Create something new at the Sugar Creek Art Center
Up in Thorntown, the Sugar Creek Art Center offers classes on everything from watercolor painting to throwing pottery. A lot of the sessions are designed for beginners.
If you’ve ever seen those commercial businesses where you can drink wine and paint, the Sugar Creek Art Center can provide something akin to that (minus the alcohol). The benefit here over the more traditional small businesses offering art projects is that Sugar Creek is a nonprofit. They’re entirely volunteer-run, so you’ll need to do some advance planning to get on the schedule. But this, too, is a benefit: you can guarantee all the volunteers are immensely passionate about their craft and have years of experience.
More at https://www.sugarcreekartcenter.org/.
Visit Memorial Park (with a little B.Y.O. Whatever)
Memorial Park in Lebanon is 40 acres of green space. It has the usual things you’d expect of a park, like picnic shelters, gazebos, playgrounds, some pickleball courts, two lighted basketball courts, a baseball field, sand volleyball courts, and a walking path.
Like most parks, the park provides the space, you provide the rest. So consider these ideas:
- Bring a volleyball for the nets, or, a badminton set to use on the sand instead.
- Bring some books to read on a nice day.
- Bring some takeout or pack a lunch for a picnic.
- Honest-to-goodness cloud watching. A little analog time with our heads in the clouds is good for all of us once in a while.
- Bring some yoga mats and do a yoga class led by a virtual instructor (like Peloton, Apple Fitness+, YogaGlo, or just one of a bunch of free class options on YouTube).
- Pull together some friends or even some strangers for a pickup game of basketball, soccer, disc golf, flag football, or kickball.
Go on a photo safari
Nature lovers can find a lot of charm in walking around taking photos, but even if you’re more inclined for the indoors, you can still find a photo safari challenging. The best part is nearly everyone has a great phone camera that works for this.
You could rent a “fancy” camera kit for a weekend at any photo store (Roberts Camera in Downtown Indianapolis can help). But you don’t have to.
Merely snapping photos can be fun, but if it feels like you need to up the ante a bit, consider these challenges:
- Take photos that are of a specific color, like only red subjects. Or some other trait, like text, numerals, textures, wildlife and animals, or any other theme. Rotate these themes based on time intervals (like every hour), or per outing. Pro photographers use this trick to improve their craft.
- Take photos with the intent to take “your best shot ever” of a subject or genre.
- Try a new genre of photography, like wildlife, “street”, nature, portraits, still life, or action. Stick to your theme on each outing to ratchet up the challenge.
- Explore specific styles, like, “Take photos that look great in black and white” with high contrast and shadows, or “Take only photos that have only two colors, angles, etc.”
Consider pairing photo trips with a photo class at Sugar Creek Art Center.
Snapping photos at large parks, like Memorial Park or Eagle Creek Park just south of Boone County is a great place with no privacy restrictions. Eagle Creek is also a great place for wildlife photography since there are so many birds there, including eagles!
Walk dogs at the animal shelter
The Boone County Humane Society, like most animal shelters, is always in need of volunteers. There are often more dogs than staff can reasonably spend much time with, so it’s up to volunteers to ensure dogs see more than 20 minutes of sunshine a day. So spend some time walking dogs or petting cats at the shelter.
Dogs in shelters can be under a lot of stress as people move through the halls and there’s always a lot of noise. Taking dogs on long walks can have a huge impact on their personalities. Walks are like doggy vacations that help them calm down and burn off excess energy. This, in turn, helps them become more like themselves and increases their likelihood of being adopted!
You can find details on volunteering on their website, and you’ll need to plan ahead. Most shelters require some training and have age restrictions in place for everyone’s safety. Kids and teens can often volunteer, provided they’re with an adult.
Ask about taking dogs out for a whole morning, afternoon, or day. (Indianapolis Animal Care Services, while technically out of Boone County, will even give you a pass for free admission to Eagle Creek Park.)
Not sure what to do? Run around at Memorial Park or on some local trails. You can even take the time to practice training them. Armed with a bag of treats, you can help dogs learn to walk better on leashes and other tricks (which improves the chances they get adopted!) The shelter can help you know what the dogs know and need help with.
More at https://www.hsforbc.org/.
Dull’s Tree Farm
Don’t let the name fool you. Dull’s Tree Farm is far from dull (the family it’s named after aren’t dull, either!)
Located up in Thorntown, Dull’s features a lot of trees (obviously), but also a pumpkin patch in the fall, outdoor trails, food, and more. It’s agritourism done right, right here in our community. Visitors love the petting zoo, too.
Dull’s is a seasonal operation, so check the hours and calendar before visiting. They’re not open much during the spring and summer while they work the actual farm.
More at https://www.dullstreefarm.com/.
Hickory Hall Polo Club
Every Friday night all summer long, Hickory Hall Polo Club plays host to two regional polo teams, and on Fridays, a portion of the modest admission price goes to a local nonprofit (admission is always by the carload, not the number of people). The organizations rotate on a weekly basis, as do the teams. There are occasional matches on Saturdays and Sundays, depending on the weather.
If you’ve never watched a polo match, it takes place on a massive field that’s about the size of 9 football fields. Two teams, all riding horses, play a game that looks like soccer-meets-croquet. Using really long hammers they whack at a ball the size of a cantaloupe to score in the opposing goal. It’s really fast-paced and worth seeing at least once.
Hickory Hall has limited seating in the bleachers, but most people prefer to reserve a parking spot on either side of the field and tailgate. You pull up, park, and have a little camp to yourself with whatever you’d like — drinks, food, seats, you name it. Matches most Fridays are from about 6-9 pm.
More at https://indypolo.com.
Scavenger hunts along Main Street in Zionsville
Downtown Zionsville has small town charm that looks like the ideal destination for filming a Hallmark movie. Sometimes there’s live music, but there’s always plenty of restaurants, shops, and other attractions. When you see it, you realize why Zionsville is referred to as a “village”. Among small towns, it’s a favorite, with easy access from just about anywhere.
If shopping and vendors aren’t really your thing, it’s a good place to pair with a photo safari. Or, set up a scavenger hunt. See who can find the most expensive thing, or the least. See who can find the most bizarre, funniest, or spookiest thing. It’s like an urban trail spent most indoors!
Like these ideas but need to bring someone along? Have your own ideas? Be a mentor!
Mentoring with Boone County Mentoring Partnership takes about an hour a week. Sign up for a no-risk 20-minute consult or find out more about mentoring.