Spirited Activity Spots Without The Alchohol Spirits

In Idaho and across the nation, there are a multitude of college towns, all with one thing in common: students. With a large student population comes the inevitable popular hangout spots that soon become legends, where everyone who’s anyone has been.

In Rexburg, there are a few places that garner the term “hot spot,” i.e. places that a large number of college students frequent. On any given day, students can be seen at Porter Park, the Rex, playing pool in various lounges, in the Thomas E. Ricks Gardens or at one of the quads on campus. Most know about these places, and each place has its own stigma.

But Rexburg is different than other college towns. The hangout habits of BYU–I students differ in many ways from other universities mainly due to the Honor Code that the students live by.

“There is a pub on campus that people like to go to and play pool,” said Raleigh Merrill, a student at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs According to www.collegemarketplace.com, each college campus has a favorite bar or pub, with three notable exceptions: every BYU school is absent from this list.

Other schools have hot spots similar to BYU–I, such as the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. Voted the best college town in the United States by www.americasbest.com, Athens has a thriving music scene, extensive gardens, bike paths and art galleries lining downtown according to www.uga.edu. Similarly, Colorado State University in Boulder, Colo. is considered one of the best outdoor towns in the nation, and has activities for students such as bike riding and in-line skating and has large outdoor mall and extensive lawns on campus, according to Sunset magazine.

All in all, it seems that Rexburg and BYU–I are in some ways similar to other college towns in that outdoor activities in the summer and musical events at night are popular hot spots. The differences are small, mainly the absence of alcohol and bars around campus. BYU–I students have found many constructive activities to fill their leisure time, such as ultimate Frisbee, movie nights and just hanging out with friends.

Students can also find a multitude of activities offered through the school’s Outdoor Recreation Center. The ORC offers horseback riding, canoeing, stargazing, backpacking, rock climbing and many more outdoor trips that students can sign for. Students can find more information about the different activities BYU–I has to offer at http://activities.byui.edu. Students choose one, invite a few friends, and have a good time, Rexburg-style.

Samantha Smiley
scroll staff

Originally Published 05/05/09