Feeling the winter blues? From art classes and cozy coffee shops to ski slopes and retro arcades, these Virginia activities offer easy ways to boost your mood until spring’s arrival.
Short days with limited sunlight and cold temperatures leave many feeling down during winter—a phenomenon known as winter blues. However tempting hibernating under a warm blanket with a good show to binge may be, there are other ways to bust the winter blues. Luckily, Virginia offers plenty of opportunities to engage in fun and uplifting activities. Here are our top seven recommendations.
1. Take an art class
Instead of dwelling on all the things you can’t do outdoors, channel your energy into learning a new art form, like pottery, painting, jewelry-making, or woodworking.
Arlington County Parks & Recreation
Location: 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington
The Arlington County Parks & Recreation department offers a range of art classes, workshops, and studio programs for folks of all ages to support county residents as they seek to maintain a healthy, balanced life. The department emphasized that its art offerings help reduce stress and encourage social interaction.
Some of the offerings include intro to acrylics, intro to watercolor, intro to jewelry, intro to wax carving, and intro to woodworking.
Studio School
Location: 2137 Colonial Ave. SW, Roanoke
Sign up for a class at the Studio School, where classes are taught by some of the Roanoke Valley’s most notable artists. Check out the faculty page to decide which artist you want to learn from. It welcomes those who are just starting to get in touch with their creative sides, as well as professionals looking to brush up on their skills.
Classes range from mixed media, still life, acrylics, and gelli print collages to sketches and expressive landscapes.
Village Studio Arts
Location: 10842 Warwick Blvd., Newport News
Village Studio Arts offers pottery and visual art classes for all ages. Offering a 12:1 student-to-instructor ratio, the studio allows for more intimate learning.
Those who are serious about developing their pottery skills should consider enrolling in The Potter’s Guild, which grants regular access to the studio. The membership fee is $125. While you work on your own piece, you can also sign your child up for a class, like the Pottery for the Garden class for ages 8-15 on Mar. 14 and 21. Participants will make gnomes and bird feeders.
2. Experience live theater
Transport yourself to another place and time by catching a show at one of the Commonwealth’s professional theater companies.
Virginia Repertory Theatre
Location: 114 West Broad St., Richmond
Virginia Repertory Theatre, a dynamic regional professional theater, has been producing thought-provoking shows in Central Virginia for more than 70 years.
Upcoming shows include “Primary Trust,” an exploration of vulnerability, isolation, and unexpected friendship, from Mar. 5-29. If you enjoy the show and want to get involved, consider auditioning for a future production.
Barter Theatre
Location: 127 W Main St., Abingdon
Thousands of Virginians have been transported to different worlds by productions at Barter Theatre, the state theater of the Commonwealth. It stages an eclectic assortment of plays and musicals each year.
“The Three Musketeers,” an action-packed show that follows a band of swashbuckling musketeers, is the theater’s primary production in March; however, “Pickleball,” a comedic take on the country’s favorite new game, is also playing on select dates.
3. Go bowling
Get competitive by playing a fast-paced round at your local bowling alley.
River City Roll
Location: 939 Myers St., Richmond
River City Roll takes bowling to the next level with HyperBowling, which utilizes moving targets on the bumpers that the players either try to hit or avoid. A variety of games are available with vibrant targets on the bumpers worth different values, and pins worth 100 points each. Surprisingly, this is one of only eight bowling facilities in the world to offer HyperBowling.
Late night bowling with live entertainment, along with food, cocktails, and brews, is also offered on Friday and Saturday nights.
Lee Hi Lanes
Location: 1830 Apperson Dr., Salem
Simply enjoy knocking a few pins down, or get serious about your bowling game by joining one of the many leagues at Lee-Hi Lanes. The center offers 40 state-of-the-art lanes.
You can also try moonlight bowling for a fun experience and grab dinner at Striker’s Café.
4. Take to the slopes
Take to the slopes at one of the Commonwealth’s ski and snowboarding resorts.
Massanutten Resort
Location: 1822 Resort Dr., Massanutten
Even though the weather is still cold, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun outdoors at Massanutten Resort, a 6,000-acre mountain destination. It offers skiing, snowboarding, tubing, ice skating, and a range of other fun winter-related activities.
Draw the winter season to a close by attending Mass Meltdown on Saturday, Mar. 14. The send-off will include a pond skim, rail jam, live DJ, bands, and a beer tap.
Wintergreen Resort
Location: Route 664, Wintergreen
Have fun on the slopes by skiing, snowboarding, or tubing, or simply relax in the expansive spa at Wintergreen Resort. The resort spans 11,000 acres along the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Increased winter snowfall in February extended the winter sports season through mid-March.
5. Visit an arcade
Instead of dwelling on the winter weather, get in touch with your inner retro child by visiting an arcade.
Starcade
Location: 1 Market Square SE, Roanoke
The Starcade is much more than a normal arcade, but rather an interactive museum that features over 100 retro arcade games.
With a museum ticket, you get access to all the games because they’re set up for free play. Some of the new games include Burger Time, Cannonball Blast, NBA Hang Time, and Space Invaders.
Reclaim Arcade
Location: 2324 Plank Rd., Fredericksburg
Reclaim Arcade offers a unique combination of retro nostalgia mixed with modern fun. Many of the games were popular during the 70s, 80s, and 90s. It offers more than 50 classic arcade games and 19 pinball machines, all set to free play. Some of the games include Jungle Hunt, Kangaroo, and Congo Bongo.
While playing, enjoy a smash burger, fresh-cut French fries, and a cocktail or beer. Here’s the menu.
6. Play indoor golf
Even though golf may be more of a warm-weather sport, you can still play the game indoors.
Salem Golf Simulator
Location: 200 East Fourth St., Salem
Playing at the Salem Golf Simulator will give you access to more than 200 world-famous golf courses, all of which have been faithfully reproduced to resemble the real courses. Key features of the simulator include an eight-directional swing plate, touchscreen monitor kiosk, auto-tree and ball retrieval system, and high-speed camera sensors.
The simulator welcomes those who are seasoned golfers, as well as those just looking to have fun.
The Traveling Bear Indoor Mini Golf
Location: 1125 Old Euclid Center, Bristol
The Traveling Bear Indoor Mini Golf, Bristol’s only indoor mini-golf course, features 18 holes. Each hole has a different theme, like the Bristol Moto Speedway, a skating rink, and Dolly Parton.
Before or after playing, grab a snack at Big Jack’s Soda Shack. It sells pizza, hot dogs, pickles, sweets, and ice cream.
7. Curl up with a good read at a coffee shop
Don’t just read a good book at home—curl up with one at a local coffee shop.
Maple Tree Book Shop
Location: 101 E Jackson St., Suite 101, Gate City
Maple Tree Book Shop is a new and used bookstore that can offer you a never-ending supply of made-to-order treats, like homemade cookies.
The BiblioPub
Location: 416 Campbell Ave. SW, Roanoke
The BiblioPub is where books, coffee, beer, and wine all come together. The space hosts a bookstore, coffee shop, and beer and wine lounge. After finding a new book, order your favorite coffee, like a chai latte, and a sandwich, like a turkey caprese, so that you can immerse yourself in the world of the story.
