THE HIDDEN GEMS OF SPRINGTIME

Spring is here! The sun is out again after three long months of depressing Iowa winter and the flowers are in bloom. With the beauty of spring comes the joy of leaving the house! There’s one issue, though. It seems like there’s nothing to do here! Living in Iowa, we’re surrounded by abandoned malls and flat land. With a lack of third spaces here, we’re left with what feels like an entertainment desert. This feeling can disappear though, if you try hard enough to change it. If you look hard enough, there are some hidden gems in Johnson County.

Let’s start with two main events. From April 22-26, Wilson’s Orchard will host a tulip festival. The tulips will be in bloom, the April air will be fresh, and it’ll be a great place to “slow down, breathe in that unmistakable April air, and wander beneath open sky surrounded by thousands of blooms reaching for the sky.” Wilson’s orchard is a beautiful place to spend time with family, friends, and really anyone. From May 1-3, Hancher Auditorium is hosting a production of the musical Beetlejuice! This is an amazing show about a strange and unusual teenage girl who meets a ghost couple and a demon who helps her haunt her home. This show is definitely worth seeing! These are the main events of this spring, but if you dive a little deeper, you’ll find some niche activities for super cheap! I recommend Facebook for that, and there are some other great websites if you want a broader range.

Attending events can be a commitment, so, understandably, many people aren’t interested in things like that. When asking people around the school what they like to do when the weather is nice, I got so many great ideas! Staying active is a great way to take care of your health while also doing something productive with your time. Some great ways to do that are riding a bike, especially around your neighborhood with some friends, just walking on trails, or going to a roller- or ice-skating rink! The best places to go skating are the Body Armor Ice Arena in the Coral Ridge Mall and the new roller skating rink in Iowa City. More productive things could be gardening at home, especially with native plants that help the butterflies and bees around our garden beds, and creating some kind of art. Picking up a new instrument or just something you haven’t played in a while is a great way to discover a new talent and hobby. Getting into painting or other physical art forms is a good way to relieve some stress, too. 

Breezing into the springtime activities; Graphic by Kalli York

Personally, I get super bored all year round, but especially in the spring. The weather isn’t the best sometimes, and it’s the final stretch to the end of the school year. I really need to get some recreational activities to balance out the school work, and I have a great list for that. My favorite thing to do is get outside when the weather is nice because for me, it’s an instant mood booster. I love to get on my bike and go for a ride on a nice tree-lined trail. I usually take a companion with me, and we stop and get some food at a place somewhere along the trail. It’s also amazing to grab a coffee or a portable treat and go on a nice walk, either on a trail or just around the city. April is the time to start gardening. Around this time, I’ll start planting flowers, tomatoes, or, my favorite, strawberries! With some research, you can start a food garden by yourself and grow some of the best food you’ve ever had. My friends and I also love to try coffee shops or restaurants in the area, which is a great way to support local businesses. My favorites are Teamo for boba, Marquee Pizzeria for amazing stone-fired pizza, and Deluxe Bakery for treats and pastries! If you’re trying to save some money, I also love to make my own drinks at home. I recently got an espresso machine, and you can make perfect lattes with it. I’m also a huge fan of dirty sodas, which are super easy and cheap to make at home, no recipe required! Window shopping on sites like Depop and Vinted is a great activity, but only if you actually have the self-control to not buy everything you see (I don’t).

As the weather warms up and we’re all feeling the joy of the sun finally shining down on us, it’s important to remember that the most important thing right now is to balance our school work and recreation time. It can be so easy to get all your homework done and doom scroll the rest of your day away, but finding something new to do is so much healthier for you.