Being cooped up indoors took on a whole new meaning this spring with the COVID-19 pandemic. With summer here, people are getting outside while practicing safe social distancing. There are plenty of ways to get fresh air and enjoy some fun close to home.
Having fun around Charleston is as easy as planning a picnic and breaking out some lawn games. Whether you choose hide-and-seek or croquet, there are plenty of options for having some fun in the sun with games you can play in your own yard or take with you to a local park.
For easy, low- and no-cost games, try some traditional schoolyard games that can be fun for all ages. Games like hide-and-seek, freeze tag, hopscotch, “Simon says” and “Mother, May I” can get everyone moving and lead to some creative, silly fun.
Lawn games are great ways to while away a few hours, too. Dust off the games in your storage garage, if you have them. If not, all of these games can be purchased locally and online.
Bocce, for two to eight players, is also known as Italian lawn bowling. To play, you need a bocce ball set of eight balls, one small target ball, a tape measure and flat grass or a bocce court surface. Flickin’ Chicken is a funny update of this classic game. Rubber chickens take the place of balls and a Frisbee stands in as the target.
Croquet, for two to six players, dates back to at least the mid-1800s when it was trendy in England. The game requires a croquet set, with wickets, stakes, balls and mallets. The wickets can be set up in various ways into the ground and the object of the game is to pass the ball under the arch of the wickets.
Horseshoes, for two to four players, is also known as quoits and washers. Traditionally, the game is played with metal, rope or rubber rings — or horseshoes — tossed toward a stick or spike goal. Players stand equal distance from the stick or spike and aim for that goal.
Cornhole, for two to eight players, shares much of the same gameplay and rules as a game patented by Heyliger de Windt in 1883. The modern version was developed in the 1970s and involves two sets of four bean bags (traditionally filled with dry corn) and two cornhole boards, each inclined slightly when set on the ground and with a hole at the top.
Need more ideas? Badminton, lawn darts, lawn bowling and giant lawn Jenga are great for family time, too.
If you have the itch to roam away from home, consider a park. From Charleston to Huntington, there are great local parks and trail systems that get you out of the neighborhood while not traveling far at all.
“There are plenty of great parks to enjoy along Route 60,” said Tim Brady, Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau president and CEO. “Kanawha State Forest is just ten minutes from downtown Charleston and gives you the sense of being in a secluded forest with playgrounds, picnic spaces and bocce ball courts.” Brady suggested Coonskin Park and Spring Hill Cemetery as special outdoor spaces in the Charleston area as well. The cemetery is the largest arboretum in the state, he said.
In South Charleston, Joplin Park and Little Creek Park are great bets for picnics and family gatherings, according to Vicki Vaughan, South Charleston CVB executive director. “Joplin Park has nice open space, a dog park, track, swings and a large shelter,” she said. “It’s a great size for a family.”
Little Creek Park offers more amenities, including hiking trails and wading creeks, Vaughan said. “Visitors there can play disc golf through the woods and find basketball and tennis courts as well as play gyms and several shelters.”
St. Albans City Park includes shelters, nature trails and a dog park. In Dunbar, Wine Cellar Park features a playground, lake and scenic walking trail and rental picnic shelters, while the Dunbar City Park has 40 acres with several picnicking areas.
Putnam County has three large parks and a nature trail open to the public, according to Kelli Steele, executive director of Putnam County CVB. “We are seeing a lot of people who are eager to get out and be active with the nicer weather we are having,” said Steele.
She recommends the Esther and Norman Walter Memorial Nature Park in Red House where a one mile loop trail in the 25-acre nature preserve is an easy hike where people can see plenty of marked species of trees. The Eleanor Park hiking and biking trails feature an 18-mile loop in climbing elevations. This park also has a disc golf course, picnic shelters and grassy areas.
“The recently completed Meeks Mountain Trails has five completed miles of trails open for hiking and biking,” Steele said. “The trails are accessible behind the caboose at Hurricane’s Valley Park.”
Farther down the road, the Village of Barboursville Park features 750 acres of wooded hills, open fields and a lake. Shelters can be rented and the park includes game courts and fields, equestrian trails, 42 hiking and biking trails, fishing pond and walking paths.
“The Village of Barboursville took over the park in 1981,” said Brandi Beasley, executive director of the Barboursville CVB. “I’m not sure a lot of people know that it was originally a state prison farm that provided food for Huntington State Hospital, or just how large the park is.”
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July 24, 2020 at 07:30AM
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Lawns and parks equal fun and games - Charleston Gazette-Mail
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