By now, you’re familiar with every blade of grass in your yard, as well as every tree in your neighborhood park. For some, the wildest adventure of the last two months has been a trip to the grocery store.
But states are beginning to allow recreational businesses to open alongside essential ones, which means that opportunities to take a walk—or climb, or ride—on the socially distanced wild side are beginning to avail themselves. “Right now, we’ll be keeping to family units, or no more than two people,” says Jon Richard, owner of Vertical Voyages, which teaches extreme tree climbing in the St. Louis area.
Flexibility, not just in group size but in location, is going to be a part of any adventure, says naturalist Christian Schwarz, whose mushroom-hunting walks are one of the more unique ways to discover the wonders of California’s forests. “We are only able to do this in counties where SIP [shelter in place] has been lifted,” he says, “and in open spaces that are open.” Here are seven options to get you started.
Go Catch Some Fish
Tell people you’re heading to The Boardroom at 6 a.m. on a Saturday, and they’ll admire your industriousness. Tell them that The Boardroom is actually a 65-foot Hatteras sport fishing yacht operating out of Dana Wharf in Orange County, Calif., and they’ll invite themselves over for dinner. Though fishing has long been a way to put some distance between you and your fellow humans, you’ll be sure to come home with plenty to eat under the guidance of Captain Todd Mansur: Recent excursions have brought in calico bass, yellowtail, bonito, barracuda, rockfish, and halibut. “I’ve already had our first white seabass over 50 pounds this year,” he says. The boat is outfitted with four bathrooms and a full galley—its three staterooms are currently closed to keep our guest out in the open air—but it’s built for comfort, all the way down to Naiad stabilizers that provide a comfortable trip for even the most seasick-prone passengers. From $1,575, plus gratuity for half-day coastal charter.
Go Fly a Kite
Stiltsville, a collection of pastel-hued houses standing in the middle of Biscayne Bay, is one of Miami’s strangest, most striking attractions. The most thrilling way to explore these offshore flats, which are part of Biscayne National Park, is while harnessed on a kiteboard with a large, steerable airfoil. South Florida Kiteboarding’s owner Melissa Mejia calls it “the ultimate social distancing sport,” noting that even novices get radio helmets that “connect students to instructors [in] real time, allowing lessons to be coached from a distance.” From $375 for a half-day private lesson.
Go Foraging for Mushrooms
One can’t help but look up in awe when walking through California’s redwood forests. But during a privately booked (and safely spaced) guided walk, naturalist Christian Schwarz will awaken the wonder of looking down. Schwarz, co-author of the essential book Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fungi of Coastal Northern California (Ten Speed Press, $23), can decode a forest’s ecosystem for beginners and open up the beautiful and bizarre world of fungi. From $200 for 1 to 4 people.