Spring Break adventures: options for students remaining in the area

By KELLY EVANS

Staff Writer

For many college students, spring break is an opportunity to get away from the stress of school and explore the world outside of textbooks. However, this can be difficult for the students who are stuck on campus over break or are staying in Virginia. However, Virginia offers many opportunities for UMW students to really explore and have fun over the week-long break. Here are some events in the Northern Virginia and Fredericksburg area that are held over UMW’s spring break.

Northern Virginia/ Washington D.C.

Students who are on campus or those who live in the Northern Virginia area can attend Alexandria’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. This event will be held on March 3 in Alexandria. The event is run by The Ballyshaners, a non profit corporation that is organized for charitable and educational purposes. According to tripsavvy’s guide to Washington D.C., the parade starts off with a classic car show from 9 – 11:45 a.m. which follows into a dog show from 10:30 a.m.- 12 p.m. Following these events, the parade starts at 12:30 p.m. on Alfred and King Street and runs until 2:30 p.m. ending on Cameron Street.
Visit the Daughters Of The American Revolution Museum. This museum is located in Washington D.C. and was founded with the goals of historic preservation, education and patriotism. Admission is free and this would be a perfect opportunity to learn about and celebrate Women’s History Month.
Attend Jirani Coffee shops open mic nights. Jirani is located in Old Town Manassas, which also has plenty of restaurants and shops to explore. Open mic nights are held weekly on thursday nights starting at 7:30 p.m. This coffee shop allows you to expand your taste of music and listen to local performers, and you can even perform yourself too.
Hike the beautiful Scotts Run Nature Preserve or Great Falls. Scotts Run Nature Preserve is located in McLean, providing multiple trails with various levels of difficulty; however, most of them are easy. This trail provides perfect scenery of the Potomac River even including a waterfall and overlook. There are multiple areas for dogs to play and even have a picnic. Great Falls is also located in McLean not too far from Scotts Run. This hike provides multiple opportunities to enjoy viewpoints overlooking the falls.

Fredericksburg

Attend “Mamma Mia!” at the Riverside Center For The Performing Arts. According to Visit Fred, the performance is about “a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father” before her wedding, bringing “three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago.” The show runs from now through March 4.
Attend a “Bring Your Own Vinyl” party. This event is held by Adventure Brewer Company on March 3 from 7 p.m to 10 p.m. Here you can bring in your vinyl and enjoy various types of music and share your own as well.
Attend Family Feud Night at Adventure Brewing Company, held on thursdays weekly starting at 8 p.m. According to Adventure Brewings website, “Each Thursday we play a trivia style game of Family Feud. Just like the show on TV, Family Feud challenges you to defend your team’s honor with lightning-quick responses. Each team member has to predict the top answers. Come watch the fun or let your group join in on the battle to win great prizes.”
Attend Freestyles Friday at Katora Coffee in Downtown Fredericksburg. This event is held weekly every Friday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Here you can enjoy music along with unlimited refills of drip coffee or hot chocolate for $5. The shop also provides various drinks such as tea as well as bakery treats that are vegan and gluten free.