According to the National Recreation and Park Association, “as little as 20 minutes a day spent outdoors helps reduce stress.” This is valuable advice, as the past winter in Athens was brutal, with snowstorms and ice covering the town. Snow was calculated to have reached over six inches in just one storm this past January. Now, we have reached the time when 40 degrees Fahrenheit feels warm. As temperatures continue to rise, so does the energy among college students who reside here.
With fest season coming up, nature coming alive and events around every corner, Athens is at its peak. Spring is perfect in Athens because of its environment, people and liveliness.
Fest season is when streets host various parties on multiple weekends from March through April. It’s a break from the normal day-to-day of students and a way to prematurely celebrate the upcoming end of the year. The warm season is basically urging students to spend carefree time with friends and potentially make new ones, but it’s also important to be responsible and safe during the season.
My friends and I take advantage of this time to all be together in large groups and see each other when we may be busy on other weekends. To add to the excitement, it’s fun to put together outfits for the warm spring weather.
Parties are not for everyone, but that is another reason why Athens is the place to be when the weather changes. Strouds Run State Park is a wonderful area to get outside and experience nature. The park is a quick 15-minute drive from campus. Students can take advantage of the beach and feel like they are on vacation. Strouds Run also offers boating options such as paddleboards, canoes and even pontoon boats for rent. There are areas to hike, a park, water to explore and a beach to lie out on.
If you don’t have access to Strouds Run, there are many places on campus to get work done outside or even have a picnic. There are areas like College Green, West Green or even the patio of Court Street Coffee or North End Kitchen and Bar.
North End’s patio has been such a wonderful place to hang out for my roommates and I for most of our college experience. You could also spend time alone and simply read outside or do homework. Especially with the closing of the semester, homework and assignments may be piling up, but the places to complete all of it can now be enjoyable with the warmth.
One can also create study groups that work outside, rather than in the library or any building. Bringing education and friendship outside is one of the great perks of college life. Freshman year of college, I worked outside of Alden Library when the weather was nice, and it made the work much more enjoyable.
Community is a value of Athens, and it also hosts many spring events, which can be found on the Athens County Visitors Bureau. There are events for everyone, such as an Art Market on March 21, as well as a nature-filled guided hike on March 28. Athens takes advantage of spring and finds ways to bring the community together, offering events that give every interest a space to thrive.
Athens is the place to be when spring hits, and with the spring equinox on March 20, which officially concludes winter (hopefully), this is officially your sign to get outside. As a senior, experiencing Athens for one last time in the spring is both exciting and emotional. A college campus and a small town with nature around every corner are the perfect places to be in the spring months.
Kyra Dapore is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Kyra know by emailing her at kd364521@ohio.edu.
