Students at Osbourn High typically spend their time at school, at home, or at their jobs. But where do each of us go to spend some good quality time with family and friends? Perhaps some would say the mall or at a good quality restaurant. Maybe something more outdoorsy or physical. Of course, not everyone can go outside of Manassas for a good time, so here are some recommended spots from our fabulous Osbourn High students, along with their own opinions and experiences!

Every person has their own go-to spot to have a blast and hang out with friends, but where do Osbourn High students go in Manassas when they’re bored? The infamous Manassas Mall was a highly popular spot, as Kimberley Arana and Rosa Beizuela state, “The best place to hang out in Manassas is the mall.’’ While Jazmin Mira agrees, she mentions other fun places that she would go to when the weather gets warmer.”The best place to hang out in Manassas is probably the Mall because you can go with your friends, and you know, there’s a food court, so you can eat. Even though it’s not the biggest mall, it’s still cool. Sky Zone is also fun, and when it gets warmer out, you can go play mini golf with friends, then go get Nathan’s right beside it.” Cadence Williams adds a twist and mentions an arcade in the Manassas Mall, stating, “The best place to hang out in Manassas would probably be Uptown Alley. Uptown Alley is special because it’s the only arcade in Manassas that is close and popular. Plus, you can also go bowling, and after Uptown Alley, you can walk in the mall.”

Now moving on to good quality restaurants, as Sandy Huinac Barrios says, “The best place to hang out in Manassas has to be a food place. I recommend Siam Classic. Siam Classic is special due to its famous Thai tea.” Bianna Budenich mentions another restaurant in Old Town, stating, “There aren’t many social places in Manassas, so it’s really common to hang out and eat. So I go to Foster’s  a lot.” Lastly, for the restaurant section, Reheema Nabeel (sophomore) states, “ The best places to hang out are Paris Baguette and Grounds Central Station.”

Lastly, we have a combination of Parks and Old Town. Gabriella Madison (freshman) states, “Honestly, the best place to hang out is maybe Old Town. Old Town has lots of little stores that are fun to run around in. Another place that used to be a good time is the Sky Zone. Over the years, though, it fell off.” Malia Spriggs (sophomore) mentions parks along with Old Town. “I think my favorite hangout with my friends in Manassas is probably like random playgrounds or Old Town.”  Nissi Ruiz Rodriguez (freshman) states, “I would say the park in Georgetown South- it is much cleaner now. Because it’s free and you can play around with your friends.”

With every “go to spot,” there’s a reason why it’s special to you, whether it’s because of the community or the good memories you’ve got from there. Here we have our peers explaining why their usual hangout spot is special to them.  Rodriguez states, “I guess when I was growing up, going to parks with people to hang out, making good memories while just playing around with friends, and it’s super fun. Especially because most places for younger people to hang out don’t exist anymore, and things like Sky Zone are expensive.”
Spriggs explains her reasoning as to why playgrounds and Old Town are special. “These places are special because, at the playground, you can do all types of things like play games, or just sit and talk, and in Old Town, you can walk around with your friends, talk, or buy/look at random things from other stores.”

On the topic of Old Town, Madison says, “What I think gives Old Town a fun little spark is how communal it is. It also has a very homey feeling to it, making it seem welcoming.”

Of course, a good time involves food and buying items, but what do our Osbourn students get when they go to their favorite hangout spots? Williams gives her “go to” and opinion on what she usually gets at Uptown Alley, stating, “I get pizza and wings, which are pretty good. I like to get food from the stands that are in the middle.” Continuing the flow of casual American food, Budenich shares her usual and rating on Foster’s. “My usual is chicken tenders, wings, and chili cheese fries. My rating on it is 8.5/10. For something that cheap, it’s pretty good.”

Now moving on from restaurants, Arana shares what she gets from the infamous Manassas Mall: “I like to get Subway and Chinese food from the food court. The only stores I always go to are Hot Topic to get Calico Critter blind bags and Bath & Body Works to smell the body sprays and candles.” Now, lastly, Mira puts us on to an amazing ice cream from none other than Nathan’s. “At Nathan’s, I like their Cookie Monster ice-cream with a waffle cone, it’s goated. I also like the sherbet there, specifically the tiger’s blood and blue raspberry. It’s really good.”

Furthermore, our peers state the activities they do that don’t involve splurging. Rodriguez states, “I enjoy going over to Jennie Dean Park to play tennis.” Beizuela (sophomore) says, “We sat at the food court for an hour before we walked around for 20 minutes, then we got bored, and we went back home.” Mira states, “In the mall I enjoy window shopping with my friends, and we go to Bath and Body Works to go smell the soaps and sanitizers.”

With places come memories, “My favorite memory at the playground was when my friends and I went to Jennie Dean and my friend’s birthday,” says Spiggs. “She and one of my other friends brought Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s, and we also ate popsicles. Then we all played hide-and-seek, volleyball, and had a water balloon fight. We also filled water guns with Dr. Pepper and squirted them at each other,” she continued. Mira recollects saying, “One of my favorite memories was when I went to mini golf and had ice cream right after with my friend before she left for North Carolina.” Arana talks about her family more, saying, “Going to the mall with my grandma is my favorite memory.”

Along with that, something else that makes the experience special is the people. “I usually just stroll around old town with my family, but on some occasions, I am allowed to go out with friends.” Madison remarks. “I went to Foster’s with my dad,” Budenich says. “We spent $140 on practically everything. We got milkshakes, burgers, chilli fries, wings, chicken tenders, and onion rings.” She continued.

Let’s face it, we’re busy, between school, sports, or just time for you to hang out alone,  finding time to go out to be with friends and family can be difficult. However, the students here still beat the impossible! “I went one or two weeks ago,” says Nabeel. “I went to the mall a few weeks ago, and I haven’t been mini golfing for a while since it’s been so cold,” explains  Mira. “I went to the park last night, I was on a little side quest to buy a case of sodas with my best friend, and since my neighborhood has parks everywhere, we were in the park for a little bit then went to buy the sodas, the on our way back, we set down the stuff and got on the swings and starting laughing because the park looked kinda dark and creepy,” said Rodriguez. 

Now that we have seen the places that these students go, what would they like to be improved or added around here? Although many students said the Manassas Mall was a fun hangout, they wouldn’t oppose a few touch-ups. ” I would completely redo Manassas Mall,” Sprigg says.  “I feel like they need more stuff in the mall, maybe more chain stores like Hollister would be nice.” Mira adds, “I would add more social spots for teenagers to hang out, such as adding better stores at the mall,” says Budenich.  “I think Manassas should have an Urban Air, which is like Sky Zone, but better,” Williams claims. “I would definitely add affordable places for teens to hang out in, instead of resorting to going to eat fast food, like indoor and outdoor spots with snacks and drinks, movie rooms, puzzle rooms, and different activities in one building, advertising for ages 13 through 17,” Rodriguez states. “More affordable and outdoor activities,” said Nabeel. Even though most of these students agree that the city needs an upgrade, Madison has another view. “I like Manassas just the way it is. I know lots of people say it’s boring, but I have a pretty good time living here.”

With spring break coming up, now is the perfect time to hang out with some loved ones. Tell us, what are your favorite spots? Do you go to any of these places? Tell us in the comments!