You’re off and so are the kids. Family and friends are visiting and need things to do. It’s usually cold, dark, and, worst of all, boring.

Many businesses are closed until New Year’s Day or have shortened hours. So what can you do if you’re getting cabin fever and just need a day away from home or your hotel room? Below are a few things to get you out and about between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

There are several facilities in the Southwestern Illinois area that offer ice skating and roller blading. Indoor ice rinks are often open year-round but others, such as the Grafton Loading Dock Ice Rink, are seasonal and partially outdoors. Both the Granite City Ice Rink and East Alton Ice Arena offer public ice skating on large indoor rinks and have skate rentals at reasonable prices.

Not feeling the cold? Skateway in Pontoon Beach and Tri-Township Park District in Troy have indoor roller-blading. Tri-Township is open by appointment and has open-skate- call ahead of time to reserve skating for up to 10 guests or check the open-skate schedule. Bring your own or rent a pair of blades and zoom around the roller rink instead of your living room for the thousandth time this month!

FLOCK Food Truck Park is hosting a Holiday Pop-Up Bar!

Enjoy specialty holiday cocktails, mocktails, beer and wine in FLOCK's indoor space decorated with vintage holiday decor. Make a reservation for a perfect seasonal date under twinkling lights.

Walk-ins are also welcome and are on a first come - first serve basis. FLOCK's pop-up is open Wednesday through Saturday and Sunday evenings and is open to those 21+ years of age with ID.

The FLOCK the Halls Pop-Up Bar is open through Dec. 30.

The annual Jingle Hike Challenge is back! Explore 12 Southwestern Illinois locations on this winter scavenger hunt. Hidden on the trails and in the parks are 12 trees with red-ribbon jingle bells waiting to be found- find them all, take a photo with the bells as proof, and tag the Heartlands Conservancy Facebook page for a chance to win a prize! Bring the whole family, pack a trail lunch, and enjoy the outdoors while playing I Spy for the bells! Register here.

There’s a certain nostalgia in hearing a bowling ball roll down the alley and knock down pins- and what better activity to do when it’s cold outside than toss a few balls down the lane?

A beloved American pastime, bowling provides hours of entertainment on a modest budget and is fun for adults and kids alike and many of the alleys have alternative entertainment like arcades and offer food and drinks. There are five bowling alleys in Southwestern Illinois- an afternoon out of the house just might strike all the right boxes for you!

Here are some suggestions: Tri-County Bowl- Jerseyville, Bowl Haven Lanes- Alton, Airport Plaza Bowl- Bethalto, SIUE Cougar Lanes- Edwardsville, Edison’s Entertainment Complex- Edwardsville, Camelot Bowl- Collinsville,

Mixing the vibe of a board game with the brain-power of detective-work, escape rooms are a unique activity the whole family can participate in. Try one of the region’s multiple escape rooms and solve timed mysteries using clues.

Escape a Wild West Prison, the Captain’s Quarters of a pirate ship, a failing dam control room, or save the president in one of many themed puzzles. Escape rooms are indoors, fast-paced, and kid-friendly- a perfect thing to do on a boring winter’s day!

Local Escape Rooms: Alton Room Escape; Bailout Escape Rooms

Know what warms you up fast? Getting that heart pumping and those muscles moving! Play outdoor laser tag in Brighton at Mission Ready or indoor at Edison’s Entertainment Complex in Edwardsville. Test your aim at Riverbend Axe Throwing in East Alton or bring the whole family to Altitude Trampoline Park in Glen Carbon for rock climbing, trampoline action, and tumbling! You’ll have so much fun you won’t even realize you’re getting a workout- and that’s really the perfect type of exercise isn’t it?