Fun ways to spend a free day on campus

By Anna Baker

It’s really hard to be bored in Houston. We live in a big vibrant city with tons of museums, parks and other things to do, but you don’t even have to go that far to have fun if you’re a UH student. There’s plenty of stuff to do on campus when you have free time; you just need to know where to look.

First, the University has a ton of sporting events every semester. There are of course the big events like football and basketball games which can be a really fun time, but there are also less advertised sporting events such as volleyball games and baseball games. These happen almost every week, so if you love sports you will always have something to watch. Visit the UH athletic tickets website to find out when the games are and how to get tickets.

If you’re not into sports, or you don’t want to go to sporting events, you’re in luck. There are still plenty of other options for you. The University of Houston has a booming arts scene. The Katherine G. McGovern College of the Arts always has a plethora of shows going on. The Moores School of Music has shows all the time featuring anything from opera to jazz concerts. Fun fact: being a student gets a reduced ticket price at all their events. We also have an art museum on campus called the Blaffer Art Museum. The museum will periodically switch between different artists’ exhibits, so you can find something different every time you go. At the end of the year, they often put up art pieces that students made , so you can see what your fellow talented Cougars created. The best part: it’s free. We also have a lot of public art structures outside around campus, and it’s always nice to stroll around campus and see what’s new. Since 2020, the University has hosted the “Color Field” sculptures all around the campus — a series of beautiful, energetic and colorful art pieces. Speaking of some of the beautiful features of campus, what’s better than a chill afternoon spent next to the Cullen Fountain and Reflection Pool? The fountains are commonly known as one of the most gorgeous spots on campus, and they are perfect for any type of plan. Studying? Hanging with friends? Reading out on a picnic blanket? Up to you!

You come to college to accumulate knowledge, so of course you may be looking for more opportunities to do just that. There are a ton of events on campus every semester where a club invites a speaker to come talk about a subject in their field. These lectures can be very interesting, and they’re not hard to find. There are usually flyers everywhere around campus, advertising the different academics, musicians and everyone else who comes to speak here. These events are typically free as well.

An example of these lectures are the Honors College’s Grand Challenges Forums where every week they invite a new guest speaker to speak on a subject. They are completely free and can be very rewarding. I’ve attended quite a few, and they’ve had people from surgeons to poets to CEOs speak. They invite such a variety of people there’s bound to be one that you’re interested in.

College can be a lot of things, but it certainly should not be boring. If you look for things to do, you’ll find them.