11 (New-to-Them) Activities Apartment Therapy Staffers Have Tried Out While Staying at Home

Now that everyone’s staying indoors for an extended period of time, there’s been a lot of discussion about activities that you can do from the comfort of home (although it’s always a topic of interest here at Apartment Therapy!). 

The world has adapted quickly to meet these needs, from virtual opera performances to livestreams of animals and more at-home workouts than usual. Every day, it seems like someone discovers a new activity that another might not have known existed. To uncover some lesser-known gems, the Apartment Therapy staff created a list of things we’re doing at home that we’ve never tried before, in case you’d like to try them, too.

“I tried a virtual workout with one of my former coworkers. She suggested this place called Forward Space and they do 4-song dance breaks every day at 2pm. I’ve been doing that when I’ve been getting lunch and it’s been so fun, mostly because they play really upbeat music. It’s more fun than anything, but it really lifts my spirits.” —Rachel Otero, Social Media Editor

“I am home all the time so I’m not doing anything that different, but Keith and I did pull out our old Nintendo and Super Nintendo consoles, and hooked them up to our projector and played Super Mario World all night.” —Adrienne Breaux, House Tour Editor

“I’m at my parents’ house, and yesterday I took a three-mile walk in the woods (while social distancing). There are a lot of trails here in western Pennsylvania, I grew up here and I’ve never done them. There was a river I didn’t even know that existed! So that was very fun, and I’m very sore today. Oh, and puzzles! I’ve been doing puzzles.” —Nicole Lund, Associate Commerce Editor

“I have a cold brew maker that I never used, I had a coffee bean grinder that I never used, and I had coffee beans from Italy! My niece had gone to Rome a couple of months ago and got the coffee beans at a place I really like. It was a lot of work, but it was good, so well worth the effort.” —Mark Marino, Commerce Director

“I Venmo-ed a bartender to make up cocktail recipes, I sent him a picture of my bar cart and was like, what can I make? So that was fun and new and interesting.” —Taryn Williford, Lifestyle Director

“Just being home more is making me think of how to make it a lot warmer. I have a vanity that doubles as a desk, and I moved it to the other side of the room so I could get more sunlight.” — Yasmin Lashley, Affiliate and Commerce Manager

“Jonathan Van Ness from ‘Queer Eye’ has some yoga instruction classes on the FitOn app and they’re totally free. I went for a long walk yesterday so this morning I stretched with JVN so it was lovely.” —Tara Bellucci, News & Culture Editor

“This weekend I did some serious deep-cleaning, scrubbing my counters and different surfaces that I haven’t touched in ages. I also rotated a big rug in my living room that’s been getting worn out in an uneven way. It involved a lot of moving furniture and it was really hard, so it was an incredible accomplishment.” —Brenda Schmerl, SEO Manager

“I’m finally learning how to play guitar. My husband’s played for years and we have a bunch of guitars here, but I’ve never really had the time to sit down and tackle it. It’s been a lot of fun because it’s really meditative and it puts you in a different space. It’s been really nice to do something creative with my hands.” —Danielle Blundell, Home Director

“I downloaded Scribd and there’s a 30-day free trial. You can get any audiobook, you don’t have to wait to be next, so I’ve been having the luxury of choosing anything I want and not having to pay for it.” — Megan Baker, Home Projects Editor

“I did a Zoom hangout with my family. My mom’s brother has six kids, and she has another brother with a bunch of other kids, so we all got together on a big chat with our parents and grandparents, hung out, and watched home videos. Someone shared their screen with home videos on them and it was so cute! It was a surprise for all of us.” —Madeline Bilis, Real Estate & Finance Editor

How are you staying entertained? Share with us in the comments!