Food & Drink, Home & Garden, Lifestyle
7 Patio Essentials to Make Outdoor Entertaining a Breeze
As warm weather starts up again, so does one of our favorite activities: outdoor entertaining. These seven essentials will make your yard or patio the ideal space for entertaining friends and family. They’re also great options for entertaining away from home, either at a campsite, outdoor sporting event or tailgating event. Here are some of our favorite must-haves for outdoor entertaining.
Large Portable Cooler
Keep your food and beverages cool even on the hottest summer days with this mini fridge cooler from AstroAI, which has a 15-liter capacity that fits plenty of drinks and snacks. It runs on a power adapter and has a built-in 60-watt refrigerating system that lets you set a temperature as cold as -4 degrees Fahrenheit to keep meats frozen until grilling time and ice cream frosty until it’s time for dessert. This portable mini fridge will be a favorite addition to any outdoor event, from a campsite or tailgate to your own backyard. You can even throw it in your car to take to other entertaining events.
Fire Pit
Your outdoor entertainment area isn’t complete without a stylish yet functional fire pit. This 34-inch wood-burning fire pit table, available at BBQGuys, has multiple configurations and can even be converted to an ice chest when not being used as a fire pit. It takes just 15 minutes to assemble from start to finish, and is made from high-quality steel with a heat-resistant coating for durability and safety. The outer ledge that frames the fire pit is perfect for placing drinks and food. The pit comes with a bowl, grill top, spark screen, poker, bottom grate for safety, and cover for storage.
Pop Up Canopy
Keep your guests cool with a shaded area created by a pop-up canopy. This 10-by-10-foot screen tent from Outsunny, available on Overstock.com, is easy to set up and comes with a convenient carrying back for easy transport and safe storage. Removable mesh walls add extra sun protection and help keep bugs out. The powder-coated steel frame makes it super stable and durable, while the silver undercoating of the tent top helps reflect heat away from your guests. These pop-up canopies create great gathering areas for your guests to socialize and get out of the heat.
Drink Holder Stakes
Give your guests a convenient, portable way to keep their drinks close at hand with this set of drink-holder stakes from Sunnydaze. Multiple vibrant colors make it easy to keep people’s drinks from getting mixed up while adding some fun decor to your yard or patio. The heavy-duty construction makes them strong enough to support all types of bottles and glasses. They can be moved easily as your guests move around your event; their triangular foot-press system allows them to be staked into the ground with little effort. This simple thing can be a game changer when it comes to outdoor entertaining.
Outdoor Games
Entertain guests of all ages with outdoor games like this classic cornhole game from Trademark Games. It’s a favorite everyone can play. Other options include Frisbees, portable arcade-style basketball games, and mini golf. Keep these games set up around the yard for kids and adults to play as they wish.
Lighting
Your party won’t have to end when the sun goes down if you add some outdoor lighting. A vintage-inspired incandescent string light set like this one from Bulbrite will help create a warm, inviting atmosphere well into the night when strung into the trees or placed around your pop-up canopy space. For versatility, consider a solar option that can charge during the day and automatically turn on when the sun goes down, like this set of solar string lights.
Mosquito Repeller
Keep mosquitos away from your guests with this innovative, lightweight and compact mosquito repellant from Thermacell. Its butane cartridge creates heat that will activate its algoric, a synthetic version of a compound found in chrysanthemums that’s known to effectively repel mosquitos. Skip the toxic chemical sprays and messy bug oils with this sleek, cordless and portable device.
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