After creating countless boring hotels, I’ve made a list of Sims 4 custom venue ideas for more tailored getaways and stories

The Sims 4 Adventure Awaits expansion takes the hassle out of micromanaging households by introducing its new Getaway system, which adds custom venues, daily schedules, and roles tailored to each Sim. It makes it easy to set ’em and forget ’em, and just like brainstorming small business ideas in Businesses & Hobbies, so much of the fun here stems from getting creative with your Sims 4 custom venue ideas.

Think of getaways as an extra layer of customization that merges travel and generic lots, but instead of trusting your sims to roam free, you can give them a to-do list that they’ll (usually) follow. Your sims can fill roles you design and specify, or the game can supplement gaps with random assignments.

I like using it to send child sims off to camp for a weekend while knowing they’ll come home better for it, or for keeping bigger households busy and on-task so I can focus elsewhere. If you’re struggling with the who, what, when, and where details, I’ve got a list of Sims 4 custom venue ideas to help plan your next getaway.

Private music academy custom venue

(Image credit: EA)

My first, more adventurous custom venue started as a boarding school, but I decided to try something a little more personal, so I made a little cottage where a music legend taught young prodigies. A little bougie, I know, but getting creative with the roles was a blast. I made the teacher a stern older woman and music snob who spent most of the day critiquing her students, but at night, she always sat down with them for a warm heart-to-heart and home-cooked meal.

Typically I ran this setup with just three students and their mentor, but later added an assistant to help with meals and cleaning. It was a fun venue to watch the day-to-day events unfold at, or I could leave my child sims there and trust they would return with new talents.

Roles: Mentor (x1), Assistant (x1), Student (x3)

Haunted forest custom venue

(Image credit: EA)

I have a witchy sisterhood of spellcasters and vampires, so I wanted to create a haunted forest uniquely tailored to occult sims. The objects from the Life & Death expansions are some of my favorites, so I incorporated a ton into my design for a dark, wooded area with a small cabin and crypt.

You’ll need The Sims 4 Vampires and Realm of Magic game packs to make occult sims, along with Paranormal stuff if you want to hold seances. I suppose you could remove those requirements if you’re just creating something spooky to explore with regular households, but that’s a lot to replace from the activity schedule if that’s the direction you choose.

Roles: Head Witch (x1), Chaotic Witch (x1), Witch (x7)

Music festival custom venue

(Image credit: EA)

When I first got into Sims 4 mods, I downloaded a concert venue to try recreating some of my favorite bands. I remember being heartbroken that it wouldn’t work, but I’ve finally made up for it years later by making my own music festival as a Sims 4 custom venue—complete with a stage, outdoor bar, overnight camping space, and even rows of food stands.

The vendors mostly came from City Living and I added a ton of camping goodies from the Outdoor Retreat pack to set up tents and outdoor restrooms. I also used all twenty role slots just to keep the festival looking busy, though it does get a little chaotic. You can make the band a solo act if you want more attendees, and make sure you include festival staff to keep the place running.

Roles: Singer Songwriter (x2), Venue Staff (x1), Bartender (x1), Food Vendor (x2), Roadie (x2), Super Fan (x2), Attendee (x8)

Pet training custom venue

(Image credit: EA)

In a true act of simulating my fantasy life, I created a reality where my pets are well-behaved angels that listen to everything I say—or at least one where it’s easier to teach them. Instead of the typical board-and-train facilities I see in real life, I created a Sims 4 custom venue where dog owners can visit with their pups for days to work on shared skills. After all, what good is dog training if the owner doesn’t learn with them?

You can send pets along for getaways, so I created a few roles for trainers and groundskeepers, then left the rest for pet parents and their dogs. It’s cute screenshot city, and an excuse to make not only a dog park, but a whole pup-themed experience. I wouldn’t dream of telling my cat what to do, but I’m sure you could make something like a cat show work.

Roles: Trainer (x2), Vet (x1), Groundskeeper (x1), Pet Owners (x5), Pets (x5)

Family reunion custom venue

(Image credit: EA)

It’s basic compared to the rest, but planning and designing a custom venue for a family reunion getaway was easily my favorite of the bunch. I set it up to run out of a fancy Victorian home with a chef and housekeepers, making sure there was ample room for gatherings in the dining room and private gardens, and then designed a schedule for maximum emotional chaos.

I scheduled time for stirring up disagreements at the dinner table, sitting through unnecessary family criticism, and causing general mischief. My first schedule damaged a few too many relationships though, so I toned it down in the evenings and made time for family bonding and drinks.

After using this for a regular family get-together, I think I’ll plan more of these around specific holidays. It’s a nice way to avoid remodeling homes when I get the seasonal Christmas or Halloween bug, and orchestrating a week of feuding with extended relatives is more entertaining than I’d like to admit.

Roles: Chef (x1), Housekeeper (x2), Immediate Family (x4), Extended Family (x6)

Space Camp custom venue

(Image credit: EA)

Camp Gibi Gibi is cute and all, but I’ve got a permanent chip on my shoulder from seeing Space Camp advertisements as a kid and never going. I made my own space-themed learning center to compensate, complete with ridiculous spaceship walls from the Get Famous expansion. Those props are so large that I had to use Sims 4 cheats to clip them through walls and save space.

Anyway, that’s not something you absolutely need, but I found the Get Famous props helpful for setting the tone. I also added things like the Retro Rocketship for a camp leader to use, a little cluster of telescopes with an observatory, and a cosmic-themed crafting project from the Parenthood pack

Roles: Camp Leader (x1), Camp Mentor (x3), Camp Cook (x1), Campers (x8)