So it’s National Singles Week next week and we can’t help but think there’s a strong case to be made for celebrating singledom.
See as evidence: “Married at First Sight.” “90 Day Fiance.” The imagined horror of being married to a too-chipper “Property Brothers” brother who wears tighter jeans than you do.
Now how to savor that solo? So glad you asked!
We found eight single-friendly adventures/activities to get you in the mood to celebrate all that is you. Just jump in. And be thankful you aren’t attached to a ball and chain.
* Find a waterfall!
According to VisitMaine.com, western Maine has 15 waterfalls to explore. Of course, it only gives you detailed information on 10, so we’re guessing the other five are amazingly inferior. Or overrun by trolls. Or so spectacular that no one wants you to know where they actually are …
Have we just uncovered a watery mystery? The only thing to do is frolic, photograph and report back to us! Just wear sturdy shoes and bring a charged phone in the woods with you. Because: trolls.
* Bring your Halloween cupcake A-game
Lewiston Adult Education is offering a Halloween Cupcake Decorating Class on Oct. 30 (course fee is $15). Learn sweet new skills from a teacher from the Cupcakery, go home and practice (and eat your mistakes; no one’s judging you for downing 11 cupcakes in one night), then wow the office/community center/your favorite public servant the next day.
* Show everyone how hot you really are
Learn to make hot sauce! LAE also has a make-your-own class on Oct. 16 (course fee is $28). Make it for gifts, for your next dinner party or make it for you. Love a little more sriracha than the next person? Ghost pepper your thing? You do you.
* Pick your own
There are a ton of U-Pick farms in the tri-county area. Like, a ton. PickYourOwn.org does a great job of listing them by location and the type of natural thing you can pick. This time of year think apples (mmm, pie), pears, plums, beets, cucumbers and the kind of hearty root vegetables that make Thanksgiving dinner all about the sides. Go solo and pick exactly what you want, no fuss or compromise needed. That’s pretty much the definition of singlehood.
* Say hello to a little friend
For $50 an hour, you can play Ansel Adams with animals at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray, gaining special access to take photos or video as a staff member escorts you through the park and into enclosures. Just don’t forget to make a reservation first. Moose don’t take kindly to someone with a camera hopping their fence. Dang paparazzi.
* Get thee to a fair
Ferris wheels! Fried Oreos! Music! The Oxford County Fair runs through Saturday. The Farmington Fair starts Sunday and runs through Sept. 22. It’s hard to beat a fall fair, and going solo means you get all the fun and none of the petty fights over parking/navigating the crowd/deciding when to leave/betting which antique tractor will win Best in Show. It’s sort of like having your funnel cake and eating it, too.
* Stretch
There are a lot of great yoga studios around, but if your schedule is too jampacked, what with waterfalls, hot sauce making, weekend fairs and apple picking, Chill Yoga in Lewiston has a solution: lunchtime yoga. From 12:05 to 12:50 p.m. every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, you can work out those kinks, relax and get invigorated. Drop-ins pay $10 for lunchtime yoga, which is $5 less than Chill’s other classes. A good deal for a great midday stretch.
* Head to Acadia National Park, get in free!
Sept. 22 is the last day of National Singles Week and also National Public Lands Day, which means you get into Acadia for free. Passes, which are good for a week, normally cost $30 for one to 15 people in a private vehicle.
Drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain. Stop in at Thunder Hole. Explore 125 miles of hiking trails. As with waterfalls, wear sturdy shoes and bring a charged phone in the woods with you.
Because: trolls.
Bag Lady and Shopping Siren’s true identities are protected by a pair of stylish, sweater-wearing Doberman pinschers (who sometimes wish they were an only child), and the Customer Service counter at the Sun Journal. You can reach them at baglady@sunjournal.com or shoppingsiren@sunjournal.com.
Why not solo apple pick in honor of National Singles Week? (Metro Creative Connection photo)
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