The weather lately has been extraordinary, and the forecast for the upcoming week, even though there’s a chance of rain, is phenomenal—highs in the seventies all week long! When you live on campus, you automatically flock to the quad on these nice spring days. But what if you don’t live in the dorms or you’ve gotten tired of stretching out on a blanket between Lenhardt and Burrowes? There are plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors in the area.
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Head Downtown. If you’re going on a Tuesday, Friday or Saturday, you should check out Central Market. There’s plenty of delicious food and fun stands to browse. Grab a burrito from the Senorita Burrita stand or a falafel from Saife’s, a cider from the Kauffman’s Fruit Farm stand and have yourself a picnic in Penn Square or Steinman Park. After that you could walk down to Prince Street and get ice cream at Carmen & David’s. If you’re not too hungry, there are plenty of shops to walk around to while enjoying the weather. You could walk around Gallery Row (pictured to the right), or check out the 300 block of Queen Street and visit the great shops there, like Mommalicious and Building Character.
Even if you have a car, I recommend taking the bus, because parking can be a pain. Just hop on the Route 16 bus out front of Hash for free and get off anywhere downtown! There’s so much to do downtown that you don’t even need my suggestions! Go explore.
Grab some (iced) coffee. When’s the last time you visited George Street Café, the gem of a coffee shop right here on our own campus? They have great coffee and tea, as well as great food. Grab a snack or a drink and take a seat outside to enjoy the warm sunshine. Same goes for JavaVille (formerly Javateas).
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Take a hike. Lancaster County is a beautiful place, but many Millersville students don’t make it out beyond our little town. Take an adventure to Chickie’s Rock County Park and hike up to the Chickie’s Rock Overlook. Or explore the trails at Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve.
Go for a run or walk. If you’ve been slaving away in the fitness center all winter, it’s definitely time to break out of your workout routine and take a run around campus. If that doesn’t sound exciting enough, you could try taking a run or stroll through the nice neighborhoods surrounding campus, like Crossgates or the neighborhood off of Frederick Street past North Duke. Just be safe, especially if it’s later in the evening. Wear light colored clothing and make sure that if you’re going alone you let your friends or roommates know where you are!
Play in the park. There are a ton of great parks in Lancaster, but Long’s Park, right near the Park City Mall, is one of my favorites. It’s a huge park with big open fields, playgrounds, pavilions, a fitness trail, lake, tennis courts and even a petting farm. Bring a soccer ball or a Frisbee and have some fun!
Photo Sources:
Galley Row: www.lancasterarts.com
Tucquan Glen: www.lancasterconservancy.org
Longs Park: www.longspark.org