Staying home for Spring Break? Here are some ideas.

Road trip

It might be too last minute to buy a plane ticket, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck at home. Fill the car with gas, grab some friends or family (or go solo, if you’re an independent spirit) and go on a road trip! 

Roll the windows down and turn up the music, but be prepared for the cost of gas as well as the cost of hotels to stay in along the way. Going on a road trip is also a great opportunity for spontaneity. If you see an interesting place along the road, don’t be afraid to stop by and check it out.

Spend a day in downtown Detroit

Detroit is about half an hour drive away, and with its skyscrapers and busy streets, it has the same big and bustling energy as the big cities you would visit on spring break.

If you end up going down there, check out some of these popular eating places. 

• El Asador Steakhouse is a restaurant rated 4.5 stars. This steak house serves Mexican grilled meats & seafood, plus table-side guacamole.
• Detroit 75 Kitchen is a food truck rated 4.6 stars. This sandwich shop offers artisanal sandwiches, wings & hand-cut fries, plus picnic tables. 
• Duly’s Place Coney Island is a diner rated 4.6 stars. This restaurant serves classic chili dogs, cheese fries & sandwiches.

There are also some great place to visit that are unique to the Detroit area. 

• The Detroit Institute of Arts is the world-famous museum with more than 65,000 artworks. 
• The Eastern Market is one of the oldest and largest year-round markets in the entire US. 

Have a movie night

Spring break means no school, so it’s the perfect time to spend all day and all night watching movies. Some of the popular movies showing in theaters right now include “The Batman,” “Jujutsu Kaisen 0” and “Uncharted.” 

If you’re in the mood for staying home, there are lots of options on the various streaming services, as many new movies and tv shows have been released this year. It’s also always fun to binge-watch a series or two, and I’m sure everyone has either a few favorites they want to rewatch, or a list of shows they’ve been meaning to watch. If not, check out my suggestions, or look online for more thorough recommendations. 

• Disney Plus: A popular animated movie right now is “Turning Red,” a comedy and family movie released this year.  Another movie is “West Side Story,” a musical romance that was released at the end of last year but just started streaming this month.
• Netflix: “Is it Cake?” is a competition reality tv show released this year. “The Adam Project” is a sci-fi/adventure movie also released this year.
• Binge-worthy shows: “Euphoria” ( HBO Max), “Outer Banks” ( Netflix), or an old Disney channel favorite like “Liv & Maddie” or “Good Luck Charlie” (both on Disney Plus).

Learn a new hobby

When you have free time, it’s a great time to learn something new. Some hobbies I recommend trying out are:

• Skateboarding: you’re going to need to buy a skateboard first, but it’s a hobby that will occupy you for hours as well as serve as a nice core and legs workout. Plus, it’s really, really fun.
• Electric guitar: this one also involves some money, unless you have a cousin who has never touched their guitar that will be willing to give it to you (that was my case, thank you cousin). Fair warning, this hobby will be annoying at first to your family, but once you get the hang of it they’ll be thanking you for blessing their ears.
• Cooking and baking: find some recipes on TikTok, Pinterest, or Google and try them out yourself! It will likely end up in a messy kitchen and dirty dishes, but hopefully the food you create will be worth it. You can share with your family, or you can just eat it all yourself.
• Crafts: some crafty hobbies include painting, drawing, making jewelry, or knitting. Not only do these hobbies occupy your time, but they also result in things you can show off, wear, or display. 

Sleep:

Heavy emphasis on this one. School makes everyone sleep-deprived, so use this time to try and get rid of the bags under your eyes. 

The recommended amount of sleep a teenager needs is 8-10 hours. If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, listen to calming music or try meditation. Some strategies for prioritizing sleep are to create a night routine, turn off electronics before bed, and avoid caffeine before bed. A night routine is especially convenient, since treating yourself before bed through a skincare routine or a relaxing yoga routine will likely not only improve how you sleep but also how you wake up.

Spring break is the ideal time to take care of your mind and body, and your mind and body probably need it. 

There’s a whole week laid out ahead of us, and for many, it’s a blank slate. Whether you do something on this list or think of something else, break should be relaxing, enjoyable and everything else school is not. Happy spring break!