women knit in a room at Fibre Space in Alexandria

Things to Do

Unplug from Devices in Northern Virginia with These 5 Activities

Take a break from digital devices and boost your mental health.

By Kate Oczypok January 28, 2026 at 7:00 am

Granny activities, or “grandmacore” hobbies are a hot trend as the perfect anecdote to unplug from 24/7 screen time. Here are five unplugged activities to try for your next digital detox — plus where you can do them in Northern Virginia.

Letterboxing

Letterboxing is a treasure hunt-like outdoor activity. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in public places and post clues to finding them on various websites. On the website letterboxing.org, you can find around 60,000 active letterboxes listed.

Knitting

Fibre Space
Fibre Space offers beginner and advanced classes in hand knitting, crochet, and spinning. Beginner and beyond basics classes have only six students, making for a small, close-knit atmosphere. Upcoming classes include Introduction to Knitting and various independent studies. 1319 Prince St., Alexandria

Red Fox Yarns
Red Fox Yarns in Vienna offers knitting classes for beginners as well as an upcoming hat knitting class in March. Classes are typically two hours and are on Fridays and Saturdays. 421 Church St. NE, Vienna

Bird-watching

*A male Blackburnian warbler. (Matt Felperin/Nova Parks)*

Northern VA Bird Alliance
The Northern VA Bird Alliance, formerly the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia, hosts weekend classes and local bird outings. February class highlights include one on winter birding at Lake Fairfax Park on February 1 and a late month survey at Occoquan Bay NWR Natural Resources. The alliance’s full calendar can be found here. 11100 Wildlife Ctr. Dr., Ste. 100, Reston

Northern Virginia Bird Club
This Arlington bird club hosts more than 100 bird walks annually. Upcoming sites for bird walks in February include Woodbridge Veterans Memorial Park, Aquia Landing Park in Stafford, and Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria.

Needlepointing

American Needlepoint Guild
The Northern Virginia chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild, which offers education through programs, annual events, and certification for teachers and artists meets on the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in McLean. 1545 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean

Stitch Club DC
The DC Chapter of this needlepointing club hosts monthly Stitch & Sip meetups at the Atrium of the National Portrait Gallery. 8^th and G Streets NW, DC

Gardening

Garden club members planting flowers and shrubs in Falls Church — *Courtesy Great Falls Garden Club*

Falls Church Garden Club
The Falls Church Garden Club meets 10 months out of the year. They have a garden tour, plant swap, and even maintain a native plant garden along the W&OD Trail. Falls Church

Great Falls Garden Club
The Great Falls Garden Club is a member of the National Garden Clubs, Inc., and strives to provide education, resources, and networking for members. The club meets on the second Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. from September through June at the Great Falls Library. If you are interested in attending a meeting, it is recommended to contact the garden club here. 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls

Feature image of Fibre Space courtesy Sarah Marcella Creative

Kate Oczypok

Contributing Writer

Kate Oczypok has been a freelance writer since 2011, and is proud to be a regular contributor to Northern Virginia Magazine in digital and print since 2020. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, People.com, Better Homes and Gardens, and locally The Georgetowner and Washingtonian Magazine, among others. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Print Journalism from American University and a M.Ed. in Education from Penn State. She also teaches virtual piano lessons in the after school hours and does portrait photography on weekends.