Categories: College Life

Fun Activities To Do Around Olivet Nazarene University

Every student at a college wants to do something on their days off or their weekends. Students at Olivet Nazarene University are always planning to go out with their friends somewhere away from campus, but not everyone knows where to go. This list will help any current or future students at Olivet Nazarene University know where to go for fun.

Day in Chicago

About forty-five minutes away from Olivet, the city of Chicago is where many Olivet Nazarene University students go to spend a day in the city. Chicago is a big city with so many different activities to do. You can go to a baseball or football game on the weekend, go shopping, or even get lunch or dinner with your friends!

With a train station near Olivet, you can hop on the Metra and take it up to Union Station. There are so many different museums to visit as well or even aquariums to attend. Plan your day with fellow students or go with some of your floormates. During your college career at Olivet Nazarene University, you need to go to Chicago at least once.

Northfield Square Mall

Off of Route 50, Northfield Square Mall has different shopping areas to check out. They have a gaming room, ice cream parlor, candy store, and many different clothing stores. There is a movie theater connected to the mall that has reclining chairs that you can see various movies. 

While the mall is going through a rough patch, they are getting new stores to fill up the empty spaces. The food court is also getting revamped to get more restaurants in the mall. There is a Japanese restaurant in the mall called Kansi that serves cuisine and, if you request, you can have the chefs make your food in front of you! However, if you want more options, you can go to a different mall.

Louis Joliet Mall

In Joliet, IL, just thirty minutes from Bourbonnais, the Louis Joliet Mall has many different stores to check out! You can spend hours walking around this mall, looking in at the stores, hanging out at the food court, or catching a movie at the local theater! They have everything from clothing, gaming, jewelry, and many different options. The food court has everything from burgers to steak to Chinese food to satisfy your cravings!

Recently, the mall underwent a renovation to change its look a bit. While this mall is quite a ways from Olivet Nazarene University, it is definitely worth checking out during your time at the college. It is a major step-up from the Northfield Square Mall in terms of shopping.

Perry Farm

This park is known in the community as well as the students of Olivet Nazarene University. Take a hike throughout the walk, enjoying the sites of nature. But walking is not the main thing to do at this park. There are many different special events and activities to see and do.

In the second week of September, the community places scarecrows along the fence of Perry Farm from different schools or clubs. These scarecrows stay out until after Halloween. On some days, they have movie nights in the field. Bring chairs and blankets to get comfy and watch the movie.

Ice Skating

Love to go ice skating? Kankakee has an indoor skating rink called the Ice Valley Centre, located near Kankakee Community College right off Route 40. . They are opened all year round and you can practice your ice skating skills as you try to stay upright. You don’t even have to wait for the winter to go ice skating! Go during the spring or even when fall starts to come! 

There are hockey games that are held at the rink if you want to go check them out. There are classes you can take as well if you want to learn how to ice skate. They charge six dollars on weekdays and seven dollars on the weekends. You can go out and try your hand at ice skating!

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Go Out to Eat

Eating out may not seem like a fun activity, but it is with the right people! Bring your friends out to dinner and try something new in town! See what restaurants are around Olivet Nazarene University and plan with your friends to go out and try it. There are many different tasty options to try ranging from All-American to Ethnic cuisine. 

Look for dessert places to try as well! Go out for an ice cream social with a group of friends! Even have dessert as your lunch because…why not? You and your friends can socialize and have fun while you enjoy your food!

Make Your Own Fun

If you don’t know what to do, check with your friends and see what you can do. Plan a movie night with your friends at your apartment. This way, you won’t have to worry about buying tickets or other people talking during the movie. It’ll just be you and your friends watching a movie in the comfort of your home.

Bring out your board games and have game night with your roommates! Get out your competitive side by playing fun games or play with any gaming systems you might have! Even last-minute plans are always to best to go off on!

Ask Around

If you’re new to the area, the best thing to do would just be to ask what to do around the city of Bourbonnais. Your RAs may have ideas of what to do on your weekends off and some may give you a packet of activities to do around Olivet Nazarene University! Your dorm might plan a trip to another trip and try and see if you can go as well. 

Other towns might have festivals or special events going on that you might not know about, but someone else does! It’s always a good idea to ask someone what’s to do around an unfamiliar place for you don’t know if you might miss out on a special little gem.

Which of these activities are you planning to do on your weekend at Olivet Nazarene University? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Sara Hajduk

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