Celebrating the last year of my 20's

October 11, 2015 2:15 PM

(Typing that just hit me like a ton of bricks.) I'll be 29 later this month and I have five days off from work to enjoy some birthday antics. What should I do with myself?

I'll be volunteering on my first day off. Otherwise, I'll have about 50-60% of my vacation to myself due to my partner's work schedule. I may be seeing friends, depends on their schedules too.

Usually I take a trip. If money wasn't tight, I'd probably be renting an A-frame in the mountains and not asking this question.

What are fun, relatively inexpensive things I can do to make the most of my five days off and really Treat Myself?

Fortunately, I enjoy all kinds of things: nature, film, folk culture (e.g.), urban homesteading, cycling, yoga, cooking, record collecting/crate digging, wine, craft beer, bourbon, all things vintage, fashion/style, fine art, cultural anthropology, museums, crafts & DIY, going to the spa if I could afford it, reading, meditation, learning a new skill, trying to learn Spanish, genealogy, local history, architecture, gardening, farmer's markets, etc.

Bonus points if it gets me outside of the apartment. I'm an introvert who loves her solitary, indoor pleasures, but I don't want to be holed up in here the entire time.

If it helps, I'm in Virginia. October is a pretty great time to be in Virginia (I know: you'd think I could figure this out myself). Anything between DC and Richmond is fair game.

posted by nightrecordings to Grab Bag (6 answers total)

Camping is cheap!
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 2:35 PM on October 11, 2015

(Plus gives you opportunity to be alone with your thoughts as you pass into another decade, do some soul-searching, etc.)
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 2:35 PM on October 11, 2015

Maybe a day hike in Shenandoah National Park with one night staying in the cabins there or a little B&B? One night wouldn't be too much, and the leaves should be really nice then.

Are there any food destinations nearby you've wanted to try? One that I thought of is Carl's Frozen Custard in Fredericksburg. Or you could treat yourself to a dinner somewhere you've wanted to try.

Seeing a matinee by yourself can be a fun indulgence, too, if there's something out you really want to see.

Happy upcoming Birthday!
posted by shortyJBot at 4:51 PM on October 11, 2015

At this point in your life (from my grumpy standpoint at 51) I would recommend finding a bar with a spectacular nighttime view and having a couple of drinks while contemplating, well, all the stuff you contemplate when you're about to hit the big three-oh. If you don't have a better idea given where you are I'd recommend the POV at the W in Washington DC, where you can overlook the workings of our government in a way few people ever do.
posted by Bringer Tom at 6:25 PM on October 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

Ask around for THE BEST junk shops/vintage stores within an hour or two of where you live, the kind that you could spend hours in, and go spend some quiet, crowd-free, practically-alone time looking for old electronics and whatever else interesting things you want, completely on your time table. And, uh, if you're like me, maybe leave the house with, say $50 in cash and no credit card...

Then, spend the next day tinkering and playing around with stuff.
posted by good lorneing at 7:09 PM on October 11, 2015

How about hiking a segment of the Appalachian trail?

Also Richmond has a couple 1 and 2 day meditation retreats.
posted by jander03 at 1:03 AM on October 13, 2015