Even though Bellevue has not seen the brutal winter as in days past, the promise of even warmer days and sunnier skies brings with it more activities than cold-weather indoor fare.

So as spring begins, here are some ideas for ways to use your sunny days instead of spending another weekend binging on Netflix.

Go outside

It’s finally nice enough to be able to run outside without worrying about slipping on ice or feeling like your ears might fall off from the cold.

So go outside. And don’t overthink it! Bellevue has lots of access to trails, so ride a bike or go on a run. Be cliche and get together with friends to toss a ball around. Even just sitting in the sun sipping on tea will be a refresher from the long winter of clouds and coldness.

A good activity to take up could also be hiking. Hitchcock Nature Center in Honey Creek Iowa and Indian Cave State Park in Shubert Nebraska both offer miles of trails to explore. So get ready for a short road trip, get out of the city for a day, enjoy some fresh air and just let yourself be occupied with your surroundings.

But whatever you decide to do, take advantage of the nice breezes and sunny weather before the heat wave and humidity begin.

Explore gardens

It’s the time of year for flowers to begin growing, and in my opinion they look the prettiest this time of the year since I haven’t been able to see such bright colors for a few months. Luckily, the Omaha metro has a plethora of gardens open to the community.

One of of my favorite and one of the most popular gardens in the area is Lauritzen Gardens. These gardens span out 100-acres and have many themes for the near two dozen gardens. Whether you’re looking at green shrubs or the Peony garden featuring hundreds of brightly colored flowers, Lauritzen Gardens is the place to go.

Plant something of your own

Spring is the best time to start planting. It’s a fun and stress-free activity that can take up anywhere between an hour to an afternoon. Depending on how into it you want to get, you can have fun with some DIY crafts to make your own flower pots for around the house. You’ll be rewarded in a few weeks with pretty flowers and a reminder that summer is almost here.

Visit the Bellevue Farmer’s Market

Starting May 20, the Bellevue Farmer’s Market reopens again every Saturday morning at Washington park. Local produce vendors bring in their selections of fresh-grown fruits and vegetables, baked goods and handmade trinkets.

Regardless of whether you are looking for a snack or fresh produce, going to the Farmer’s Market is a fun way to spend your Saturday morning outside.

Look for clean-up volunteer activities

Come spring, there’s things in the area that need a bit of sprucing up, so listen around for different volunteer opportunites to help with.

Kiwanis does road-side cleanups so you can easily sign up and spend the afternoon grabbing some volunteer hours and making the community look better. But don’t think you need to find an organization to do it with. Even by getting together with some friends and cleaning up a neighborhood park helps make the city look better after months of trash accumulating.

So as winter morphs into spring, emerge from your hibernated state and do something outdoors.