, borrow one of ours and let me know how it goes!

See ya out there!

xo,

Tonya

Tonya Strickland is a Gig Harbor mom-of-two and longtime journalist. Now in the travel and family niche, her blog, Two in Tow & On the Go, was named among the 10 Seattle-Area Instagram Accounts to Follow by ParentMap magazine. Tonya and her husband Bowen moved to Gig Harbor from California with their two kids, Clara (11) and Wyatt (9) in 2021. Find them on Facebook for all the kid-friendly places in and around town.