How to Plan Entertainment for House Guests

Hosting weekend house guests takes some planning. Along with figuring out what you’ll serve for meals and where the guests will sleep, you will probably want to come up with some ideas for entertaining your company. Although coming up with ideas for activities is dependent on such factors as your guests’ expectations, where you live, and how well you know your guests, with a little communication and a little preparation, you can be ready for a weekend where everyone—including you—has a good time.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Find out specifically what your guests have in mind for themselves, what kind of a schedule they’ll need to follow and how open they are to new experiences. If your house guests are visiting other friends or relatives, they may already have certain times blocked out. Perhaps your guests are counting on revisiting a certain restaurant they enjoyed on a previous visit. On the other hand, they may be hoping you will come up with some new ideas for the weekend. Communication is crucial here, as once you know your guests’ expectations, it will be much easier to plan.

2. Plan a variety of activities from which your guests can choose. If you are planning to attend a theater performance, concert or sports event, make sure the time and type of event will work for your guests, especially if you need to buy tickets ahead of time. Collect brochures from nearby museums or historical sites that might interest your company. Find out if any festivals or fairs will be taking place on that weekend. And don’t forget to offer some physical activities. Think about proposing such activities as a walk in a park or the woods, bicycling, playing touch football on the lawn, or working out and swimming a few laps at the gym.

3. Resist the temptation to over plan, filling every moment with activities and turning the weekend into a hectic non-stop marathon of events. If your guests have chosen to stay with you, they will probably enjoy some down time when you can just hang out together, catch up on events and enjoy a cup of coffee. If your guests are family or long-time friends you might enjoy looking through old photographs together. Bring out a board game like Scrabble which allows for plenty of time for conversation while you play.

4. Let guests help out as part of the weekend’s entertainment. For example, plan a cook out or a meal where everyone can participate in the preparation. Assign guests tasks like collaborating on the menu, preparing one dish for the meal, or simply chopping vegetables. If there are children in the home, ask guests to read stories to them or help them get dressed. Guests might enjoy doing errands like making short trips to the market. You might plan a party for your guests and ask them to help with decorations or selecting music.

Tips & Warnings

• Engage in a few email conversations with guests; suggest weekend plans, send them links to area attractions and ask for their input.
• Avoid putting yourself in a situation where you don’t know exactly how long house guests will be staying. Again use email to ask specifics, commenting that you are planning entertainment and will need exact dates for their stay.