The COVID-19 lockdown left a lot of people socially starved. The response was drive-by parties and digital meetings. While Zoom meetings were a great way to stay socially connected during the shutdown, things are starting to open back up, and you can once again venture into the world and do things with your friends. Whether you prefer indoor art outings or an outdoor excursion in Utah, there are some things that you can start enjoying with your friends again now.
Cocktail Hours
With bars opening back up, you can start enjoying cocktail hour with your friends again. Whether you make a girls' day, guys outing, or couples night out of it, you can find plenty of locations with indoor or outdoor options and snacks to go with your drinks. If you don't enjoy the local hotspots, try hitting some wineries or breweries. You may even be able to find a specialized brewery tour in your area with assistance from Bad Girl Productions that can be a fun time for friends. This will help you reconnect with your friends in a way that the Zoom drinking sessions just couldn't.
Dinner Parties
If bars aren't your thing, you can take your group to a nearby restaurant for a dinner party. This will lead to good food, drinks for those who wish to partake, and lots of laughs among friends. Hitting your local Mexican, Chinese, or Japanese joint will give you a burst of flavor that you probably haven't had in a long time. While it may not seem like a big deal, this is huge for those who have been socially starved. This is especially true if anyone in your party has an underlying health condition and was waiting for the vaccine to take effect until they went to a restaurant again.
Art Gallery Tours
If you've been incorporating those stellar isolation practices even though you want to tour the art galleries with your friends, you're in luck because many of these places are reopening again. Taking your loved one you haven't seen for a long time is a great way to reconnect over some beautiful art. If your party has someone vulnerable, you can get a group together and take an outdoor sculpture tour. In other words, if you guys are aging or have someone who is immunocompromised, this may be a better option.
Park Journeys
Park hopping is the answer for those who are outdoorsy. These locations were so crowded you couldn't get a parking spot during the lockdown. They are starting to clear out as more indoor sites reopen. So, if your group used to take weekly hikes or climbing trips, this is once again an option. Your group could even take a camping trip now.
Interstate Trips
The stay-at-home orders were really putting a cramp on peoples' vacations. The good news is that these are starting to get lifted, and interstate travel is once again an option. The obvious response to this is to grab your friends and hit the road, maybe with a party bus, for a little added excitement. The indoorsy types can take tours of museums or breweries, while the outdoorsy groups may prefer hitting the golf courses or taking a hike.
As a human, you know how important it is to have social interaction. The Zoom meetings of the shutdown have just not been cutting it for most. However, now that things are starting to open back up, it is becoming easier to find things to do with your friends again. These are just some of the options you may try as a way to kick off your reunions with some excitement.
