11 Free (or Nearly Free) Things To Do in Lincoln This Week

So, you’re all moved into the Delt house and have your room looking exactly the way you want it.  The good news is that there aren’t any classes to worry about this week, so you have plenty of time to adjust to your new surroundings.  The bad news is that there aren’t any classes to worry about this week, so you have plenty of time to spend your (or your parents’) money.

Not to worry.  There is plenty to do in Lincoln on a tight budget.  11 Free (or Nearly Free) Things To Do in Lincoln This Week:

1. Tour the Nebraska State Capitol Building.  Did you know that Nebraska has the 2nd tallest state capitol building in the country (bonus points if you know which state has the tallest)?  It’s packed full of art and history and houses the only Unicameral in the nation.  Tours are FREE.
2. Spend some time at Barnes & Noble. It seems like time speeds up every time I walk through the doors of a Barnes & Noble.  Hours of browsing and reading, all for FREE (that is, if you don’t buy anything).
3. Visit the Sheldon Museum of Art. The Sheldon Museum of Art houses both the Sheldon Art Association collection founded in 1888, and the University of Nebraska collection, initiated in 1929. Together they comprise more than 12,000 works of art in all media. This comprehensive collection of American art includes prominent holdings of 19th-century landscape and still life, American Impressionism, early Modernism, geometric abstraction, Abstract Expressionism, pop, minimalism and contemporary art.  Tours are FREE.
4. Disc golf anyone? Grab a frisbee (you live in a fraternity house, there should be plenty lying around) and go play nine holes.  This is a great way to spend an afternoon, no need to reserve a tee time.  All the golf you can stand for FREE.
5. Play some 10-Point Pitch. I can’t even begin to estimate the hundreds of hours spent playing Pitch in the Delt house.  Grab a deck of cards and three more willing players.  If you don’t know how to play, then you need to learn today!  Of course, assuming you can find a deck of cards, Pitch is FREE.
6. Visit the Campus Recreation Center.  Welcome to the best fitness facility in the city of Lincoln.  Lift weights, swim a few laps, go for a run in the Cook Pavillion, or tackle the climbing wall – the possibilities at the Rec Center are nearly endless.  Membership to the Campus Recreation Center is included in your student fees, so admission in FREE.
7. Tennis courts, basketball courts, and Field Turf intramural fields.  If  you enjoy playing sports, then check out the various basketball, tennis, and sand volleyball courts around campus.  You will even find field turf intramural fields at 17th & Vine St.  Most of the facilities have been recently updated and all are FREE to use.
8. Go on a self-guided tour of Memorial Stadium.  The self-guided tour takes you into the Stadium, with limited field access, at Gate 24 (when no teams are practicing) and around the stadium. Designated stops also include the West Stadium Hall of Champions and Heisman Room; the Historic Columns by Ed Weir Track; the lookout platform outside of the Nebraska Coliseum where fans can see the Hawks Championship Center, the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice Fields and the NU Soccer Field; and inside the new Osborne Athletic Complex where names of donors contributing to the Husker Nation Championship Drive are displayed and where fans can look through the windows at the Strength Complex and Athletic Medicine areas.  Go on a self-guided tour for FREE.
9. Check out one of the many coffee houses in downtown Lincoln.  My personal favorites: The Coffee House, nuVibe, The Mill, and Cage Indigo.  You can spend hours talking, reading, and using free wifi for under $2.00 – the price of a cup of coffee.
10. Rent a DVD from Redbox.  New releases for only $1.00/day.  It doesn’t get any better than that.  The Redbox closest to Delt can be found at the Walgreens at 27th and Vine Street.
11. Spend time in Actives’ rooms.  I really can’t stress this enough.  Be proactive and spend some time getting to know the older guys in the house.  I remember how intimidating it was knock on the actives’ doors during my first week in Delt.  Trust me – they want to get to know you every bit as much as you want to get to know them.  So, go ahead.  What are you waiting for?  Stop by the room of someone you don’t know and say hello.

Have I missed anything?  What else do you enjoy doing in Lincoln that is FREE or nearly FREE?  Comment below.