A guide on how to have a fun fall semester spending less than $9
Meg Felling
– Staff Writer –
Here it is the end of the summer months. School has started, and the price of books and tuition has left most college students with very little spending money.
Even on a student’s day off, there is little to do for fun considering the increase in entertainment costs. What is a poor college student to do with the dwindling days of summer weather and a minuscule part-time paycheck?
The answer is… a lot.
Here is an everyday guide to having a good time on a day off spending less than the price of a movie.
MONDAY
The Jewel Box is an enormous green house.
The glass building houses thousands of plants, trees, and flowers.
The cool perk to going to the Jewel box on a Monday or Tuesday is free admission from 9:00 am until 12:00 p.m., otherwise, admission is a dollar.
Understandably, plants won’t hold the attention of most college students for long, however, on the bright side; the Jewel Box is in Forest Park, which means that after a full dose of floral viewing, one could explore all of the other free attractions in Forest Park.
Grab a couple of friends and a Frisbee and have a field day. Have everyone bring something edible and have a group picnic. *Hint* When buying to feed a group, buy generic brands. It’s cheaper.
TUESDAY
If no one is too tired after a field day at Forest Park, pack everyone up and go back to the park to the Missouri History Museum. Not only is admission free for the museum, but they also have free concerts at 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday. Grab some buddies, a picnic basket, and lawn chairs and enjoy free music.
WEDNESDAY
It’s a fair statement to say, that after two days at Forest Park, boredom my set in. For a change in scenery, try Grant’s Farm. Admission is $11.00 per car, emphasis on CAR, meaning $11.00 split amongst a carpool of friends.
Spend the day walking around the estate looking at the animals. The best part about going to Grant’s Farm on Wednesday is that there are free concerts at 7:00 pm, from August 26 – September 23.
THURSDAY
The Missouri Botanical Gardens is a great way to kill a few hours. Admission is only $8.00 for adults or $4.00 for St. Louis County/ City resident. Thursday Garden nights make the Missouri Botanical Gardens ideal for this near-Friday.
Visitors can enjoy the scenic gardens and the sun sets while enjoying beverages from local wineries and breweries.
Special events are planned nearly every night of the week.
FRIDAY
Ready for another day at Forest Park? Friday is one of the best days to, believe it or not, not spend money.
The featured exhibitions at the St. Louis Art Museum are free on Fridays along with the rest of the museum, which is always free. Then stop by the zoo for some animal interaction. The zoo also has a free concert series from 6 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. every Friday.
SATURDAY/SUNDAY
There are still tons of great ways to pass the time on a low budget on the weekends.
The St. Louis Science Center has free admission and a choice of cheap things to do, such as: the Omnimax Theater which is $8 per movie, or the Lego Mindstorms at $3 per person.
Lego Mindstorms are not like the Legos kids play with today; they are built into a robot to complete certain challenges.
The Omnimax movie theater allows the veiwer a chance to not only watch a movie, but experience it. The film is projected on the walls and ceiling around the theater seats giving the watcher the experience of being inside of the movie.
Cahokia Mounds is an abandoned Indian civilization full of historical mysteries. Admission is free even though $4 donations are suggested for adults.
Laumeir Sculpture Park is another great choice, especially if one is in the mood for another field day.
Spend a few hours exploring the forest trails and climbing on sculptures, Even if climbing is technically not allowed.
College students have had to take on more hours at their part-time jobs just to pay for tuition and books, leaving very little money left over for play-time.
However, this doesn’t mean forgo play-time all together. It only means that a poor college student needs to be a little more creative. Enjoy the rest of the summer weather.
