9 Fun Things to Do Around a Fire Pit
A fire pit can be a great addition to your backyard in any season, but a fire in autumn has a special coziness to it. The nights are getting cooler, the kids are back in school, leaves are starting to fall, and you’re ready to relax. Making s’mores is always a popular activity, but what else can you do for fun? Read on for just a few of the many, many ways you can entertain yourselves around a fire pit .
Play Card Games
This is a great option if you have a patio table near the fire pit. There are card games for every age level, from Go Fish to Gin Rummy. And you don’t have to stick with the regular 52-card deck, either! The game industry is booming, and as a result you’re sure to find a game for even the pickiest player. Popular options include Apples to Apples, Uno, or any one of the dozens of games focused around pop culture.
Make Popcorn
S’mores aren’t the only snack you can make using a fire pit. Popcorn is a great, healthy snack that can be enjoyed by all—and like s’mores, making it is half the fun. You can use a pot from your kitchen, or invest in a popper designed for use over a fire. Just add oil and popcorn kernals.
Play Yard Games
Depending on how much light your fire throws off and how late you’re staying out, playing yard games can be a good way to spend some quality time by the fire pit. Be sure you’re a safe distance away, and then set up your volleyball net, cornhole game, or set of lawn darts. As an added bonus, many yard games are easy enough for even the little ones to play, or can be adapted for any ability level.
Journal or Write
Perhaps you’re feeling in a solitary mood. Writing by a crackling fire can be very relaxing, and the white noise can drown out noisy interruptions from the neighborhood. Whether you’re journaling about your life or writing poetry or short stories, a fire pit can be the perfect place to to find your focus.
Play Music
With smart speakers, you can have music wherever you go. You can choose music for a backdrop to your conversations, or find campfire songs for kids to sing along to. Just keep the noise at a level that won’t bother the neighbors. If you’d rather go for something acoustic, guitars are a classic choice and can prompt a sing-along with your family or friends.
Camp in Your Backyard
If you have the lawn space, setting up some tents and camping in the backyard is fun for kids of all ages. If they’re old enough, maybe invite some of their friends over for the campout. You can cook hot dogs on the fire, roast marshmallows as the stars come out and the fire turns to embers, and in the morning, rekindle the flames and toast bagels. Little ones will enjoy the novelty and adventure of sleeping outdoors, and you can make it into an event by having other outdoor activities available for them all evening.
Play Word Games
Memory and word games are classic fireside activities. For example, there’s the “picnic” game, where players start with “I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing . . .”, continuing play by choosing items in order with the letters of the alphabet, having to remember what the previous players said. (This one is especially popular with kids.) There are also word games that you can pass around a fire, such as Catchphrase.
Tell Stories & Jokes
Stories and jokes are practically a must at any fire with family or friends. Sitting by a fire pit tends to draw out stories from folks, whether of camping trips and vacations, funny stories from work, memorable events from childhood, or whatever else comes to mind. Cracking jokes is another time-honored tradition, occurring naturally as people unwind and relax from the day. No fire is complete without them.
Watch the sunset
Another way to relax after a long day or week is simply to watch the sunset. Build a fire in your fire pit, get comfy, and just observe the world around you.
What else would you add to this list? Does it inspire you to install your own fire pit?
If you’re ready to spend your evenings relaxing by the fire, give us a call at 763-568-7251 or use our quote system to get in touch. Our experts have over 15 years of experience installing patios and fire pits, and we’d love to hear from you.
Plymouth’s clay soil causes soggy lawns, sinking patios, and constant sump pump issues. Learn how smart drainage design fixes it for good.
Minnetonka snow removal done right means safety, efficiency, and property protection—not just plowing. Learn how true winter care works.
Plymouth drainage problems? Fix soggy clay soil and prevent foundation and patio damage with smart drain tile, grading, and discharge solutions.
Edina lawn fertilization: seasonal strategies for lasting color and health. Expert insights on timing, topdressing, and soil care.
Design a Minnetonka outdoor kitchen built for all seasons — cedar, stone, and smart drainage make year-round living effortless.
Medina lawn experts explain how healthy soil—not chemicals—creates lasting weed control through aeration, overseeding, and topdressing.
Medina drainage experts explain how French drains and drain tile systems fix clay soil water issues and prevent muddy lawns and shifting patios.
Edina patio and pool drainage: protect your investment with smart design and precision installation that keeps surfaces beautiful, safe, and stable year-round.
When Pergolas Don’t Last, There’s Always a Reason After nearly two decades of building outdoor spaces across Medina, I’ve seen what happens when pergolas aren’t designed for Minnesota’s conditions. You can spot them a mile away—posts that lean, beams that twist, and concrete pads that have heaved out of level after just a couple of winters. It’s not because homeowners cut corners intentionally. It’s usually because whoever built it didn’t account for what our climate really does to structures that aren’t anchored right. Medina’s heavy clay soil doesn’t drain well. It holds moisture, freezes solid, and then expands like a hydraulic press pushing on everything above it. When pergolas are set on surface-level post bases, that pressure has nowhere to go but up—and the whole thing moves. Even small shifts can cause joints to separate, wood to crack, and hardware to loosen. That’s how a $15,000 structure starts looking tired after a few years instead of standing straight for decades. The truth is, pergolas here aren’t just about shade or looks. They’re about structure, drainage, and how every piece ties into the patio beneath it. A pergola that stands tall through Minnesota winters is built on the same principles as a good foundation—it’s only as strong as what’s underneath it. If you live in Medina and want to enjoy your backyard without worrying about your investment warping or sagging, start with design that respects the environment it’s built in. That means thinking beyond lumber and stain colors. It means understanding soil movement, water management, and the importance of integrating your pergola with the patio below it.
Solutions for Properties in Minnetonka You can always tell a Minnetonka yard that’s fighting its slope. Water doesn’t lie, it finds the weak spots every time. I’ve walked plenty of properties where a backyard starts beautiful in June, but by September, the patio is heaving, the grass near the pool looks like a marsh, and the homeowner is wondering how it got so bad so fast. The truth is, when you’re dealing with rolling terrain and heavy clay soils like we have around Minnetonka, you can’t just move dirt and hope gravity behaves. You need a plan that manages water from the surface all the way down through the subsoil. This is what I’ll walk you through here. You’ll see what actually causes drainage issues on sloped properties, how poor planning leads to cracked patios and shifting pool decks, and the smart drainage systems that can stop those problems for good. Whether you live near Lake Minnetonka or up in the higher ridges closer to Deephaven or Woodland, understanding how your yard sheds water is the difference between a property that lasts and one that’s constantly under repair. The Real Challenge of Sloped Minnetonka Yards Minnetonka is known for its hills, lakefront properties, and mature trees, but all that beauty comes with a set of challenges below the surface. Most of the soil here is dense clay. It holds water like a sponge and drains slowly, which means after every heavy rain, that water looks for a way downhill. If it doesn’t have a proper outlet, it ends up collecting right where you don’t want it, like along your patio, at the base of a retaining wall, or near your pool deck. I see this every season: homeowners trying to solve slope problems with a quick regrade, a layer of rock, or a simple surface drain. Those things might help for a while, but they don’t address what’s really happening underground. Clay soil doesn’t just get wet—it becomes saturated, expanding and contracting with every freeze-thaw cycle. When that happens under a patio or wall, it doesn’t matter how well-built the surface looks. The ground will move, and that movement cracks stone, shifts pavers, and slowly tears apart everything on top. The other challenge with sloped lots is how water interacts with gravity. It accelerates downhill, gaining momentum as it goes. When it hits a flat area like a patio, the water loses speed but not volume, pooling instead of flowing. That’s why I tell clients that “flat spots” on a sloped property are both an opportunity and a responsibility. They’re the best spaces to create usable outdoor areas, but they have to be engineered to handle water movement. I’ve worked on plenty of Minnetonka yards where the backyard has a beautiful view but terrible grading. You can have a perfect slope on paper, but if it directs water toward your house or creates a bowl effect between structures, you’ll end up with soggy soil and standing puddles that never dry. The goal is to move water off and away while keeping the surface level enough for comfort and usability. It’s a fine balance, but when it’s done right, it completely transforms how a property functions.