While spring break is usually seen as a time for away from home vacations and escaping the pressures of school, some of us aren’t lucky enough to get to leave Reston for the week. While you might not get out of town, it doesn’t mean that you are not able to have a fun break from school to reset in preparation for the final stretch of the school year. These are some ideas to help you enjoy your week, even if you are not able to leave home for the upcoming spring break.

1. Visit an Escape room

This is a fun and engaging experience that will get the adrenaline pumping. Going to places like Escape Room Herndon will provide an hour of fun and mystery for you and your team while you attempt to solve puzzles to escape a locked room. This is a great activity if you need something to do over break with your family members, as well as a fun activity for your friends if you are feeling bored and need some fast paced chaos in your break schedule. Escape rooms are usually an hour long, and can cost anywhere from $32-$44 a person, depending on the size of the group you bring. 

     2. Organize a video or board game day with friends

If some of your friends are also staying home during the break, you can set up a board game or video game meetup for a social activity that will keep you occupied all day long. This should help all of the extroverts among us to unwind from the stress of school and this would be a great casual activity if you feel worn out from the week. Get some snacks, or maybe even bake cookies beforehand, and plan for a cozy day with all of your favorite games.

    3. Bike to Vienna

If the weather allows, a great way to get active over your spring break is to bike to the town of Vienna, Virginia. It is around an hour and a half to bike ride on the W&OD trail, which is easily accessible. You simply bike along Sunrise Valley Drive until you see a biking trail and bike straight along the W&OD trail until you arrive in Vienna. When you arrive in Vienna you can go to Town Green park to lock up your bikes. You can visit Caboose Brewing Company & Tavern to get something to eat, walk around the shops on Church Street, or just enjoy being outside in the public park areas before you bike back home. This excursion is a fun way to get exercise in, and it is a great option for any underclassmen who want a way to get out of Reston for a day without needing a car.

    4. Washington DC Trip

Northern Virginia is lucky enough to be only a half hour drive from the nation’s capital, Washington DC. If you want to get outside and enjoy the spring weather you could walk the National Mall and observe the monuments scattered across it. If you aren’t a fan of the spring weather, you could visit a museum, like the Natural History Museum or the National Gallery of Art. There are countless shops, concerts, restaurants, and other attractions to visit in DC if monuments and museums are not your speed.

    5. Go camping

Enjoy the new warm weather by going camping. You can reserve a campsite at Lake Fairfax Park Campground or camp out in your backyard. This is a great way to reset, and distance yourself from the stress you might have felt from school. You will likely want to make a campfire, sleep in a tent, and have a sleeping bag, so you should take those materials and their costs into account when considering going camping. 

    6. Try baking/cooking something new

Treat yourself this break and make a new dish or dessert. Making a batch of cookies can be the perfect way to unwind during the break, and you will end up with a delicious dessert at the end of it. You don’t only have to make desserts though, and could also try to cook a new dinner for your family. Cooking a big breakfast is also a really fun option, and it will set you up for a successful and fun day. 

This spring break, take time to appreciate all that your community has to offer. While it’s exciting to take a road trip or fly to an exotic destination, it’s the simple things in life that often bring us the greatest pleasure.