Fall has undeniably graced Duke’s campus with its presence—the leaves are a beautiful auburn, the tall leather boots have come out, and the café at Vondy started serving up pumpkin spice lattés again. While you might succumb to locking yourself in Perkins for the next round of midterms, do be sure to get some fresh air every once in a while. Autumn can be one of the most eventful seasons at Duke as groups start to launch major events and campaigns and Durham-area restaurants and bars host themed nights. Sometimes you have to negotiate time studying with things that are just part of the college experience!
On Campus
You probably won’t believe it until you see it, but there are literally nearly 2,000 events occurring at Duke on any given day. Take a peek at the Duke Events Calendar if you doubted me! One cool feature is the ability to sort this calendar by group, category, or location. You can actually specially filter only the events that serve free food! So if pumpkin pie or apple cider is calling your name, take a study break and find an event catering to your craving.
Especially around Halloween, social groups on Duke’s campus will host large-scale events like themed parties and movie nights. Keep up to date with these by paying attention to flyers and Facebook events!
Off Campus
There’s probably a (nonscientific) correlation between distance from school and amount of time spent thinking about it. So if you desperately need to unwind after a heavy workweek, try to leave the gothic walls behind for a bit. Don’t have a car? Then you’re the person I wrote this Durham transportation guide for! There are a lot of ways to get around (and away from) Durham, even if it may not seem like it.
This fall there are scores of things you can do off campus. Shooters is hosting a Halloween night party, and other bars will surely host as well. If you’re looking for something a bit tamer than the cage and mechanical bull of Shooters, you can always gather some friends and plan a get-together. Pumpkin carving, costume shopping, and visits to the Durham Farmers Market may prove enjoyable. Or you can dare yourself to try all the haunted houses in the triangle area.
Whether on or off campus, you have nearly limitless ways to spend your free time this fall. Just don’t spend this de-stress time stressing over which events to pick!