We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. A hanging hammock chair if your biggest goal this summer is to spend as much time *hanging* out in your backyard as possible.
This swinging hammock chair comes with two cushions and installation hardware.
Promising review: "Back to basics — simple, chic, and comfortable. Perfect addition for the backyard, porch, anywhere you'd like to lounge. There were no installation directions, but they do provide a number of options to work with based on your needs." —afytasuki
Get it from Amazon for $49.99+ (available in three colors).
2. A game of giant Jenga to take your outdoor hangout time to ~new heights~. If you and your friends have competitive tendencies, you'll absolutely love seeing how high you can stack your tower before it all comes tumbling down.
3. Or a Connect Four yard game if you're looking for an outdoor game that's a bit more calm. But don't worry — you can still kick up the competitive element when you see how strategic your friend is at this game.
Promising review: "Best purchase! We bought it for the kids but my husband and I stayed up until 1 a.m. playing!! It was a hit at our party! Great quality. Yes, you can hit the bar and release the discs, but it hasn't happened to us and wouldn't be a big deal if it did! Totally worth it! So glad we got it!!" —Rechel B
Get it from Amazon for $84.99.
4. A set of two ~zero gravity~ reclining porch chairs so you can literally feel like you're floating as you chill out in the backyard during those pleasant summer days. It comes with a pillow and a side table, which is perfect for holding your drink or placing your book down. They also fold up for easy transport to the beach or a picnic!
Promising review: "We realized pretty quickly that with everyone home because of the 2020 quarantine, we would need more spaces to hang out in. I found this set of chairs and put the order in as a temporary measure until we found a patio set that suits the space better. These are perfect though. I can't really see replacing them anytime soon. They are comfortable, and the little attached tables are really handy! I usually have hot tea, water, a phone, and either a book or my Kindle in my immediate area. This tiny attachment made it so I don't even have to worry about where to put everything. The seat is an excellent place to spend some time watching the birds or reading in the afternoons. I am absolutely thrilled with this purchase." —Brandy Morgan
Get a set of two from Amazon for $119.99 (available in 17 colors).
5. A weatherproof outdoor beanbag chair if you want your backyard to be extra chill when it comes to relaxation options. Just imagine how comfortable you'll be soaking up the sun in one of these!
Fibala is Poland-based Etsy shop that sells modern, minimalist items for your home, like trays, wooden boards, pots, bowls, hangers, and more.
Don't forget to pick up some beanbag filling so you can use your chair immediately after opening!
Promising review: "This beanbag lounger is beautiful!! I love the simple look, soft grey color, and the vegan leather handle is super cool! The shop owner, Alicja, was so nice and helpful when I asked about a leather alternative. The lounger is everything I hoped it would be! I absolutely love it! TY!" —Amoryn Smith
Get it from Fibala on Etsy for $100+ (available in three sizes and two colors).
6. Interlocking teak tiles to make your little slice of the outdoors look like a fancy courtyard. The best part is that you don't even need any tools to install them!
Promising review: "Living in Hawaii, you have to select wise items that are weather-, salt-, and red dirt-proof, etc. In total I ordered 11 boxes to complete my yoga deck. I have a few leftover to make steps on the back. Very pleased and happy. May order more for an outdoor shower project!" —Adazzle
Get 10 sq. feet from Amazon for $77.99.
7. A modern boho-style three-piece bistro set that'll instantly glam up your patio while providing some much-needed seating. You'll be pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the chair is as it conforms and hugs your body.
Promising review: "Exactly what I was looking for. Construction seems sturdy. Dimensions and style were perfect for the small patio space I was looking to get use out of, and the egg shape of the chairs is very comfortable. I paired them with a seagrass outdoor rug, faux fur chair pads, a beanbag style poof footstool and some boho throw pillows, and love how the space was instantly transformed. I highly recommend this set." —Baby blues
Get it from Amazon for $199.99+ (available in four colors).
8. A balcony bar if you've always wanted to enjoy dinner on your teeny tiny balcony or deck but have never had the space for a full table. This requires no special tools for assembly — just attach it to the rail that lines your outdoor space, and you're good to go!
Best Balcony Bars makes...the best balcony bars, whether you're looking for space-saving outdoor furniture or you want to turn your patio into *the* place to be.
Promising review: "Beautiful, hand-crafted, custom-fit to my railing. Creator is great to deal with on a custom piece. Everyone compliments it. I eat or have drinks on it every day and prefer it to eating at my dining room table! The second tier is ideal serving dishes, glasses, bottles, and the main tier is ideal for main dishes, computers, and notebooks while optimizing my patio functionality and keeping me at my serene view throughout my day. Great custom piece!" —Travis Horn
Get it from Best Balcony Bars on Etsy for $175.95+ (available in two sizes and four stains).
9. A mini projector to take movie night under the stars. Whether you're watching your favorite rom-com for the millionth time or a new release, you'll love feeling the nighttime breeze on your face.
This projector is Wi-Fi compatible, so you can connect this with your phone, tablet, or computer. And even if you're somewhere without a Wi-Fi connection, you can connect your phone to the projector with the included cable.
Promising review: "This projector is great. It has great picture quality and brightness, just needs to be focused to match the distance you set it at. I did buy a sound bar to go with the projector but that's because I initially used it outside and with a bunch of people. The sound isn't bad, especially if you're using inside. For the price, it's a great little projector and very easy to set up. I've had this projector for a few months now and no problems." —Kayla
Get it from Amazon for $99.99.
10. And a projection screen you can hang up outside to get the most crisp, clear image possible. You're about to be the envy of the whole block once you put this up.
The screen is 120 inches and made of an anti-crease material. It also comes with brackets and ropes for mounting purposes.
Promising review: "This screen is perfect for our use. We bought it for outdoor movie nights whether being on the garage door, in the backyard, camping, or inside the garage. It’s very easy to install with no wrinkles and shows a great picture. I’ve attached pictures that show how well I can still see the picture despite being surrounded by 7,000 Christmas lights in close vicinity." —Hallie H.
Get it from Amazon for $26.99.
11. A cast-iron fire pit if you love the feel and ambience of a cozy fire on a camping trip, but you don't want to, you know, actually go camping. Now you can keep warm and make s'mores while still sleeping in an actual bed at night!
Promising review: "This is a great value and it was very easy to assemble! We used it recently and found it to be a great addition to our backyard and it helped keep the mosquitoes away! As the weather has gotten colder at nights I’ve been impressed by how sturdy the fire pit is and by the wonderful heat that it provides us!" —Arthur Glauberman
Get it from Amazon for $199.
12. And a flame colorant to add a colorful touch to your backyard fire pit. Get ready to be mesmerized by all the dancing colors!
13. Globe string lights to give your porch that twinkly, cozy feel as you and your friends chat for hours on your outdoor furniture.
Promising review: "Absolutely love the dim feature! These bulbs are more round than oval like others, but I love them. When they are off, there’s a cool yellow in them that offers a lovely aesthetic when not in use. Our pergola is wired for lights so we mounted them on and almost always dim them because the white pergola reflects the light. These lights have made our patio my new favorite spot in the house. My husband and I find the evenings so relaxing, we’ve literally grown closer together from spending time out under the lights in our new favorite place." —fishurmo
Get them from Amazon for $16.19+ (available in 27, 48, and 97 feet and in two colors).
14. An outdoor Bluetooth speaker that also acts as a nice outdoor light to keep the ambience going well past sunset. This speaker can last for six hours of play on just one charge, so feel free to press play on that extra-long summer playlist you're proud of.
Tikitunes is a small business dedicated to making speakers look as good as they sound. The set of two speakers can be paired together to play the same song at the same time.
Promising review: "I purchased these to sit outside on my deck. Because of their size I was skeptical that they would have super good sound, but I was pleasantly surprised. They are a great little speaker set and very pretty at night! They have gone with me to BBQs and the beach and I will likely buy a second set for larger outdoor parties. Battery life is great and they are easy to pair and operate with your smart phone." —cj1blue
Get a set of two on Amazon for $69.99.
15. A kiddie pool big enough for two adults to soak in for the days you're looking for a fun, whimsical way to keep cool in your backyard.
Funboy is a family-owned small business based in Venice Beach, California, that makes giant-sized pool floats and other fun summer accessories.
Get it from Amazon for $50.16+ (available in eight designs).
16. Or this spacious inflatable pool perfect for sunbathing in with a few friends. You'll be amazed at how much room you have in here — this is not the teeny tiny pool of your childhood!
Promising review: "Very easy to unbox and get set up. I used an electric pump (not included) and followed the easy directions. Took me only about 10 minutes to get it inflated. Then it only took me maybe an hour to fill with a garden hose. I love the drain pipe underneath that is angled away from the pool so the water is directed out of the area. But I can see that it might not be good for the pool lining if someone stepped on it from inside the pool. So I was careful to let my kids know not to step in that corner. Overall, great quality, good size (fits three full-size floaties in it!), and my kids loved it." —K M
Get it from Amazon for $59.99.
17. A high-voltage bug zapper if the biggest thing that's keeping you from spending more time outside is those annoying flying pests! Now you can chill in your backyard without worrying you'll be eaten alive by mosquitoes.
Promising review: "Bug Zapper arrived in two days. I took it out of the box and plugged it in as soon as it was dark. It was quite breezy so my expectations were low. Probably not many small bugs out in this wind. After a few minutes the thing started zapping bugs almost continuously. I was a bit surprised that it was zapping so many bugs. Well it continued through the night and every night after that. I am so pleased I think I will buy a second one. It is not loud like the older bug zappers that I used several years ago." —Charles L.
Get it from Amazon for $36.99.
18. Or a set of Deet-free mosquito-repelling sticks — place them about 12 feet apart all around you, and once they're lit, they'll create a barrier between you and those pesky bugs!
Promising review: "I have been using these for two years now. I live on the Gulf Coast of Florida, where the mosquito is the state bird, and the no-seeums are their angry cousin. And they seem to find me right away. Always. I literally would have to cover my arms and legs in 80+ degree weather to keep from being devoured after dusk. I light one about 5–10 minutes before I’m ready to chill outside, and they’re AWESOME! Yes, there’s only eight to a pack, but they burn so slow, I extinguish it in a can of sand before I’m ready to head indoors, and light it up again at the next outing. One will usually last around four or five lightings for me. I definitely recommend for those who are unfortunately prone to being a target for those blood-sucking, irritating, ha-ha-you-can’t-hide, evil insects." —Sunny V.
Get a pack of 8 from Amazon for $10.
19. An inflatable hot tub so you can relax at the end of a long day by soaking away your worries. Instead of paying thousands of dollars to install a hot tub, you can just inflate this whenever you want to take advantage of the 120 jets (!!) and hot water, which can reach up to 104 degrees. And the best part is you can deflate it whenever you want more space!
Check it out in this TikTok from @onesizefunsize87!
Promising review: "We've had this for over a year now and are more than happy with it! We really wanted a hot tub but were not willing to spend thousands of dollars on one. This one is very easy to set up, take down, clean, and maintain. Very comfortably fits four adults. We clean the filters every few days to a week, depending upon use, and change them out when they no longer come clean, and change the water out completely about every month and a half. At that time, I also wipe out the interior and exterior of everything as well as re-inflate the cover and tub as needed. We set ours up in mid-May and take it down in mid-October. You also have to remember to reset the GFCI switch every two days since it has an automatic shutoff. We let it run nonstop and don't use a timer or anything. I even built an enclosure for it!" —Arsoth
Get it from Amazon for $480.99+ (available in four colors).
20. A tabletop fireplace if you want some warmth and a nice aesthetic glow once the sun goes down, but don't have enough room for a huge fire pit.
You can order this with or without the sand and rocks. The only thing that you will need to purchase separately is the 2.6-oz. gel fuel cans, which you can get from Amazon. 1 Man 1 Garage is a small business based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Promising review: "Soooo cute and easy to put together. We bought a clear spray to put on to protect it and because we actually really liked the look of the burned side. Boyfriend and I bought it to make s'mores for Valentine's. It was a perfect night in." —Bethany Schneider
Get it from 1 Man 1 Garage on Etsy for $27.20+ (available in three styles).
21. A side table that — surprise! — doubles as a cooler. Get this for an end-of-summer party and all your guests will be amazed at how clever it is.
22. Or this multi-purpose patio cooler so you can kick your feet up and relax while also keeping your beverages nice and cool. This means less trips to the refrigerator whenever you need a refill!
This incognito cooler can hold up to (40) 12-ounce cans with ice.
Promising review: "Love love the table cooler. It’s just the right size and great for cans and bottles. It's not too small, not too big. Great size also for a side table next to my wicker bench. It’s easy to move around and clean. Great price for this product." —Efrain Sostre
Get it from Amazon for $76.18+ (available in two colors).
23. A bocce ball set to whip out the second you start to feel bored this summer. It takes up practically no space, and it'll get everyone up and moving around instead of just lounging about!
Promising review: "Finally a good set at a reasonable price. My family enjoys playing bocce ball and this set filled our needs for a good set at a good price. I like the storage and carrying case. There are two sleeves that each set of bocce balls slides in to very nicely. I can now store them without worrying that balls will be lost in storage. This set got my family outdoors again — that's what I was looking for and I got it with this set." —jmart141
Get it from Amazon for $56.
24. A three-piece wicker chair and table set if you've been meaning to add some comfortable, stylish furniture to your back patio forever now. Just imagine yourself now in one of these chairs in the morning, reading a new book and sipping on some coffee.
This set includes two armchairs with seat cushions and a side table with a tempered glass top.
Promising review: "I absolutely love this set 😍 I cannot believe the price of it. It shipped fast, and was fairly quick and easy to assemble. It’s a hit; I get so many compliments by anyone who rings the doorbell." —Mrs.Mathews
Get it from Amazon for $99.98+ (available in four colors).
25. A printed outdoor area rug that'll add some color to your outdoor space while also being super easy to clean up. Just rinse it with a garden hose and it'll dry super fast!
26. A sunshade triangle if your backyard doesn't have very much shade and you want something that will cover a large area easily. Reviewers in super warm climates (think Arizona) love installing this over their pool to keep it a more comfortable temperature.
Promising review: "My pool is awesome when it gets into the hundreds of degrees here in California. We decided to grab a 20x20x20 triangle and holy cow does it do a number on the backyard! Not only does it keep my pool better-shaded, but it also keeps the sun off of my back patio during the hottest part of the day." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $23.99+ (available in six sizes and 13 colors).
27. A collapsible outdoor beer table that might just be the greatest outdoor invention ever — it has two cupholders, a spot for snacks, a bottle opener, and it can be moved around wherever you need to place it in the ground. We'll take at least two, please.
Faircraft USA is a Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania-based Etsy shop run by a husband-and-wife duo creating beautiful and functional wooden home goods.
Promising review: "Purchased this as a gift for my brother to go with his corn hole boards. It is just as pictured. It seems like it'll be a little low to the ground for taller men standing around a corn hole board...but better than the beers sitting on the ground or in the off hand. Beautiful workmanship. Highly recommend this product and shop!" —Hayley
Get it from Faircraft USA on Etsy for $60.
28. A double hammock if your perfect idea of a post-work wind-down is chilling in a hammock with a good book and the early evening breeze on your face. This is one of those home purchases you can almost guarantee you'll be getting lots of use out of.
29. A portable grill perfect for any sized outdoor space — it's especially easy to store and transport so you can take it out to use during your backyard parties, but then keep it stored away in your garage until the next time you use it.
Promising review: "This grill is great! It has three burners so the things that you are grilling do not cook unevenly. I purchased a 20-lb to 1-lb propane adapter and hooked up my 20-lb propane to it. It is easy to assemble. I usually prefer a charcoal grill over propane, but this grill came close to giving me the charcoal grill taste, it did not disappoint me. Awesome product!" —Michael S
Get it from Amazon for $289.99+ (available in five colors).
30. A weather-resistant 8-foot wooden pathway if you've always wanted to dress up your backyard with some walkways but didn't want to start a complicated home improvement project. All you have to do is roll this out and place it on the ground wherever you want it!
There is also a matching curved walkway, if you need one!
Promising review: "I went back and forth deciding whether I wanted to buy this. I was going to build my own walkway, but the labor involved and price was more than I want to pay. So this option looked appealing and some of the reviews were not positive. But, I absolutely love this walkway and I’ve had it for well over a month now. It still looks like I just purchased it. I live in Florida so the weather is very harsh with heavy rains and extreme heat. This walkway has held up fine." —Jntqnn
Get it from Amazon for $74.95.
31. A powerful fan so you don't have to cut your outside time short just because it's too dang hot outside! Not only will it help scorching days feel more bearable, it'll keep pesky bugs away, too!
32. A lighted umbrella if you love spending time on your porch in the summer, even as the sun goes down! Now you can still enjoy that crisp nighttime air and hang out with friends while still being able to see each other well into the evening.
Note that this includes just the umbrella, not the table!
Promising review: "I normally don’t like buying products like this sight unseen, but I’m very pleased with the look and especially with the solar lighting. We enjoyed a pleasant evening on the deck with just the right amount of ambient light tonight, and we are hopeful that it will prove to be durable." —Dee Williams
Get it from Amazon for $71.99+ (available in 10 color combos).
All your friends and neighbors when they realize how dang cool and inviting your backyard is:
