By Kori Kay Obert

Many QU students have been excited this past week about the recent warm weather in Quincy. Students have been taking advantage of the nice temperatures by spending most of their time outdoors on campus. 

There are many outdoor places off campus that QU students may have yet to discover. Local students have an advantage when it comes to finding the best places to go when the weather is nice.

Hometown student, Mac Little, has found his go-to spot outside of campus for the warm weather. 

“A place I like to go when it’s nice weather is Quinsippi Island,” Little said. “Not a lot of students have probably even heard of it before, but I definitely suggest they go when its warm out.” 

Quinsippi Island is located off the bottom road of Quincy, across a bridge to an island in the Mississippi River. The unique island offers many different activities for people to enjoy. The island includes a boat dock, a playground, picnic tables and grills, a log cabin village, and many outdoor paths to explore. 

“My favorite part about Quinsippi is walking the paths to get right up to the shore of the river,” Little said. “The view is great.” 

Another place to get a great view of the Mississippi River is Riverview Park. The park is located at 2^nd and Chestnut and is known for its stunning view of the Mississippi. 

Local student, Troy Potts, uses Riverview park as a getaway from school each semester.

“There is so much peacefulness at Riverview park,” Potts said. “It’s a great place to go in the fall when the leaves are colorful, but it’s even better in the spring when the sun’s out and warms you up.” 

Riverview park overlooks the Mississippi river and offers views of the sunset reflecting on the river.

“If you go to the park in the evening, the sunset there is a sight everyone needs to see at least once in their life,” Potts said. 

Local students do not only love the river views of their hometown, they also enjoy the beauty of small creeks and wooded areas like Bob Mays park.

Quincy native, Madison Brueck, enjoys the paths of Bob Mays, located near 18^th and Kochs Lane. 

“I really like going to Bob Mays park in the spring and summer,” Brueck said. “It’s super close to campus and the natural scenery is perfect.”

The park makes for a great place for students who are interested in photography. 

“I like taking photos of the creek at Bob Mays,” Brueck said. “It’s just a beautiful place with a lot of different views.” 

As the weather continues to warm up, students look forward to their time spent outside of campus.

“It’s not that fun being stuck inside the dorms in the winter so I’m glad we’re finally able to hangout outside,” Brueck said. 

There are many outdoor places to explore in Quincy that are great spots for students to hangout in a socially distanced environment. In times like these, students need time to find peace and comfort.

“With everything going on in the world lately, I think finding your happy place in nature is the best way to deal with it all,” Brueck said.