I’m sure most of you who chose to stay in good ol’ Chambana over the summer are trying to find things to keep yourself busy and as the weather heats up it might become more and more intimidating to venture outside your apartment.  Save yourself some money on running the A/C constantly and take a look at some 6 different suggestions to help get you out of your apartment this summer!

C-U Events

Champaign-Urbana is loaded with summer events to keep you busy.  The biggest event coming up is the Blues, Brews, and BBQ festival which is June 24^th!  There will be free admission and will be held at downtown Champaign.  If you are curious about other events going on in the Champaign-Urbana area I recommend taking a look at their entire calendar of events here!

Find a Pool

UIUC has a great option for students to use the ARC this summer, which include indoor and outdoor pool options.  To get an entire list of the pool hours and decide where you would like to go check out this link here to the Campus Recreation page!  But if you want to get off of campus try to take a look at Sholem Aquatic Center in Southwest Champaign near Centennial Park and Jefferson Middle School.  Admission is fair at $6|$9 for public swimming, $4|$6 for a special Friday rate, and after 4pm every day the price drops to the Twilight rate of 4|$6.  If you are interested in a pool pass for the rest of the summer the individual rates are $90|$135.  You can checkout all the information here!

Get Active

The Champaign and Urbana Park District are loaded with summer leagues in town depending on your interests and availability.  From kickball to softball you can find something to keep you busy and for a low cost.  If you aren’t interested in any Park District leagues and are 21+ I suggest looking into a new adult sport club league called Everplay Champaign.  It combines fun yet competitive leagues and a sponsor bar that all members are welcome to come to after the games are done.  Current summer leagues right now are sand volleyball in Savoy right behind The Village at Colbert Park as well as kickball which is located at the Dodds Softball Fields!  You can find the links to each program page below:

Champaign Park District

Urbana Park District

Everplay

Go Hiking

I’m sure it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Illinois is extremely flat, but if you travel a few hours south to Harrisburg, Illinois you will think you are in a completely different state as you come upon the Shawnee National Forest.  I’ve had a handful of friends who make weekend trips out of hiking in this beautiful place and relish in the scenery, as it is vastly different from anything here in Champaign or the miles and miles of farming between.  If you have never been hiking I recommend taking a friend or if you are confident in your abilities and pack plenty of water go for it!  You can find more information on hiking at Shawnee National Forest right here to plan your trip.

Work

I know this option may not seem really appealing, but it is a good way to get yourself out of your apartment.  It's a great way to meet new people and keep yourself busy.  Most places look to hire for the summer, especially out at the mall when the businesses on campus have their hours reduced.  I recommend looking at retailers or coffee shops for summer jobs, but if you are looking for something different you can always check resources like Indeed, Monster, Career Builder, ZipRecruiter, or even contacting the U of I Career Center.  I recommend the last option, only because typically the recruiters there will actually help you with your resume and give you advice while keeping you in the loop in case you are looking for something in particular.

Re-Design

If you really aren’t into going outside because you prefer the A/C think about getting active in your apartment and re-thinking some things.  You’d be surprised how nice it is to re -create your space with a new pattern or a little more color.  I know I went from loving a lot of color (bright neon colors that now hurt my eyes), to loving neutrals and find that they fit much more into my tastes.  Even if you aren’t sure what you like the most just try!  It’s something that gets you off your butt and at least to the mall to checkout some new décor even though I suggest looking around different budget friendly website for new apartment items such as Society6.  Other places you can find inspiration would be HGTV!  I love their summer trends and they have plenty of other articles that can really give you inspiration.  Other resources I suggest would be Pinterest or other apartment design blogs.  I suggest Apartment Therapy.  It’s a very clean, organized blog that gives lots of great information and ideas.  Other options I would look at would be Pinterest and below I have listed a few that I would definitely recommend checking out!

Boards to checkout when you are on a budget

JSM boards