10 Adventurous Things to Do at Home for Thrill Seekers

As a thrill seeker, it’s easy to feel restless at home when there isn’t anything exciting to do. Sometimes it’s the weather keeping you at home, or natural disasters, or even a global pandemic, who knows these days.

Being home and not getting the excitement you need as an adventure enthusiast is stressful. But it doesn’t have to be that way; there are plenty of great ways to have a blast at home! Although you aren’t on a real vacation trying new things, you can always get creative at home and try exciting activities you may have never thought of doing in the comfort of your own property.

Whether it be building a backyard zipline or a DIY climbing wall, you can still get that adrenaline rush at home. It may take some time and creativity, but you don’t have to spend a fortune to have fun at home, and it’s quite rewarding. You, your significant other, and even the kids can get adventurous today! Let’s jump in and take a look at 10 adventurous things to do at home for thrill seekers so you can have fun without leaving the house.

1. Obstacle Course

With just a little creativity, you can build a challenging indoor or outdoor obstacle course at home without spending too much money. Inside the house, you can set up tables to crawl under, pillows and ottomans to vault over, and hula hoops to hopscotch over. You can even hang gymnastic ropes and rings to your ceiling (properly) to get a more ninja warrior-type obstacle course created.

Outdoor obstacle courses are an option for those with large yards and access to some items you can incorporate into the obstacle course. Keep it simple and use cheap items like hula hoops, pool noodles, or pylons. However, you can get pricey and start building wooden platforms and climbing features to really make a true obstacle course. Customize it with climbing features, hanging rope swings, monkey bars, tires, platform jumps, balance beams, and much more!

Many people during the lockdowns because of COVID had built amazing backyard obstacle course/workout zones, here are some pretty amazing ones you can check out on either YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok linked below:

Turning these obstacle courses into races are even more exciting, you can compete with your friends/family members to see who can be the fastest in the house! In these relay races, you can include small workout moves, like pushups, pull-ups, burpees, bicep curls, and anything related. This is a great way to get a super good workout as a group if you are stuck at the house.

There are no rules, and you can essentially come up with any type of obstacle course that you want based on what you have at home or want to go out and buy!

2. Start Planning Your Next Adventure

The thrill of planning your next vacation from the comfort of your home is endlessly exciting. Whenever I plan a vacation, I look through a list of cities I want to visit. I typically keep several tabs open on my phone or computer to compare prices, activities, hotels, and restaurants I want to try out. Honestly, a good social media binge on traveling never lets me down.

I prefer to watch YouTube videos of travelers to see the locations and see what activities they choose to do. This really gives me an idea of what this trip has to offer for me. Plus, I find it exhilarating to watch people travel and explore new locations, especially when they are doing adventurous activities like skydiving, ziplining, or anything with an adrenaline kick. Plus, videos are becoming so high-quality it can be like watching a good movie.

You can get really organized and create Word documents or spreadsheets of locations you wish to visit someday. This helps you prepare for a trip of a lifetime! You can organize based on extreme activities, what locations offer more to do, and cost considerations, too.

It may not seem exciting, but if you can’t get up and go today, this is a great way to scratch the itch of adventure travel. You get to be creative in your mind and motivated to push through the waiting period before you are rewarded with a great traveling experience.

3. Virtual Reality Travel

Virtual reality technology has made it possible to experience new destinations without leaving your house. You can use several apps, such as Wander, VZ Fit, and BRINK Traveler, with an Oculus Quest. A basic headset costs just $300, but advanced systems cost up to $1000 or more.

You simply put the headset on, hold the controller, and navigate a virtual reality landscape. The apps that I mentioned before typically let you choose between several locations to explore. I was shocked the first time I used my friend’s VR headset because it is essentially indistinguishable from reality. It really felt real!

Being able to travel to some pretty unique locations you may have never considered going to can now be an option with VR. I recommend testing out a machine or watching some videos online about them, or research these models below.

If you have one of the sets, you can choose to watch many VR videos online for free; there are tours, guided tours, walk-throughs, and more. But what is even better for us thrill seekers is we can choose to watch VR bungee jumping, skydiving, ziplining, and other exhilarating activities. There are also video games where you can do a lot of exciting activities!

Here are some of the best VR Sets you can buy today for Virtual Reality Travel:

4. DIY Climbing Wall

@jarin.climbs Home bouldering wall upgrades 🛠️⬆️ #boulderingwall #bouldering #outdoorbouldering #homewall #climbing #backyard #climbingholds ♬ Arak Elite – Bunker Buster

You don’t have to visit your local rock-climbing center or traverse dangerous rock formations to get a thrill ride! Handy thrill seekers with DIY experience can easily build a climbing wall at home without much effort. All you need is some lumber, plywood, screws, bolts, and some rock climbing holds.

The frame is the most important part of a DIY climbing wall. Use dense lumber for the frame and make sure each side is even. Plywood is perfect for the wall itself, but make sure that it’s at least ¾” thick so that it’s as stable as possible. It may look ugly at first, but you can make it look like a professional climbing wall with several coats of textured paint.

Adding the holds to the wall is the easiest part of the process. Scatter each hold sporadically, but make sure to space them out enough that you can reach them without too much trouble. I recommend using 35mm bolts/hex cap screws to secure them to the wall, but it varies based on how thick your wall is and the hold package you purchase.

Like climbing? See some related activities like rock climbing here that may spark some more ideas to do at home.

5. Play Exhilarating Yard Games

@jadeneaston Love us some spikeball #spikeball #backyardactivities #backyardsports #backyardfun #sports #skills #fyp #foryoupage #summerfun ♬ I Don’t Want to Be – Gavin DeGraw

Your yard is the perfect place to set up and play a bunch of different and exhilarating yard games. Whether it be a classic game of cornhole or a 4-way volleyball match, there is no shortage of fun and cheap activities to choose from. Giant bowling was a highlight of my childhood, and my siblings and I spent plenty of time knocking oversized pins over into the grass and racing to set them back up again.

If you are looking for a high-paced and thrilling game, you need to play Spikeball with 4-6 people, you can 1v1, but more is better. Spikeball is a fun combination of four-square and volleyball that is easy to set up. The game includes a bouncy net in the center (on the ground), and you smack a yellow ball on the net, then the other team has three touches to return the ball off the net. It is very exciting and can get quite competitive.

I have seen people playing Spikeball in the winter; they make a backyard skate rink and play on the ice in skates! It looks like so much fun!

You can create games, buy some on Amazon, or head to your local Walmart, where you will likely find some fun yard games to stay entertained.

6. Build a Backyard Zipline

I was a zipline guide for 5 years at a full-sized zipline that flew over a huge waterfall. I know ziplines are fun and give you that sense of adventure whenever you are soaring through the air.

There are many backyard zipline options on the market, but I want to mention that these need to be properly set up to prevent serious injuries. You do not want to have them too high, and you need to make sure your slope of the cable is correct so you don’t get too much speed and crash at the end.

You can always start off easy and make a simple kids’ backyard zipline that doesn’t require too much work to create. Or you can choose to get fancy and build a real zipline using cables, trolleys, and professional harnesses. Backyard zip lines come in various styles for all ages, so choose accordingly.

Choosing a spring stop is your easiest option for a backyard zipline; this spring is installed at the end of the cable, and your trolley will hit it to slow down. Use gravity to your advantage as well, this means have the cable sag at the start for some speed, but then it rises at the end so you slow down. It is like your trolley will try to climb up a hill, which slows you down nicely. I have seen too many backyard ziplines end in a wipeout due to not using the proper fall and rise during cable installation.

Here are some of the best backyard ziplines on the market today:

If you like ziplining you need to read our post “19 Activities Like Ziplining to Do With Your Friends” here.

7. Extreme/Power Kite Flying

I was at the beach one day, over at Jericho Beach in Vancouver, and I saw this guy flying this crazy-looking kite. It reminded me of kitesurfing, skydiving, and even paragliding, just how the kite maneuvers in the sky.

Power kite flying, extreme kite flying, stunt kite flying, or whatever you want to call it, is an exciting activity you can do from the comfort of your home. You just need the proper winds and a bit of yard space to maneuver it in the sky.

These kites are much stronger than the standard kites you flew as a kid. These are basically mini parachutes that you get to fight with against the wind in the sky. You get a challenge, and you get a good workout!

If you enjoy extreme sports that include parachutes, then flying a power kite will certainly scratch your itch for parachuting. You can fly these in your backyard or you can head to the closest beach and fly away!

Here are some of the best options to get started at home power kiting:

8. Pitch a Tent (Inside or Outside)

You don’t need to visit a campground to spend the night in a tent. Pitching a tent in your backyard, or even in your family room, is a blast! It’s a fun way to experience the fun of camping with the many comforts of staying at home.

This is a great adventure activity for adults, children, and families. I recommend setting up a tent at home if you have kids who haven’t been camping and you want to ease them into it. The experience can be thrilling for them! Either way, it’s a fun activity for any age group and it doesn’t require you to spend a fortune or even leave your home.

Are you not comfortable with camping outside in the yard? No problem, set up a tent inside and camp out in it! Get a TV, snacks, board games, and enjoy camping from the comfort of your living room.

9. Virtual Reality Gaming

As I mentioned earlier, virtual reality vacation experiences are a blast. However, the world of virtual reality is vast, and some of the games that are available right now provide insane adrenaline rushes. Whether it be VR ports of existing games like No Man’s Sky or original VR games like Beat Saber, there are so many to choose from.

VR games simply provide way more immersion than any traditional video game console. I find that VR games provide more value because the feeling of being in the world made it hard for me to go back to standard video games. I recommend checking out VR horror games for extreme thrill seekers because they provide an adrenaline rush comparable to visiting a haunted house!

If you are more of an adventure traveler, you are in luck as there are games that put you into many high-intensity activities such as bungee jumping, flying, obstacle courses, giant swings, and much more.

The most popular VR games known for these crazy activities are:

VR Games/Experiences	Extreme Activities in the Game
Ultimate Booster Experience	Bungee Jump, Giant Swings, Rocket Flying, Air Balloon, Canyon Ride, Eagle Flight
Richie’s Plank Experience	80-story high plank, Missile Defence, Fire Fight, Rocket Race
NoLimits 2 Roller Coaster Simulation	Authentic roller coaster thrills
To The Top	Climb, Jump, Air Control, Skate, Fly

10. Build a Fort

Building forts with my friends and family is a key childhood memory that I will never forget. Half of the fun of building a fort is getting everything together and figuring out how you can turn it into a DIY structure. Whether it be a simple fort made of couch cushions, pillows, and blankets or an elaborate fort with rods, curtains, and chairs, the building process is the best part.

Once you’ve built your fort, you can settle in, sit back, and watch movies, play games, or tell stories. Take it to the next level and dress up in costumes to get a fully immersive experience. Anyone can build a fort inside, and that’s the beauty of it. I recommend using chairs or couch cushions to provide structure, but pillows and blankets can work well alone if that’s all you have to work with!

If you want to get extreme, build a high-tech fort outside in the yard. I remember heading out into the woods and building tree forts and camps, it was a lot of fun. In the yard, you can build wooden fort structures and completely customize them to your preferences. Get funky and waterproof them, then install a TV inside, get your video games, and you now have a unique place to kick back and relax.

Not finding any ideas that are a good fit for you? That’s ok! I have a list of 99 adventurous activities for thrill seekers here you can do with your friends. You are guaranteed to find something exhilarating on the list!

Jamie Penney

Jamie is the founder of Action Sporter. He is the chief zipline writer and the lead editor. He has 5 years of zipline experience being a tour guide in Newfoundland. Most of the time you can find Jamie adventure traveling, hiking, skiing, skateboarding, or anything action related!