Currently, Evansville residents, along with all Hoosiers, are abiding by a stay-at-home order issued by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on March 23, 2020. This order mandated that all residents remain in their homes except when they are at work or for permitted, essential activities.

With spring blooming all around us and warm temperatures rolling in, we all have the itch to get out of doors and welcome in the new season. Thankfully, residents are encouraged to get out in their yards, on their porches, or even to their favorite walking trails — as long as proper social distancing is maintained and children do not play on park equipment.

Given that information, we sat down and composed a list of activities you can do outside to enjoy the weather while also staying safe during the COVID-19 restrictions.

For more information on restrictions, guidelines, essential businesses and activities, and more in regards to the Indiana stay-at-home order, visit in.gov.

Take a walk

What better way to take in the blooms of the trees and soak up the sunshine than by taking a walk? According to in.gov, residents can still visit parks and trails, but are asked to keep a distance of 6 feet between themselves and others. We recommend heading over to Wesselman Woods! The trails are opening back to the public, with admission fees waived. Just keep that 6 feet of distance between others!

Get your hands dirty

If you’re used to getting out and about in your garden or yard, prepping your landscaping for the warmer weather, you still are encouraged to do so! If you’d like some ideas or suggestions on new and creative projects for your yard this year, check out our “Digging In” articles!

Participate in a virtual run

With public gatherings canceled for the next several weeks, organizations that hold annual races are changing their tactics. Now, participants are encouraged to still race, but do it virtually! With these races, runners and walkers can complete the designated race distance anytime or anywhere, email in their results, and still place in the race! Current local races running virtually right now are the Mystery Race and the So Fresh, So Clean race.

Start painting

Grab some acrylic paints, pick up some rocks from the garden, and get creative! The trend of creating small art pieces on rocks still has a following in the area. So we recommend using the warm weather as an excuse to sit outside and paint pieces for your own garden or to place elsewhere once the COVID-19 restrictions have lifted!