13 Things Every Californian Kid Did in the Summer During the ’60s and ’70s
Growing up in California during the ’60s and ’70s meant freedom, sunshine, and endless adventures. Those magical summer days before video games and smartphones were filled with simple pleasures and creative fun.
Take a nostalgic trip back to a time when kids roamed neighborhoods until sunset and entertainment was whatever you could dream up with friends.
1. Cruising on Banana Seat Bikes
Nothing screamed summer freedom like zooming through neighborhoods on those iconic banana seat bikes with high-rise handlebars. Kids decorated spokes with playing cards for that cool flapping sound and added streamers that fluttered in the breeze.
Bike gangs of neighborhood kids would roam for hours, no helmets in sight, returning only when streetlights flickered on. Those wheels weren’t just transportation—they were tickets to adventure.
2. Building Backyard Forts
Salvaged lumber, old blankets, and Mom’s clothespins transformed ordinary backyards into extraordinary hideouts. These architectural masterpieces might look like junk piles to adults, but to us, they were castles, spaceships, or secret headquarters.
Hours disappeared as we hammered wobbly walls and argued over design features. The best forts had secret passwords, no-parents-allowed policies, and maybe even a stolen cookie stash hidden under a loose board.
3. Slurping Rainbow Snow Cones
The musical jingle of approaching ice cream trucks sent kids scrambling for quarters hidden in sock drawers. Rainbow snow cones, that magical combination of shaved ice and artificially colored syrup, were summer’s perfect antidote to scorching temperatures.
Tongues and lips stained in unnatural colors became badges of honor. The inevitable brain freeze was a small price to pay for the sugary delight that melted faster than you could eat it, leaving sticky fingers and rainbow-stained shirts.
4. Catching Crawdads in Creek Beds
Armed with string, bacon bits, and empty coffee cans, kids spent hours hunched over murky creek waters. The thrill of feeling that telltale tug when a crawdad grabbed the bait never got old, even if most were released after brief captivity.
Rolled-up jeans inevitably got soaked as we waded deeper than intended. Parents’ warnings about water moccasins added a delicious edge of danger to these expeditions, though few of us actually knew what a water moccasin looked like.
5. Racing Hot Wheels Down Homemade Tracks
Bedroom floors disappeared under elaborate orange track configurations that launched die-cast cars across rooms. The serious collectors kept prized models in carrying cases, while others tested durability with increasingly dangerous stunts.
Competition was fierce to own the coolest cars, especially the chrome ones. Endless debates raged over which design was fastest, leading to scientific testing down driveways and staircases.
Many a Hot Wheels met its demise in spectacular crashes that earned neighborhood respect.
6. Roller Skating to the Corner Store
Metal skates clamped onto Keds with that special key became extensions of our feet all summer long. The sidewalk symphony of wheels against concrete announced our arrival as we clattered toward corner stores clutching sweaty quarters.
Penny candy selections required serious deliberation—how many Now and Laters versus Jolly Ranchers? The return journey was trickier, skating one-handed while protecting precious paper bags of sugary treasures.
7. Watching Drive-In Movies from Car Trunks
Family station wagons backed into prime viewing spots while kids nestled in blanket nests in open trunks. Parents thought we’d fall asleep during the second feature, but we fought drowsiness to glimpse forbidden scenes through half-closed eyes.
The tinny sound from window speakers competed with crickets and distant car horns. Intermission meant a mad dash to snack bars for overpriced popcorn and dancing hot dog commercials.
Many movies were only half-remembered, but the magic of watching stars under stars never faded.
8. Dodging Sprinklers on Scorching Days
Lawn sprinklers became impromptu water parks when temperatures soared. The rhythmic ch-ch-ch-ch of oscillating sprayers invited neighborhood kids to test their timing and courage by dashing through the spray patterns.
Sometimes we’d sneak into yards with unattended sprinklers, claiming innocent shortcuts if caught. The real pros adjusted sprinkler heads to create maximum splash zones or perfect rainbows in the mist.
Soaked clothes were minor inconveniences compared to the cooling relief of water against sun-baked skin.
9. Playing Kick-the-Can Until Dark
Street lamps signaled game time as neighborhood kids gathered for this perfect hybrid of hide-and-seek and tag. An ordinary tin can became the center of an elaborate strategic universe where alliances formed and broke with each round.
Hiding spots were guarded secrets passed between siblings like precious inheritance. The bravest players executed daring sprints to kick the can while guards were distracted.
Games often ended with disputed calls and promises of rematches tomorrow—same time, same empty lot.
10. Visiting Disneyland When Tickets Were Books
Before all-inclusive wristbands, Disneyland adventures required strategic planning around lettered ticket books. E-tickets were hoarded for Matterhorn and Pirates of the Caribbean, while A-tickets were reluctantly used on tamer attractions.
Families packed elaborate picnics to avoid expensive park food, eating at designated areas outside the gates. The monorail and people-mover offered blessed sitting breaks for tired parents.
Nighttime fireworks viewed from Dad’s shoulders became core memories that outshined any modern special effect.
11. Trading Baseball Cards with Neighborhood Kids
Card collections stored in shoeboxes represented serious wealth in kid currency. Front porches became trading floors where intense negotiations unfolded over coveted Willie Mays or Sandy Koufax cards, their values fluctuating based on recent game performances.
The distinctive smell of powdery bubble gum accompanied each new pack opening. Card flipping contests determined temporary ownership rights, while bicycle spokes claimed many duplicate cards.
12. Building Sand Fortresses at Beach Bonfires
Beach days stretched into evenings as families claimed fire rings along the coast. While adults prepared dinner, kids engineered elaborate sand structures designed to withstand the incoming tide—they never did.
As darkness fell, marshmallows appeared on straightened wire hangers. The perfect golden-brown roast was an art form, though many impatient kids preferred the instant gratification of intentionally flaming marshmallows.
13. Skating Empty Swimming Pools
Southern California’s drought years inadvertently birthed skateboarding culture when enterprising teens discovered empty backyard pools made perfect concrete bowls. Homeowners returning from vacation might find neighborhood kids carving smooth lines across their drained pool walls.
The distinctive rumble of urethane wheels against concrete became summer’s soundtrack in certain neighborhoods. Skinned elbows and spectacular wipeouts were badges of honor.