There are a multitude of reasons why people want to get out of their homes and one very big reason why not (I’m talking about you, coronavirus). Summer is a time for get-togethers, travel and relaxation — three things that are not a part of phased reopening.
Here are five (or more) activities you can do with the family (or, heaven forbid, alone) to keep socially distant for less money than flying everyone to Greenland — where there are only 13 reported COVID-19 cases, all recovered — for the season.
Best of all, no face masks necessary.
Get On The Water
Especially if you live near the water, why aren’t you out there? Hampton Roads is one of the largest natural harbors in the world and full of explorable rivers and streams. If you haven’t paddled out and stood in the middle of Lake Drummond in the Great Dismal Swamp, you’re missing out (it has a maximum depth of 6 feet).
If you’re not kayak-ready, don’t fret. Contact Kayak Nature Tours to get going. They offer a wide range of trips for not a lot of dough, including on the Eastern Shore, the Chesapeake Bay and out on the ocean, paddling next to dolphins. Friends of the Rappahannock hosts kayaking events in the Northern Neck as well.
Why not get fancy? Go to Wild River Outfitters, fix you up a fishing rig, and sit under the Lesner Bridge in Virginia Beach for a couple of weeks and score yourself that citation drum.
And if you don’t want to do a lot of work, flop on an inner tube and float yourself down a river. James River Runners offers tubing, canoeing, kayaking and rafting trips up and down the James.
Go Geocaching
Geocaching is basically a game of hide-and-seek and it costs zero dollars. The goal is to use an app to locate the millions of GPS-marked caches hidden across the globe. These can be the size of a crate or as small as a pill box and contain whatever items previous discoverers have left behind. Sign the logbook, take a widget, leave a widget and find the next one.
This is a great way to learn more about your community while avoiding the “brick-and-mortar” establishments. Many geocaches are hidden in parks and preserves (check out Sandy Bottom Nature Park in Hampton), and their difficulties range from as easy as just off the beaten path to the one in a tree in the middle of Lake Drummond that still haunts me.
Augmented Reality and Other Apps
If you have younglings who are seemingly uninspired by the thought of trudging through the woods for a memento, another great way to explore the outdoors is through video games played on mobile devices that enhance or “augment” objects in the real world.
There has been an explosion of augmented reality games in the past few years due to the increased processing power of even the current run-of-the-mill cell phones.
Take advantage of what you already pay for. Get the kids out of the house with Pokémon Go (it’s ridiculously addictive). Search for Pokémon everywhere from beaches to parks to historic areas. If you’re trying for something a bit more academic, try Civilization AR (Apple only). Also, Harry Potter Wizard’s Unite comes highly recommended (though I haven’t tried it).
Combine geocaching with PlantNet to identify species of plants as you hike to different geocaches across the state.
Or go beyond the cell phone and get all nerdy by learning how to build your own smart mirror with Raspberry Pi and Magic Mirror. Apparently it’s really easy, even for a beginner who still uses the “can’t program the VCR” joke.
If you’re thinking that travel isn’t as fun as air conditioning feels, try Survey Junkie, which pays users to take surveys. Make some money on your couch. No one is judging you. You’re social distancing.
Get Into Photography
What a time to take pictures in places where there are fewer people out and about! You don’t even need a fancy camera (but if you think you do, here’s one on sale). But your cell phone will work nicely.
You can spend a few c-notes on Photoshop, or use one of the many open-source applications to edit your pictures on your computer, such as Gimp. You can also use one of a few powerful apps like Afterlight which provides a wealth of tools to edit and post photos directly to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or wherever without being confusing. It helped turn me into a regular [insert famous photographer here].
Don’t know what you’re doing? Lynda.com is offering a first-month-free subscription and has everything from beginner classes through advanced techniques.
Thanks to Bita Ghavami for her guidance on this section. I still think there are powerful gnomes in my phone that mess up all my pictures.
Go Biking Like Everyone Else
Did you know that bike sales have doubled since the quarantine? Did you also know that these bikers have no idea where the good trails are?
Of course, there are your popular bike trails like the Elizabeth River Trail in Norfolk, the Cape Henry Trail or the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail, but if you’re looking for a challenge, check out The Virginia Capital Trail — a 51.7-mile multi-use, fully paved trail that runs from Williamsburg to Richmond. Or head to the southwestern part of the state and try the longest bike trail in Virginia, a nearly 60-mile trail that runs along the New River. New River State Park, incidentally, also offers great camping, boating and tubing.
Key points: learn the rules of the road. And hey, all you motorists thinking it’s funny or you’re just too rushed to make the appropriate pass, know that bicyclists have the same right-of-way in Virginia as automobiles AND pedestrians.
Some More Family Friendly Ideas
- Strawberry picking at Hickory Ridge Farms in Chesapeake. After strawberry season winds down, pick blueberries at Drewry Farms in Wakefield or MillFarm Christmas Trees & Berry Farm outside Williamsburg.
- Pick lavender at Sweethaven Lavender in Williamsburg. You can pre-order a picnic lunch to eat while you’re there.
- Watch waterfalls from various heights at Crabtree Falls, Dark Hollow Fall or Great Falls National Park.
- Go parasailing with Pirate Parasailing in Virginia Beach.
- Hike, bike or camp at False Cape State Park.
- Learn to surf with Wes Laine (thanks Rick!).
Just go. And wear a mask when appropriate, please.