By Contessa Hardman
With the price of a new release, single movie tickets at many movie theaters are around $8. But students at BYU are finding cheaper alternative means of entertainment and are branching out from the usual dinner and a movie.
Several students had suggestions on activities that could be done at no, or minimal cost. Visiting the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, which is free, is a popular suggestion. The museum offers free public shows Monday through Friday on topics including snakes, birds and bears.
'On one date I went on I was asked to go up to Cabelas,' said Rebecca Cleaninger, 21, a BYU student majoring in humanities. 'It was fun; they have all the animals of North America on display and present them in their natural habitats.'
It is fun to just wonder around, and they also have huge stocked aquariums on display with feeding times for the fish, Cleaninger said.
There are also cheaper alternatives available to those still wanting to watch a good flick. The dollar theater was a frequently mentioned alternative. Both the Provo Movies 8 and the University Mall Cinemas provide students the opportunity to see movies for only a dollar with a student ID.
'Going to the SWKT for the International Cinema is something to do as a free alternative to movie going,' said Courtney Bardin, 20, a comparative literature major.
Getting your ward involved is another way suggested to keep entertained. Just find someone with a ball and get a group together for a game.
'My ward likes to play pickup games of soccer on Saturday mornings,' said Emily Petersen, 21, majoring in Spanish. 'It''s really fun,'
Petersen also suggested that night skiing be used as a less expensive alternative to day skiing. A day pass to Brighton is priced around $44 and a night pass costs $28.
Outdoor activities other than skiing are prevalent around Utah, and students take advantage of them as options.
'We like to go up Rock Canyon with tin foil dinners and have bon fires,' said John Jones, 23, a neuroscience major. ' Not so much now, but when the snow melts we go up a lot.'
Several other ideas include swimming at the Richards Building, visiting some of the local 'hot pots', and taking a laptop to the park to watch a movie on a blanket.