As summer begins, I find myself wondering what there is to really do in a small town, especially one of only 735 people. It would be easy to simply declare myself as bored and just lay in bed with Netflix and no chill, but that would be a waste of valuable time. Listed below are just a few ideas of what can be done when you only have a few friends around and no actual places of entertainment, except bars, which don’t exactly accept half of the college population.
1. Nap days
Don’t write off this idea quite yet. Call over a friend, play a favorite movie, grab some snacks, and if you are lucky, you’ll fall asleep long enough to catch up on some of what was lost to college study sessions.
2. Movie marathons
Disney movies are my recommendation. Make a list of all the ones you love, or even the ones you have never seen. I bet there are some out there that will reignite your love for simple films with a child audience in mind.
3. Road trips
Do I even have to explain? It can be anywhere. Drive 20 miles away or 300. Wherever your heart, car, and wallet take you.
4. Hiking
You don’t need a forest and hiking boots always to experience the outdoors. Take a “hike” around town if that is all nature allows. Just maybe refer to it as a walk then if anyone asks.
5. Photography micro-contest
Grab a friend and some cameras, or in this age, a cell phone, and take some photos that you can impress a “judge” with. Send them to another pal and see who got the best shots of the world around you.
6. Park scavenger hunts
Every park has water fountains, swingsets, etc. Race with a friend to see who can reach them first.
7. Learn one new detail
I doubt that you know every single detail about your hometown. Make it your mission for the day to do some digging and learn something new.
8. Backyard camping
Put up a tent or lay down some blankets in the backyard for the night. Enjoy the world around you.
9. Book recommendations
Another one that I do not feel the need to explain. They are those things in the local library that we, as college students, often suffer through in the textbook version.
10. Create a video
Not everyone in the world has seen your hometown. You may be bored of it, but a viewer may see it as an enchanting place of wonder. Record the little things that make your town special and upload them to whatever social site the kids are on nowadays.
11. Or, if push does turn to shove, lay on the grass.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Stare at some clouds.
We all need a break once awhile, and it seems as we get older, the simple things in life can be forgotten. Relax with friends. Enjoy summer. Because, college students especially, we all know what happens once the schedules come back out and the textbooks fill the backpacks—stress, tears, and complicated emotions that we can’t explain.
