Fun Fall Dates at the U of I

By Danielle Wetterer

Fall is a romantic time of year, and there is so much to do with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Just because you are away at school doesn’t mean there aren’t many options for dates. My boyfriend lives in Chicago, and even though he has only visited twice, we have done so much already. Here are a few things you and your honey can do in the Chambana area:

One of the most adventurous (and definitely one of my favorite) activities that we’ve done so far is taking the bus to the movie theater in Savoy. Located just off Dunlap Street, the trip to the movies is just a short ride on the 100 S Yellow. What we did that made it special was we walked all the way back to campus (crazy, I know). It gave us time to talk and have fun with each other away from the hectic campus life. During our trip, we took a break from walking and we went to Steak n’ Shake on Neil Street. It’s cheap and delicious, and just what we needed to refuel!

Photo courtesy of www.rsvlts.com

Another fun thing we did was hit up the Home Town Buffet in Champaign. Who doesn’t love a good buffet? In my opinion, the food quality is better than in the city of Chicago, and it is fun to see who can eat the most for their money. Trying different restaurants together is always a fun thing to do in general. A bonus is that you don’t always have to take the bus–my boyfriend and I once rode our skateboards all the way to Cracker Barrel. That was a mission, but it was so much fun!

Photo courtesy of nlpc.org

There is also a bowling alley on campus in the basement of The Union. You can take your boo on a bike ride in the nice, cool fall weather, or lie down in the grass and look up at the stars. Or you can take your honey to Old Orchard in Savoy and bowl, eat pizza, and play mini golf. I’m telling you, the choices are endless–you just use your imagination. If you’re anything like my boyfriend and I, it doesn’t even matter what you do. As long as you are together, anything is fun.