I feel like this year I have never been more excited for summer break! At this point, I know most people are starting to plan their summer trips and find reasons to leave Windsor. But I have a summer internship 5 days a week which means I will be sticking around my hometown for the summer. I was born and raised in this area, and I’ve found that there’s so many things to do that I haven’t had the opportunity to check out! So here is my Summer 2023 Bucket list for Windsor-Essex!
- Visit a Summer Market
-
For years I’ve been wanting to take a stroll through the Downtown Windsor Farmers Market, but I’ve never had the time (or motivation) to go! Typically, it runs from 8am-1pm, but I never really wanted to get up that early to go and explore. Now that it’s running from 9am-2pm instead, I feel more motivated and excited to check it out! Over the past year I learned that Walkerville does a ton of markets throughout the summer too and I’ve just never had the opportunity to go to one. Some small businesses I’m hoping to check out at the market are S’mores Forge, Eh Plus Vintage, Donuts & Fizz, P’tit Quelquechose, and Higher Vibes Creations.
- Go Paddleboarding
-
Every year I say that I’m going to try paddleboarding, and I never do. This year, I’m going to do it! Windsor has a great paddleboard business down by the water called Urban Surf Co, so I need to make sure to pop by there sometime.
- Take Myself on a Solo Date
-
This is something I’ve been wanting to implement into my monthly lifestyle for some time now, but I just haven’t had the opportunity to give it a go due to my chaotic schedule. I’d love to take myself on a solo date at least once per month just to have a fun day to myself. Some things I would love to try doing include going thrifting, visiting Wolf & Rebel, getting my nails done at 2 Waves, going to see a movie, and treating myself to a nice lunch!
- Working at a Coffee Shop
-
I consider myself lucky that I’m able to work on my own schedule and remotely, but I find that I work at my desk most of the time, on the couch, or in my bed at home. This summer, I want to make a change and work in different spaces. There are so many cafés I want to try out in the area such as March 21, Kava Café, Today Café, and Caffeine & Co. I also can’t forget my go to favourites which are Anchor Coffee House and Taloola Café! From this, you can see that I have many cafés to check off my list!
- Go to a Drive In Movie
-
Technically, this is outside of Windsor, but there is a local drive-in movie theater called Boonies that’s about a 40 minute drive from Windsor that plays double features on the weekends. I have a very tiny car, but I figured it’d be cute to go with a friend and some blankets to watch movies together!
- Do More Artsy Stuff
-
At our last Her Campus bonding event, we went to Art Splash and painted some ceramics. I found this activity to be so fun because it allowed me to express my inner creativity which I hadn’t done in a while. It also distracted me from all the other work I had. I would love to do activities like painting ceramics again, or maybe try painting tote bags, shoes, or even just participate in a paint night!
- Attend the Van Gogh Experience
-
This summer, Windsor is FINALLY getting a chance to run the Van Gogh Experience, which always looks so stunning. I’ve always been obsessed with the idea of attending experiences like this, so I’ll be booking my tickets asap!
I wrote out this bucket list to motivate myself through exams. After writing this out, I cannot wait for the summer season to get here!