Ice skated in Campus Martius

If you take away the blizzards, black ice, and below zero temperatures, winter in Detroit is actually quite beautiful. Ice skating in Campus Martius makes the most of Detroit’s winter wonderland.

Photo courtesy of Downtown Detroit Partnership

Take a hike

Take your mind off the silly human world by going for a scenic hike through Michigan’s many nature and hiking trails. Some of our favorites include the nearly nine-mile Graham Lakes Trail (Paint Creek Trail, Oakland Charter Twp.) and the sprawling 27 miles of Stony Creek Metropark (4300 Main Park Dr., Shelby Charter Twp.). Bring a mask as a courtesy just in case the trails get crowded.

Photo via Shutterstock

Eat in an igloo

The state says it expects to allow restaurants to open for indoor dining in February, assuming the spread of the coronavirus continues to stabilize. Until then, restaurants are allowed to continue to offer outdoor seating, carryout, and delivery. A number of them have pivoted to igloos, tents, and heated patios to give guests an enclosed space to dine in during the cold winter months. Beware a false sense of security — officials recommend people only dine with others in their own or one other household to limit possible exposure, since you have to take your mask off to eat. (Duh.) Tip: tip generously.

Photo courtesy of Honcho

Make a reservation at a museum

Many local museums are still open, but the rules vary. The Henry Ford Museum (20900 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn; 313-982-6001; thehenryford.org), which features the popular Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes exhibition, is open with masks and social distancing required, but the museum advises people purchase tickets online ahead of time. At the Detroit Institute of Arts (5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-7900; dia.org), online reservations are required. On Wednesdays, you can reserve the entire Cranbrook Art Museum for $50 for a one-hour time slot for a group of up to six people (9221 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; 248-645-3323; cranbrookartmuseum.org). The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit is also open, where you can check out the new Black Art Library exhibition featured in this week’s issue (4454 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-832-6622; mocadetroit.org).

Photo by Kathryn Goffnett

Catch a movie

Michigan movie theater chains like AMC Theatres, Emagine, and MJR Digital Cinemas (various locations) were allowed to reopen just in time for the holidays, but it’s not the usual experience you’ll expect. Capacity limits are set at 100, masks are required, and theaters have to implement thorough cleaning procedures between screenings, and enforce social distancing requirements. Plus, there’s no concessions allowed, so no popcorn. Still, it’s nice to be able to be lost under the spell of Hollywood. You can also support indie theaters like Cinema Detroit (cinemadetroit.org) and the Film Lab (thefilmlab.org), which offer top-notch films virtually.

Photo by Jam1 Productions / Shutterstock.com

...at the drive-in

If you’d rather watch a flick from the safety of your own car, there’s always the Ford-Wyoming Drive-In (10400 Ford Rd., Dearborn; 313-846-6910; forddrivein.com), a 70-year-old favorite that screens affordable double features all week long, with tickets priced at $12 for adults and $5 for kids under 12. Downtown Detroit also has a new 77-screen Monroe Street Drive-In Powered by Emagine (32 Monroe St., Detroit; emagine-entertainment.com) set to open Jan. 22 at the site of Dan Gilbert’s Monroe Block project, which has fallen behind schedule. (Hey, times are apparently tough even for billionaires.) Admission is $20 per vehicle; it’s advised that you buy tickets online ahead of time.

Photo by Austin Evans Eighmey

Head for the hills

Sledding: a timeless classic. Some of our favorite spots are Balduck Hill on the east side (5271 Canyon St., Detroit) and Kensington Metropark in Oakland County, which has toboggan runs and beginner snowboarding at the Orchard picnic area (4570 Huron River Pkwy., Milford; 810-227-8910; metroparks.com).

Photo by J.A. Dunbar / Shutterstock.com

Take me to the river

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is raising funds with a number of activities at the Detroit Riverwalk (detroitriverfront.org/give/WinterontheRiverwalk). A $25 donation provides gloves and hand warmers to five children visiting the Riverwalk; $50 provides five families with complimentary s’mores kits; $100 means your family will receive four pairs of gloves, four activity booklets, and two s’mores kits; a $250 donation gets you a prize bundle including a Winter on the Riverwalk-branded sled; and $1,000 gets you a fireplace for a group of up to 10 to enjoy s’mores, hot beverages, and more. A limited number of private Fireside Happy Hours are available from from 6-8 p.m. on Jan. 14, 28, and Feb. 11 on a first-come, first-served basis.

Photo by Tony Bennett, Detroit Stock City

Enjoy a livestream concert

This is the longest we’ve ever gone in our adult lives without experiencing the magic of live music. It’s not the same, but livestream musical performances are the next best thing Ann Arbor’s Blue LLama Jazz Club (bluellamaclub.com) is launching a new virtual concert series with Andrew Brown’s Djangophonique at 8 p.m. on Jan. 23 and the Diego Rivera Quartet at 8 p.m. on Jan. 30. Performances are 75 minutes and include VIP meet-and-greet sessions with the artists on Zoom. Tickets are $15 for the livestreams and $40 for VIP. Paxahau, organizer of Detroit’s Movement electronic music festival, has been hosting livestream DJ sets throughout the year on Twitch (twitch.tv/paxahau). Techno artist Drummer B will perform a live set of his new album Age of Aquarius from inside Detroit’s historic Belle Isle Aquarium at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 28; donations go toward helping the nation’s oldest aquarium stay afloat. There’s also the 44th Ann Arbor Folk Fest, which has also gone digital, starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29 and Saturday, Jan. 30. As always, funds raised go to support folk venue the Ark (theark.org/folk-festival).

Photo of Andrew Brown’s Djangophonique courtesy of Blue LLama Jazz Club

Bring your favorite fine-dining home

Sometimes carryout just doesn’t travel well. A number of metro Detroit spots are offering meal kits that you can make right at home. Southwest Detroit’s PizzaPlex (4458 W. Vernor Hwy., Detroit; 313-757-4992; pizzaplex.com) has Wine & Pizza of the Month club that comes with build-your-own pizza kits paired with a bottle of wine, starting at $30 or $75 for three months. Midtown’s upscale SheWolf Pastificio & Bar (438 Selden St, Detroit; 313-315-3992; shewolfdetroit.com) has a “Mercado” program of menu items that can be assembled, cooked, baked, or grilled at home. And New Center’s The Kitchen By Cooking With Que offers vegan and pescatarian meal prep plans (6529 Woodward Ave, Suite A Detroit; 313-462-4184; cookingwithque.com).

Photo by Tony Lower

Get your game on

By this point, your pod is probably sick of Monopoly. Elevate your board game game with unique tabletop games, role-playing games, card games, and miniatures games from Eternal Games (26051 Hoover Rd, Warren; 586-684-4263; eternalgamesllc.com).

Photo via Shutterstock

Listen to music the way god intended

Who knows when live music is coming back — in the meantime, why not up your home listening situation by immersing yourself in the tried-and-true format of vinyl? Since 1975, Audio Dimensions (31968 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak; 248-549-7320; audiodimensions.com) has been a one-stop shop for turntables, speakers, and stereos. For wax, try Dearborn Music (22501 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-561-1000; dearbornmusic.net), UHF Records (512 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak; 248-545-5955; uhfrecords.com), or any of metro Detroit’s other resilient record stores.

Photo via Dearborn Music / Facebook

Take a virtual fitness class

While the state recently allowed gyms and other indoor group exercise spots to reopen, plenty of people who have made New Year’s resolutions to burn off that quarantine 15 may understandably opt for a more socially distant fitness routine. Fortunately, spots like Citizen Yoga (1224 Library St. Detroit; 313-502-5450; citizenyogastudio.com) and Detroit Yoga Lab (69 W. Forest Ave., Detroit; 313-831-9642; detroityogalab.com) offer virtual classes, while Live Cycle Delight (8019 Agnes St., Detroit; 313-423-6969 | 1468 Van Dyke St., Detroit; 313-499-1449; livecycledelight.com) has virtual cycling classes.

Photo via Shutterstock

Adopt an animal

If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that life is just better with pets. Michigan Humane Societies is accepting walk-ups at its Detroit, Westland, and Howell locations (7887 Chrysler Dr., Detroit | 866-648-6263900 N. Newburgh Rd., Westland; 734-721-7300 | 2464 Dorr Rd., Howell; 517-552-8050; michiganhumane.org). Not ready for a new furry family member? Check out Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit (16121 Reckinger Rd., Dearborn; 313-943-2697; metrodetroitanimals.org) where you can take a shelter dog out for a day on the town to help them socialize, while getting plenty of fresh air and nose boops.

Photo via Shutterstock

...or enjoy an exotic one

At the Creature Conservancy (4940 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd., Ann Arbor; 734-929-9324; thecreatureconservancy.org), you can meet more than 300 rescued animals, including Al the alligator, Quinn the bald eagle, and Lady Gaga (a porcupine, not the pop star). Visits are by reservation only.

Photo via Shutterstock

Read a book or two

There’s no better time than now to start chipping away at that stack of unread books sitting on your shelf. If you’re looking for something new, try spots like John K. King Rare and Used Books (901 W. Lafayette Blvd., Detroit; 313-961-0622; johnkingbooksdetroit.com), Book Beat (26010 Greenfield Rd., Oak Park; 248-968-1190; thebookbeat.com), or Source Booksellers (4240 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-832-1155; sourcebooksellers.com) for all your literary needs.

Photo via Shutterstock

Take a staycation in a cozy Airbnb

You really shouldn’t be going on vacation right now. Just don’t. If you need to get away, instead consider a closer-to home staycation. There are plenty of Airbnbs (airbnb.com) in cute and cozy cabins and cottages within driving distance of Detroit where you can have a low-key getaway, staying in, hanging out by a fireplace.

Photo courtesy of Airbnb

Get high

Business is booming in Michigan’s new recreational cannabis market, with dispensaries cropping up across the state since they were given the green light about a year ago. There, you’ll find everything from good old-fashioned flower, edibles, vapes, cannabis-infused bath bombs, and more. Find your local dispensary at metrotimes.com/weed.

Photo via Shutterstock

Or just stay the fuck home

In case you need a reminder, COVID-19 is serious and isn’t going away anytime soon. The U.S. became a top hotspots for the virus in part because many Americans carried on, acting like there wasn’t a once-in-a-century pandemic going on. About 2.7 Americans are infected by the virus every second, and we’ve surpassed a staggering 400,000 deaths — about the equivalent of a 9/11 terrorist attack every day. Spending your winter inside isn’t a bad thing — in fact, it might just save lives.

Photo courtesy of the City of Detroit