• Add a few beach umbrellas in your backyard for decoration.beach umbrella image by Alfonso d'Agostino from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>
  
  No matter your location, you can bring the beach to your own backyard. Get your guests in a tropical mood with a food and drink menu that reminds them of the coast. Host activities that are popular on the beach, and play tropical music to get guests in the mood. Beach-themed decorations can transform your backyard into a tropical paradise.
  
  

Invitations

• Send out a thematic invitation for your backyard beach bash. You can choose an invitation in the shape of a margarita glass or a beach towel to go along with your beach theme. Invite guests to "Soak up the Rays at a Backyard Beach Party" or "Get Some Sand Between Your Toes at the Johnson's Beach Bash." Include the location, date, time and RSVP information for the party. If you want guests to wear beach attire, specify that on the invitation.
  
  

Decorations

• Set the tropical mood at your beach party by choosing appropriately themed decorations. Scatter sand on your patio to simulate a beach, and include beach chairs and umbrellas in your backyard. Use beach towels as tablecloths, and your centerpieces can be beach pails filled with sand. If you have a covered patio, hang beach balls from the ceiling as an added touch.
  
  

Menu

• Seafood is a classic beach meal, so serve some seafood at your backyard beach party. Toss shrimp or fish on the grill, and serve yellow rice and vegetables for a fresh summer meal. You might want to offer hamburgers or hot dogs for your younger guests who might not enjoy seafood. Provide tropical drinks, of both the alcoholic and nonalcoholic variety, for guests to enjoy. Margaritas, mai tais and Bahama mamas will make guests feel like they're on vacation. Add a paper umbrella in their glass.
  
  

Activities

• Play tropical music for guests to enjoy. Artists like Jimmy Buffet, Bob Marley and Jack Johnson will set the mood for your backyard beach bash. Host a limbo contest, and let guests play classic beach games. They can toss the beach ball around or play paddleball. Fill up a sandbox with enough sand for guests to build sandcastles, and they will feel like they are at the ocean.
  
  

Favors

• A beach-themed favor can send guests home with a memory of your backyard beach bash. You can give each guest a pair of brightly colored flip-flops to wear at the party and take home. Or write each guest's name on a plastic margarita glass using a paint pen, and she can use it at the party and at her next beach-themed event.