10 Free Things To Do Around UNC Charlotte

College is expensive in and of itself, and trying to have a social life makes it even worse. So take advantage and get what you paid for with these free things to do around UNC!

Something that you should know is that most of the topics I am about to list are totally free; they are worked into your tuition price. But, I am going to list them because it is nice to know that you can do these activities without having to worry to pay money! So take advantage and get what you paid for with these free things to do around UNC!!!

1. Gym Classes

Belk gym offers so many different classes you can take throughout the week. They have yoga, zumba, fitness training, pool exercise classes, etc. All you need is a UNCC school ID to get into the gym. Take advantage of its many pools, fitness classes, gym, basketball courts, volleyball courts, racquetball rooms, etc.

2. Student Union Theater

Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday there are movies playing at the movie theater. All you need is your school ID to get in and you are set. I suggest signing up for the CAB newsletter because each week they send you what is going on on campus. It also includes what movies you can see during the weekend. They play a variety of movies from Despicable me to Baby Driver to Bad Moms. They actually play a lot of new movies as well as older ones. This is one of the greatest free things to do around UNC.

3. Sporting Events

The sporting events are free. All you have to do is go onto the schools website and download your ticket to your ID. Plus at most sporting events you can get freebies such as shirts, pom poms, cups, etc. Going to sporting events is also great because you can chill with your friends while supporting your school.

4. CAB Events

The Campus Activity Board is always doing cool events. About 90% of them are free. They did recently have an ice skating event, but it only cost $5.00. They always host cool events in the Student Union like decorating coffee mugs, creating mason jars to put candy in, grocery bingo, etc. Some of the activities they do even have cash prizes. The trick is to get their punch card so every time you go to an event you get a punch. When you get 10 punches you get entered into a raffle for a free laptop or iPad (the prizes change so don’t quote me). You never know, you could win a free device just from attending these free events. They also help you meet new people and make new friends. I highly recommend going to as many as you can. I know I am looking forward to their white water rafting trip in the spring!!!!

5. Concerts

Going to the concerts on campus are free. You can go to the ones in Robinson Hall or you can do the special guest ones. This past year they had several comedians come on campus and perform at the SAC. They have had several concerts outside as well. I am pretty sure someone mentioned Chance the Rapper was coming. Each year the school hosts a few and I recommend taking advantage of this opportunity and going to them!!

6. Tutoring and SI sessions

Take advantage of the free tutoring and SI sessions your teacher/teaching assistants provide. It can only better your education. Inside Colvard there is also another tutoring place that can help you with any subject. This is all free, you just have to go to them! I love it because you don’t have to worry about paying anyone. Plus most of the time they have several office hours during each day so you can go as many times as you want! I personally recommend going to the tutoring and SI session through your professor since they know what will be on the tests/quizzes/final exams.

7. Buses, Bikes, Train, etc.

Like I stated at the beginning, not everything is exactly free on campus. In your school bill you had to pay transportation fees, so take advantage of the transportation provided. Taking the bus is simple and they don’t even check your ID. I recommend downloading the bus’s app because it tracks the buses so you know how long until the next one comes or which one is coming. This year the campus has bikes that you can use. I personally haven’t used any of them yet, but I know a lot of people who do use them. I think they are pretty neat. My personal favorite is going by the train. In a few weeks the train will be up and running which means great news. Now you can take the train to the grocery stores and take it into the city. So, now you don’t have to worry about UBER anymore. I think that it is really neat that we have a train on campus and you don’t even have to worry about having to pay each time you go on!!! This can lead to even more free things to do around UNC.

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8. The Bus to Bubble

Every Thursday there is a bus that meets outside of Colvard and takes students to a club in uptown called Bubble. The ride is free. Secret hint, if you don’t want to go to the club you can literally take the bus into uptown, do whatever, just make sure to draw a giant heart (in sharpie) on your hands to get back onto the bus to get back to the university. The bus leaves the university at 10:30, but I recommend getting there around 9:45-10ish pm otherwise the bus will be filled up. To get back to the university you have to meet at the drop off point and the bus leaves to go back to the university around 2:00am. I recommend getting there early around 1:30 ish because the bus does fill up fast (because everyone loves free things to do around UNC) and sometimes it leaves early.

9. Botanical Gardens

The campus has such beautiful gardens and you should definitely go check them out. It is also a nice place to relax and study if you need a quiet place. The gardens also have paths in them if you want to walk around or take a run. I love to go just to check out the scenery with the flowers, trees, animals and rivers. Plus it would make a good date if you ever plan to go.

10. Venture

There is an organization on campus called Venture and they deal with everything there that has to do with the outdoors. In the SAC they have a rock climbing wall you can do. They also have a ropes course outside on campus. I haven’t done either of them, but I really want to go sometime. They are free. The ropes course you might have to do a safety meeting so the workers can teach you how to use everything, but other than that it is another one of the free things to do around UNC!