West Chester and the surrounding areas have provided residents and students with a number of activities. From on-campus to downtown, or making a small trip to the surrounding towns, the West Chester area can become a whole lot of fun! On-campus, SGA (Student Government Association) hosts Sykes After Dark. Sykes After Dark provides late night events between 10pm- 2am. This past week, Sykes featured a comedian along with a band. Additionally, for only $2 in the Sykes Theatre movies are held Thursday through Saturday at 8pm, and then again at midnight.
If you feel like venturing downtown, there are many more options to consider. The streets are lined with local boutiques, cafés, and restaurants. On Church Street, there is an inexpensive bookstore with a wonderful collection of books. The Historical Society museum is an interesting destination for a date or group activity.
During colder months, you can go skiing at a number of mountains that are about 45 minutes to an hour away such as Blue Mountain. In warmer months, South Campus provides the students with nice hiking or jogging paths where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the local area. There is also a tennis court, baseball field, and rope course. At Northbrook Canoe Company There also is a company for canoeing called where you can enjoy a canoe, raft, or kayak down the river with a group of friends.
Philadelphia hosts many great sporting events and concert year long. Along with the championship Phillies, the Eagles and Flyers, lesser known teams like the Wings, Kicks, Soul and Union provide a way to watch live sports at discounted prices. There are concerts at the Wachovia and Sovereign Centers. Upcoming shows include Swift, Bon Jovi and Michael Buble. On Boathouse Row, you can visit The Philadelphia Art Museum then take a picture with Rocky. Satisfy your appetite with famous cheese steak places such Geno’s, Pat’s and Jim’s.
Downingtown has an incredibly fun bowling alley that many people attend in addition, Phi Mu will be holding their annual Spare-A-Night on Feb. 26, to raise money for the Childrens Network. They hold a “rock and bold” on Friday nights with neon nights and fun music. Also in Downingtown, Vertical Extreme is a rock climbing place where many people have a blast. There are also a number of local movie theatres to catch a late night movie. In Goshen, there is a park with soccer fields, tennis courts and baseball fields, with a walking path around the entire park. Also included is a playground and a stone seating section where there are concerts held in the spring and summer time. At the park they hold walks for different physical conditions such as MS or Cancer. Ice Line is right near the Goshen park where there is year round ice skating for all ages.
Suzanne Brady is a fifth-year student majoring in Spanish education. She can be reached at SB619873@wcupa.edu.