Welcome back to Hoot Recommends! In this article, members of The Hoot editorial board will be sharing their favorite springtime activities.

Rachel

An underrated activity for people to do is to walk. Of course, we have all heard of walking, so it is not like going for a walk is a hidden secret. However many people do not understand the joy of taking a walk. It can be a time of relaxation where you can clear your head and take a breather from life. You can put your headphones in your ear, blast some of your favorite songs, and let those songs drown your thoughts. It is a freeing state of mind that can make you happy and healthy. Unfortunately, walking is not something that can be done at all times of the year. In the middle of winter, it can be way too freezing to take a walk and you will spend your whole walk shivering as your face turns numb. The thought of frostbite dominates your mind. In the middle of summer, it can be way too hot to take a walk. You become a pool of sweat slowly trudging along with a possible sunburn in your future. That is why walking is the perfect springtime activity. Spring is when the weather is not too cold but also not too hot. It is the perfect weather to take a leisurely walk and feel at one with your world. It is a time where you can let the music take over as the weather will not be distracting. So if you ever have time, just walk wherever your feet may take you. That walk can help you a lot and improve your mind, your stress and your whole day.

Jenny

My favorite springtime activity here is going to a farm. If you pull up a map on your phone, you will literally find so many different farms specialized in different things in an hour’s drive radius. Do you like to pet cute farm animals? Do you like to pick your own flowers? Do you like to try freshly produced baked goods and dairy products? If your answer is yes, a nearby farm is the best place to go to. Well, it might be a little too early for fruit picking, but why not spend a sunny day in the best season wandering around in a field with flowers in your hand and yummy food in your mouth?

Naomi

Go into Boston! Boston is honestly pretty miserable in the winter. It’s gray, it’s wet and it’s cold. But in the spring, it’s great! Go walk around Boston Common, explore new neighborhoods and generally just spend time outside and take advantage of the nice weather. If you time it right, you can also see some great blossoming trees and all the daffodils blooming. Boston spring is often pretty short, so make the most of it.

Calli

Spring in the Northeast lasts for approximately two days each year, and we are here to make every second worthwhile for you. My favorite springtime activity is going to Red Sox games. There is nothing like spending a spring evening at Fenway Park. With the Student9’s discount, going to baseball games is easier (and cheaper) than ever! Take the train into the city and have yourself an afternoon to relax and recharge before the end of the school year. The best time to be in the city, in my biased opinion, is right around the time of the Boston Marathon. It is such a refreshing time because everyone is excited and the city is bustling with people who have a newfound hope with warm weather right around the corner. 

Abby

Spring is my absolute favorite season, so I’m hard-pressed to pick a single favorite activity. My favorite thing about spring is that there are so many options for outdoors and outdoors-based activities that aren’t as accessible in the extreme cold of winter or even the blazing heat of summer. Reading a book? Now you can enjoy it on a bench on a sunny day. Trying to get lunch with friends? Grab a blanket and make it a picnic! Want to get a workout in? Go for a walk, a run or a bike ride unencumbered by the bitter cold. Want to flex your green thumb (or give your brown thumb another chance)? Start a garden or plant some indoor pots with seeds! Want to get creative? Grab some sidewalk chalk and sketch to your heart’s content! As you can see, I guess my favorite spring activity could just be summed up as being out of buildings. Fresh air and a warm day do wonders for seasonal depression, as hard as it is to be convinced to initially leave the cozy blanket pile that is your bed.

Lucas

Going outside is fun and all, but some of us have unfortunate pollen allergies that make spring the one definitive indoors season. Personally, I like to spend my spring days reading. Granted, I like to spend any day reading, but when stuck inside, a good book takes on a certain charm. I also find spring a good time to put things in order—clean my room, organize my stuff, things like that. But overall, there isn’t actually anything I do in spring that I couldn’t do any other season.

Natalie 

Every spring, after what feels like 10 months of winter, I have to get outside. My favorite thing to do outside is hiking—it’s a great way to get in exercise but also have great conversations with people. I also love having a good picnic and sitting outside on a large patch of grass and just soaking in the sun because I am so pale at this point. Finally, my favorite thing to do in the spring is not be seasonally depressed anymore! 

Lucy

By the time spring rolls around, my allergies get bad enough that I avoid the outdoors all together. The only activity worth enduring the high pollen count is Major League Soccer games. My family has had season tickets for the San Jose Earthquakes for as long as we have lived in San Jose. In that time, they have made the playoffs once, and got eliminated almost instantly. They are not a good team, but they are an exciting team that is occasionally fantastic and their fan base is one of the most passionate in the League. Games are always fun to see in person, win or lose, plus the food trucks next to the stadium provide great, inexpensive food. Currently, the Quakes have lost two of the two games they have played this season, but hopefully by the time the semester ends and I can see them in person, the team has cleaned up their act a bit. 

Michael

Spring is amazingly gorgeous. You get to walk through a green, lush wonderland with clear, sunny skies, without the scorching heat of summer to worry about. On a perfect spring day, I like to take a day trip to either Boston or the surrounding area, take my camera, and just start taking pictures. Not only is the art of photography very relaxing and enjoyable in itself, it’s also an excuse for me to get out of the house and enjoy the fresh air, as well as explore parks and hidden gems around Boston. 

Avery

I like to think of the brief New England spring as a few cool weeks to get ready for summer, and as such, my activity of choice is preparing for wakeboarding (foreshadowing my response should we make recommendations for the summer). In order to prepare, my dad and I spend several weekends putting the dock into the lake, rolling in the boat lift, and making the boat operational. The reason this is so enjoyable is the perfect gradient that is the weather. From 40 degrees in the morning to 75 at noon, then back to 40 degrees after sunset, spring is the perfect time to be working near a lake. Anticipation permeates our surroundings as neighbors also eagerly prepare for a warm season on the water. The perfect meld of simmering heat and freeze-your-toes-off cold provides the most ideal heavy-working weather while we look forward to the summer relaxing and fun. 

Roshni 

My favorite part of spring, especially early spring (which we are hopefully approaching soon), is watching the days get longer and longer. A sacrifice we have to give up during the winter is the joy of spending time outdoors and seeing light outside when it’s 5 pm. Spring brings back the longer days, and with it, a greater sense of possibilities for what you can spend your day doing. I’m eagerly looking forward to evening walks and generally not feeling like a nocturnal animal. 

Jenna

While it may be a little cliche, I quite literally like to stop and smell the roses. Walking around and finding new buds in bloom both on the trees and on the ground is kind of my version of bird watching. Enjoying the fresh air adds a nice touch to the beautiful petals and leaves springing up and coloring the landscape. Also, HomeGoods has some great vases if you decide there’s a flower you just can’t live without … until it decides it can’t live with you…