The List

When we got back from Fall Break, my friends and I decided we wanted to conquer weekend boredom. Although the first month or so of the semester had been jam-packed with all sorts of activities, we had started to feel like we were running out of ideas. All of our favorite dining halls were closed on Saturdays, and we could only spend so many hours studying in Azzie's before the onset of collective brain rot.

So, we made a collaborative notes app list entitled "Fun Weekend Activities!!!!" most of which are free (or pretty close)! Some of these can be repeated or used as study breaks and others will only be exciting once or twice, but the whole thing has given us quite a bit more entertainment than originally anticipated. I hope you enjoy this brainchild as much as I do.

The List:

1. Go to a movie at the Apollo. Tickets are usually only six dollars, except on Mondays when they're on sale for $4 each! 

2. Take a spin class with Yeofit. Make sure you have time to shower afterwards.

3. Rent a car and go on an adventure. Examples include Lake Erie, the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, Cascade Park, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History!

4. Cook your favorite recipes from home. Sometimes it's nice to connect to your roots.

5. Host a listening party for your favorite albums. the record anyone?

6. Go for a walk in the arboretum.

7. Watch a movie. Rewatch old favorites. Our list right now includes Mean Girls, Black Panther, Mamma Mia/s, Heathers, The Sound of Music, and Clueless.

8. Hang out in Tappan Square. Host a picnic? (This was a better idea when we wrote it down... winter weather is no joke!)

9. Go to an Ohio Waffle House. This one's a long story but definitely a bucket list item.

10. Visit the kittens at Ginko Gallery in downtown Oberlin. Repeat again and again and again.

11. Braid each other's hair. Cut each other's hair. Dye each other's hair? Proceed with caution.

12. Go thrifting downtown or at the Goodwill nearby. Pick outfits for each other.

13. Take the ObieExpress and adventure into Cleveland.

14. Go to a contact improv jam in Warner Main. Dance it out.

15. Go to a concert at the 'Sco or an event at the Cat.

16. Explore Amish country. Don't buy too much cabbage.

17. Try to follow a makeup tutorial.

18. Go to the Allen. Look at all the cool art. 

19. Make slideshows. Present them to each other. These could be about high school drama, favorite subjects, camera roll tours, etc.

20. Go bowling in the Hales Annex. Learn that you are bad at bowling.

21. Find a board game. Play it. Set up a tournament?

22. Go to Aldi. For those of you who aren't familiar (you're missing out!) it's kind of like Trader Joe's and there is one 10 minutes from campus. 

23. Host a costume party. We're open to theme suggestions!

24. Do yoga? Not sure if we'll ever get around to this one but it's worth a shot.

25. Paint with watercolors. Switch paintings every five minutes and add to them until they feel complete.

26. Go for a hike with the Naturalist Club.

27. Read each other's tarot. Bemoan our futures.

28. Go out for dinner?? Our current favorite is Kim's Grocery and Carryout, but we've also enjoyed the Mandarin and Aladdin's!

29. Paint your nails. Try fun designs. 

30. Lie on the floor and do nothing. Talk about life. This one's our favorite.

31. Have a tea party! Make cookies to go with.

32. Give each other temporary tattoos. Think about getting real ones. 

33. Sing, play piano, guitar, banjo, etc. It wouldn't be Oberlin without music, of course.

34. Do crossword puzzles. See who's the fastest. Fail at The Oberlin Review crossword.

35. Make collages using old magazines.

36. Get brunch at Heritage! Get brunch at Clarity! Get brunch at Stevie? (We love brunch!)

37. Write poetry. Never show it to anyone.

38. Tour the dorms and decide where you want to live next year.

39. Visit the Underground Railroad Exhibit.

40. Figure out when the open pool hours are. Go swimming. 

Although this list is definitely not exhaustive, I think it gives a pretty good idea of the things to do in and around Oberlin. A lot of prospective students worry about getting bored in such a small town, but I've found that there are actually lots of things to do if you know where to look! I grew up in a town that's only a little bigger than Oberlin, so I've actually really enjoyed exploring all the new possibilities here.

While I haven't tried all of these myself, I can say that the list has been super helpful when I can't think of anything to do. If I do eventually get through all of them, I might write another blog rating all the activities in detail. Let me know if you try any of our ideas, or if you have any to add! The list never stops growing.