It’s a Friday night and you’re exhausted after an extremely long week at school. You had three exams, two papers, club meetings every night and hours spent studying at Strozier and Dirac. While all you want to do is spend a relaxing night doing something fun, your friends see Friday night as the perfect time to go to Happy Hour and spend the rest of the night checking out all of the bars and clubs in town. You may feel like the only person in the world who wants to pass up a night on the town, but you’re definitely not the only one. Coming from a girl who would much rather spend her Friday night doing other activities, here are some tips on fun things you can do without making yourself miserable listening to EDM music with drunk people all night.
Try out a new ice cream shop
If there’s one food that will cure any problem, it’s ice cream. Luckily, we are surrounded by some really great ice cream shops here in Tallahassee. If you need your stable fix from back home, there are chains like Dairy Queen and Cold Stone you can check out. However, my personal favorites are less common in other parts of Florida. One of which is Bruster’s Ice Cream. This cute little shop has a drive-thru window where you can get your ice cream by the cone or pint at a relatively inexpensive price. There’s also Yogurt Mountain where you can craft your own frozen yogurt creation with dozens of toppings. Big Easy Snowballs serves New Orleans style slushee treats with ice cream on the bottom. All of them being 15 minutes or less of a drive from campus, checking out a new ice cream shop is a great way to do something relaxed and fun.
Have a spa night
Luckily for us, we have CVS and Target right down the street from campus, and they both carry tons of supplies to create the perfect spa night. Buy some face masks and bath bombs, make some tea and turn on the fairy lights in your room. If you’re tired from the hustle and bustle of the week, this is the perfect way to build in some downtime while still doing something fun. You can turn on your favorite movie on Netflix, pull out some snacks and have the best time catching up on your much needed “me time.”
Take a class at a local fitness studio
If you’re looking for an excursion that’s a little more upbeat, you could try out a class at one of the many local exercise studios in the area. Whether you like high energy classes like Zumba or Boot Camp or more revitalizing ones like Pilates or Yoga, Tallahassee has got you covered. Many studios also offer new client discounts, so look online for those before you attend a class to save some cash.
Try a new recipe
Whether you love baking sweets or you’d rather make a full dinner, there are millions of recipes that you’ve surely never gotten around to making. Flip through a cookbook or search online for a recipe that interests you, take a trip to the store and purchase the ingredients. It’s so satisfying to make something from scratch from start to finish. Plus, you get to actually eat your creation which is even better. Who knows, you might just discover your new favorite recipe!
Go to an event on campus
A lot of times we forget how many activities are going on on campus any given night. There’s almost always a movie playing at the SLC, an event going on at Landis Green, or an intramural sport being played at the IM fields. Anytime that you don’t want to leave campus but still want to do something fun, go online and look up what programs are being put on that night. You are sure to find some event, sports game or social that is up your alley (and most likely free)!
No matter what you decide to do instead of going out, just know that there are always other options and you never need to feel pressured to attend parties or events you’re not interested in. Refer back to this list at any time, and you’re sure to find an alternate activity that interests you for any night of the week.