Temperatures are rising, and spring break is just around the corner, which means it’s time to make plans for the most anticipated break of the school year. As a student on budget, it’s easy to feel left out, but you don’t have to break the bank to have a fun spring break.
With the weather warming up, there’s no better time to be outside. Spring break is a great opportunity to enjoy the weather before it gets too hot. It’s also a perfect time to get in touch with nature. As far as outdoor activities go, there are plenty of local options that are not only fun but affordable.
The Okatoma Creek is around 45 minutes outside of Hattiesburg, and the conveniently located Okatoma Outdoor Post provides campgrounds, kayaking and canoeing. It also offers nature trails. The best part? It’s affordable. Rather than paying hundreds of dollars or more for a spring break trip, you can pay only $30 per day to rent a kayak and spend hours floating down the creek with your friends.
For the less outdoorsy students, going to a spa might be a perfect spring break idea for you. A spa day may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think spring break, but the health benefits as well as the fun of going to a spa are often overlooked. The advantages of a spa trip can range from better skin to better mental health.
Healing Touch, a day spa located right here in Hattiesburg, offers flotation therapy which supposedly relieves stress and anxiety and helps with joint pain. Healing Touch also offers an infrared sauna as one of its services. Using an infrared sauna can contribute to better sleep and improved circulation. Some of the other services offered by the spa include massages, pedicures and facials. This spa even offers packages for more than one person so you can bring your friends as well as a couple’s package for you and your significant other.
An excellent way to give back to the community and have a productive yet fun spring break is to donate your time and volunteer. Fun is not the first thing many students think of when they consider volunteering, but there are plenty of local volunteer opportunities that can be just as enjoyable as they are worthwhile. Volunteering is proven to make you feel happier and less stressed, not to mention it looks great on resumes.
If you love animals, spending a little time volunteering at a local animal shelter might be an ideal spring break activity. Southern Pines Animal Shelter, located in Hattiesburg, is always open to new volunteers. As a volunteer, you can care for puppies and kittens, aid in adoption events and walk dogs on the trails surrounding the shelter.
More information regarding the Okatoma Outdoor post can be found at okatoma.com. Information about scheduling and pricing at Healing Touch can be found at healingtouchspa.org. To learn how to become a volunteer for Southern Pines, go to southernpinesanimalshelter.org or contact [email protected].
photo courtesy TripAdvisor
