It’s finally spring and I can’t be more excited. For some reason, this winter felt longer, rainier, and colder. I know the rain isn’t stopping in Washington anytime soon, but I am looking forward to some warmer and sunny days in between. I recently listened to a podcast where they were covering a few items that they have on their spring bucketlist. It was an episode I looked forward to and have been thinking about all the things I am so excited about in the upcoming season. In this post, I’m covering all the things that I put on my spring outdoorsy bucketlist.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means that I get compensated a small amount if purchased through one of these links at no extra cost to you. I always only link products I truly love and any profit made goes to running this blog. Thank you for your support! For more on my disclaimers, you can click here.
My Spring Outdoorsy Bucketlist
1. Visit a Flower Festival
I love visiting flower festivals in spring. Usually, I go to the Woodburn Tulip Festival. While I am planning on doing that this year, I also want to go to a few others. There is also a rhododendron and rose festival in the Portland area, as well. I have never gone to the international rose test garden, or to see the rhododendrons, so I think it would be a nice spring thing to do. The rhododendrons have their peak bloom in May, and the roses begin blooming in May but can be seen through September.
2. Plant a Container Garden
Last year was the first year that I planted a container garden (the only kind of garden I can do at my apartment), and it brought me so much happiness. I already tried buying ranunculus this year, but the weather hasn’t been great so I neglected them and they’ve already died. I want to try again, especially later in spring as it gets warmer. I’m hoping to plant some herbs, vegetables, and a mix of flowers.
3. Go to a Drive-in Movie
Drive-in movie theaters start to open up in the spring. A lot of them also have double features which make it a fun weekend activity. I go to the movies often, but really never go to the drive-in movies. The closest one to the Portland area is Newberg, which is only a 45-minute drive away from me. This spring I want to make it out to watch a movie with my boyfriend, Danny.
4. See the Cherry Blossoms
I am a little late on this bucket list, so I know that the cherry blossom trees are already blooming. It’s a short season so I am wanting to get out this weekend to see the trees bloom at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland. Pictures of those trees and the UW cherry blossoms keep popping up on my Instagram and they’re so pretty.
5. Go on a Wildflower Hike
While the wildflowers aren’t at their peak right now, later in spring I want to go on a wildflower hike. Is anything more beautiful? Some of the wildflower hikes near the Portland area include Ed’s Trail on Silverstar Mountain, Dog Mountain, and the Trillium Lake Loop. Rowena’s Crest, which is a viewpoint rather than a hike, also has wildflowers that bloom.
6. Get Produce from the Farmer’s Market
The farmers market is opening back up again and there is nothing better, in my opinion than getting fresh produce from the market for the week and going home and making a big salad. Seriously, I live for that. I want to *romanticize* my life and go to the farmer’s market weekly to get my produce. Shopping in season and locally is better for the environment and the local economy too.
7. Picnic at the Park
Another thing that screams spring to me is picnics. I always want to do this, but I never get around to it. This year I want to actually follow through (it’s on the list, so I have to!) and picnic at the park.
8. Play Tennis
Tennis just seems like such a spring sport. It’s not disgustingly hot where you don’t want to do anything that breaks a sweat, but it’s warm enough to where you want to be outside and active. Danny and I used to play tennis during the start of the pandemic and we loved it. We didn’t get the chance last year and now the tennis court at the high school by our house is under construction. I want to find a new tennis court that we can play at during some sunny afternoons.
9. Soak in a Hot Spring
Although hot springs have their moment in winter, I think spring is still a great time to visit one. I didn’t make it to any hot springs this winter, so I want to go to a few different ones that I haven’t been to this spring. Sol Duc Hotsprings, which is more of a resort, opens up in the Olympic National Park this spring. I’ve also always wanted to visit the Umpqua Hot Springs, which is a pretty long drive from where I am, but somewhere I see on Instagram and Pinterest all the time and have been meaning to go.
10. Run a 5k
If you’re falling me on Instagram, you might know that I picked up running again this March. I used to run cross country in high school and although I loved it, I stopped running when I got a job. Every spring I get the urge to start running again as the weather gets nicer. Since I’ve been consistent this month (more than in other years I’ve tried to get back into running), I want to run a 5k this year. There is a 5k that I am already looking into this year that is in April in the next couple of weeks. It’s a great year for this too, since many races are just starting up again after going virtual during the pandemic.
That’s it for my Outdoorsy Spring Bucketlist
I think it’s a manageable list that will help me better embrace this season and get out of my house and spend time outside. Making a ‘bucket list’ or just a list of intentions and things you want to do for the season can be helpful to make sure you’re not just letting life pass you by. I hope this list inspires you to add a few things to your bucket list for spring. If you do have a list of things you want to do, I would love to know what’s on it, so let me know in the comments!
