Whether you’re an international student, you’re taking classes over break, or you’ve just outgrown going home during the Holidays, it’s easy to stay in your apartment and get cabin fever during Southeast Ohio winters. They’ve got some freezing days and some unnaturally warm days, but the one thing you can always count on in our newly-temperate rainforest is that it will be WET.
Thank you, Climate Change.
Anyway, you can easily avoid cabin fever if you live in uptown Athens. There’s always something going on; when the students are away, the townies will play. So get in on the holiday Athens action. Here are a few of our favorite weather-friendly things to check out when it’s dark and cold and quiet here:
Check out the Athens Art Market at the Market on State Street. Every Saturday morning, different local artists vend their wares, and the artist lineup changes every week, so there’s always some new treasures to find. Buy some holiday gifts and show your local pride.
Go to the Athens Cinema uptown for a slew of classic holiday movies that show all through December. While you’re at it, take a walk down Court Street and admire the twinkling lights of the outdoor holiday décor.
Hang out at one of the coffee shops on Court Street. You can get cozy and do some reading or researching while sipping a hot cup of coffee and watching the snow outside… if it ever snows again.
On cold winters, Stroud’s Run Lake freezes over. And what’s more fun to do on a cold winter day than slide around an iced-over lake. Be safe, though – don’t go too far out, and be warned: the blue ice is not weight-bearing. Stay on the white frosty stuff.
Visit the local art hubs, like Kennedy Museum up at the Ridges, Passion Works Studio uptown, and the Dairy Barn Arts Center off Richland. If you visit Passion Works and the Dairy Barn, you can even get in on some of the creative action!
The Southeast Ohio History Center, located in a retrofitted church near Court Street, is a new kind of museum; they even hold history lectures at local breweries. And everyone knows, the only cold drinks that will warm you up are alcoholic ones. Get warm, get loose, and learn about Athens’ heritage.
Thrift shopping. Fun all year round, enjoy the quieter, less trafficked vibe of Athens winters and explore Random House, Athens Underground, New-To-You, Goodwill… that’s not even all of them. Athens is a thrifter’s dream.
Following the alcohol-keeps-you-warm body of theories, do a winter bar crawl; there are certainly plenty of bars and breweries just on the few blocks that comprise uptown Athens. The bars won’t be crowded, since most of the students are gone.
You don’t have to be a shut-in during the Holidays, or feel salty when you friends come back with all their great stories about the Holidays at home. Stay active and involved in the local scene and you might end up being the one with the better holiday stories.
Happy Winter Break!