Outdoor Activities
Longwood Gardens
May 30, 2014
The vine arch, at Longwood Gardens, leads to the rest of the botanical display. Longwood Gardens is made up of 1,077 acres of gardens, meadows, and woodlands, located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
Warm weather and sunny skies are the perfect combination for outdoor activities. With summer right around the corner, going outside and enjoying the sunshine is just what we all need. As the temperature rises and people want to catch some rays, there are plenty of outdoor activities to help us all come out of hibernation.
For a more laid back outdoor activity, Longwood Gardens is the perfect place to see a different side of nature. Longwood Gardens consists of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
Whether you want to experience the Italian water garden, get a peek at the new flowers in bloom, or take some time to watch the fountain lights at night, Longwood Gardens is filled with breathtaking views.
There are beautiful photo opportunities around every bend, and strolling through the park is just as peaceful as it is awe striking. The indoor plant conservatory is filled with floating lilies and exotic flowers. Outdoors, the Wisteria Garden showcases the thick, gnarled vines contrasted with cascading spring flowers.
Longwood Gardens will open its new Meadow Garden on June 13, which will span across 86 acres of land. There is so much to see at Longwood, and the gardens are endless.
The beautiful scenes and scents cannot be found anywhere else. Longwood Gardens is the ideal outdoor activity to take a step back and smell the roses.
Hanna LeBuhn is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.
Tennis
Junior Justin Hawkins waits at the neat for a volley. Hawkins has been playing tennis for four years and enjoys it as his favorite outdoor activity.
Spring is a great time for sports.The weather is nice and the days are starting to get longer, which means it is the perfect time to play tennis. Tennis is the sport of kings and is a great way for athletes to cross train or just have fun.
There are many health reasons to play tennis. According to an article by Jack L. Groppel, Ph.D, on usta.com, “competitive tennis burns more calories than aerobics, inline skating, or cycling.”
Tennis also helps mental health, footwork, agility, balance, hand eye coordination, and pretty much everything else. An added bonus is that injury is fairly rare, especially at a recreational level.
Tennis is a great sport to pick up because you can play it for most of your life. Last time I played, there was a man that appeared to be in his 70s cruising around the court and smashing tennis balls on guys half his age.
JC’s own Ed Miller has been playing since his teen years. “I grew up in a family that played sports all the time, so [playing tennis] gave me not only appreciation of the game, which I still have today, but kept our family well-connected because that’s what we did when we would get together,” Miller said.
There are tennis courts all over that are free to the public. There is, of course, a set of five courts on the JC campus however these courts aren’t very good. The courts at C. Milton Wright and Harford Tech are better to play on.
On topic of courts, there are different surfaces you can play on. Most courts are “hard.” These are the easiest to maintain because they only have to be resurfaced every once in a while. However, they aren’t the best to play on. Har-Tru is a better surface to play on. Har-Tru is a type of clay surface. The courts are softer, you can slide on them, and the surface lends itself to slower, more defensive play. They are more comfortable to play on but are harder to find because they need to be constantly maintained. You usually find them at country and tennis clubs.
To play tennis, all you need is a tennis racquet, which you can get for under $20 if you don’t want to get anything real great, some tennis balls, and a friend.
Justin Hawkins is an Opinion Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.
Canoeing
At Eden Mill Nature Center, a group of canoers row out onto the Deer Creek River. Eden Mill offers a multitude of outdoor activities to experience at their property in Pikesville, MD.
A distant woodpecker’s beak rattles against the bark of a towering tree. The morning haze begins to disappear in the rays of the sun and the calls of birds can be heard like the woodwinds in a symphony.
At Eden Mill Nature Center, nature wraps itself around Harford County’s Deer Creek River, and anyone can enjoy outdoor activities suited for the warm weather.
Eden Mill is located in Pylesville, Maryland, and one of its unique programs is its canoe trips.
On Thursday evenings, a calm canoe trip perfectly paints the warm oranges and reds of the sunset onto the river and is a peaceful end to any day.
On Saturdays, getting up early and embarking on a morning trip offers canoers spectacular sights of nature starting off its day.
The trips are comprised of roughly 10 canoers total, which is not so small that you feel foolish when you begin paddling perpendicular to the river’s current. There are also trained canoers there to teach you how to properly canoe and keep you safe.
The greatest parts of the trip were the striking sights. Deer jumped along the fields in the distance, the sun began to peek through the leaves, and the river was so calm that you could see straight through to the bottom.
Eden Mill works to inspire passion in people to preserve the environment and to help people understand their connection to the natural world.
Eden Mill also offers tours of its historic grist mill, creek snorkeling, guided hikes, campfires, movie nights, fishing, and other community activities.
Billy Jump is a Copy Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.