The first few weeks on a college campus can be really hectic. Among settling down, adapting to a new environment and getting used to class, life can be a blur. But once all that calms down, this campus has much to offer.

The University’s campus is an exciting place. There are a lot of gems on this very large campus. The most common just may be Illini Union and the Quad.

Places like the Quad or the Illini Union host many events for students, including Movie on the Quad and Illinights. During the daytime, the Quad is the busiest place on campus. Students often find themselves chilling on the Quad and playing Frisbee for the day.

TaShamber Smith, senior in LAS said, “It’s a great place to go in between classes to socialize with friends and grab something quick to eat.”

“My favorite place on campus is the Union because it’s the center of campus,” said Erica Horne, senior in LAS. “Everything is there. You can study, eat and play games.”

The Illini Union is not the only place students head to have a good time. Because the Illini Union and the Quad may be the center of campus then Campustown is the heart of campus.

Campustown is located from the corners of Green and Sixth streets to Green and Neil streets. Even though it’s not necessarily on campus, it is where many students find themselves after a long day of class.

Green Street is at the center of all the action. Green Street holds 63 restaurants, 20 shopping outlets and 34 other companies. That’s 107 businesses all on one street! It is always a party on Green, and it’s impossible to not go there for many nights during the school year.

Most of the bars like Firehaus, Clyborne’s and Legends are on Green Street, but many students find themselves enjoying more than just the bars on Green Street. There are also many great restaurants like Mia Zas and Noodles & Company. Green Street is the perfect place to spend the afternoon shopping and grabbing a bite to eat.

For people who are interested in spending the day to learn more about the campus, students can go out to the many campus tours that go on year-round. One of the most popular tours is the Bell Tower Tour.

During the Bell Tower Tour, students get to spend a few hours up in Altgeld Hall learning about how the University’s bell system works.  

“For campus, I definitely suggest going on a Bell Tower Tour,” said Vicky Rhine, senior in Applied Health Sciences. “The little lady, who will give you the tour, will give you an entire conversation about the bells but will also be pulling all these bells at the same time, and it’s really cool to see how good she is.”

For anyone who is in the mood for a good performance, there is the Krannert Center for Performing Arts. Every weekend students and other performers get to show off their talents at the many Krannert shows. The Krannert Center hosts a variety of events, throughout the year, that varies from dance shows, plays and concerts. It can be a fun place for any student to spend his or her evening.

This is only a few things. There are hundreds of places to go, these are just the most common ones. Boredom is not an option on this campus because there is always something fun around here to do.

Danielle is a senior in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].