The back yard in New Albany was not fenced in when we bought the house so that was one of the first things we did. Also, the grass was in terrible shape so we decided to just not even have grass at all. We brought in all gravel and turned our back yard in to get-togeher central! Because of this, we were able to accommodate many people in a small area and have cookouts nearly every warm weekend.
The amenities of the back yard included an outdoor movie theater, a bar area, and various places to sit and hang out.