With the clouds clearing and the sun on the horizon, a warm summer in Syracuse is near. With it comes a variety of activities one can do in central New York — going on a long hike or picking up a new skill like sewing. Here are some hobbies to make a summer in Syracuse entertaining:

Hiking

Get out your sneakers. Enjoy the warmth with a walk through one of the many trails in central New York. Hiking clubs in the area include the Adirondack 46ers and the Adirondack Mountain Club, which offers 200 outings every year, 40 of which take members through the Adirondacks peaks and trails. The club also offers Walking Wednesday, a hike of three to six miles through central New York for people who want to see what the club is about before becoming members.

The Onondaga chapter members can also participate in trail construction, maintenance and committees like the Conservation Committee to help protect lands across the state as ADK members. Trips include day hikes, weekend overnight hikes, backpacking, bicycling and mountain climbing.

Sewing

You can dust off an old sewing machine at home or rent one for an hour or two to brush up on or pick up your needles this summer. For beginners, gatherings like The Sewing Cafe offer sewing supplies, classes and hourly machine rentals. The cafe allows patrons to bring their own projects to work on there and provides coffee and tea at no extra charge.

If you feel like embarking on a new project altogether, the Sewing Interest Group at the Women of the University Community at Syracuse University creates a new sewing project tailored to the group’s interests accompanied by wine and appetizers. In the past, the group made masks for Tiny Superheroes, a movement that made capes for children with disabilities.

Join a book club

If the year was too packed to read a book comfortably, joining a book club this summer may be the solution to polishing your reading habit. Most book clubs offer a laid-back atmosphere for a good discussion of the month’s book.

Clubs like the Syracuse Book Club select their books two months in advance through a poll and meet the first Monday of every month at 7 p.m. Niche groups like the Syracuse Ladies R.E.A.D (Read, Eat and Discuss) Book Club also do monthly book discussions while sampling food at different locations. They welcome open-minded women of all backgrounds and cultures for a $5 annual membership fee.

Scrapbooking

If you’re feeling creative this summer, get your hands on some cards and arts supplies and channel your creative energies into scrapbooking. Most scrapbooking clubs welcome beginners, teach the basics and some even host arts exhibitors at scrapbooking getaways.

For a quick trial of scrapbooking, join Lucy’s Creative Makers Paper Crafts Meetup, where three women host monthly scrapbooking workshops at Canastota Public Library, with tools supplied.

Learn a new language

Step out of your comfort zone this summer by picking up a new language to add to your repertoire. The Language Lovers of Syracuse Meetup hosts a myriad of events for those who want to learn a new language or are just interested in meeting other global-minded citizens.

Members can join a new language group or attend a cultural event for an immersion in a foreign culture. The meetup also hosts events like language and culture clinics that focus on different areas of the world. An upcoming class is “Spanish before Work,” a beginner’s Spanish class on Monday and Wednesday mornings at Syracuse CoWorks.

Published on May 17, 2017 at 3:22 pm

Contact: dmurthy@syr.edu