It’s that time of the spring semester again. We have just over a week of no classes to relax, spend time with family, do extra studying, hang out with friends, work or go on vacation. It can be difficult, though, to find time to make exciting plans for spring break with all the other commitments. Some people cannot afford a trip, while others cannot spare time from work to go on an extended vacation. To remedy this, I have compiled a list of things you can do and places you can go over spring break for free or very cheap.
State Parks
State parks are an amazing and often underutilized place to visit. The great thing about state parks is that not only is it free to go to almost any state park, but staying overnight to camp is usually under $30 a night no matter what state park you go to. This includes the popular parks in Oklahoma like Tenkiller State Park or Lake Eufaula State Park. Each park has a specialized ‘draw’ to their locations. For example; Lake Eufaula has a 3D archery course, Natural Falls State Park has gorgeous hiking trails and views of natural waterfalls and Lake Tenkiller is perfect for scuba diving and kayaking. There’s even a state park near Oklahoma City called Lake Thunderbird State Park. Not only is it inexpensive to visit state parks, but it’s good for the body to exercise in the outdoors.
Roadside America
Roadside America is a website used to find small, out of the way tourist destinations. In Oklahoma City, Bricktown or the Myriad Gardens are popular places to visit, but some more out-of-the-way places are listed on the website. One is a Rattlesnake Museum in the city or an art display of a hanging spiral staircase. Roadside America is an easy way to find inexpensive points of interest to visit which you may have never heard of. A single stop can make a drive home from work even more fun than it was before.
Geocaching
Geocaching is a GPS scavenger hunting game where you can use a smartphone app to find hidden containers outside. There are millions of Geocaches worldwide, and even a couple of them hidden on campus. Geocaching is an easy, mostly inexpensive activity which can make a slow afternoon one where you explore your area in ways you haven’t before.
Art Hunting
The last suggestion is to get a camera and walk around Bricktown or the Paseo and try to find any and all art murals on the buildings. It can be fun to create your own scrapbook of your adventures through the city to find artwork.
There are many different things to do over spring break in Oklahoma if you are staying close to SNU, but all of these different activities can be enjoyed in any state. Be sure to be safe and enjoy your time away from homework!
(Photo by Peter Conlan on Unsplash)