Did you know? UIUC Edition – TheCoatlessProfessor

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, effectively referred to hereinafter as UIUC, is starting up again. The freshman parents are saying there goodbyes, the freshman are feeling a new sense of freedom, and UIUC’s hidden gems are dying. Isn’t that a bit harsh? The gems are dying? No. Characterizing the university’s gems as dying is not harsh at all. Infact, the passing of time causes knowledge to change and potentially be relearned at a later point if the knowledge is not transcribed. Therefore, I give to UIUC my knowledge of the hidden gems in a hope to prevent these gems from being disappearing.

Touring Altgeld Bell Tower is available every Monday through Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Tours of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) are available on request for the center’s:
- 3D Animations
- National Petascale Computing Facility, home of Blue Waters.
View late night movies at the Art Theatre located in Downtown Champaign.
Relax at one of the local parks run by Urbana Park District, Champaign Park District, or UIUC.
- Crystal Lake Park - Walking paths around a lake with a beautiful forest backdrop.
  - Location: 1401 North Broadway Avenue, Urbana, IL
- Meadowbrook Park - Midwest prairies with abstract sculptures scattered along a paved path.
  - Location: 2808 South Race Street, Urbana, IL
- Arboretum - A gorgeous living laboratory with a diverse plant collection that will make an botanist cry with tears of joy while stunning onlookers.
  - Location: 1800 S Lincoln Ave, Urbana, IL
Japan House - Contained within the Arboretum, walk through tea gardens, drink tea (Fall only), and learn about the Japanese culture. + 2000 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL
Plant Biology Greenhouse - Plants from tropical areas all around the world!
- Open: Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
  - 1201 West Dorner Drive Urbana, IL
Allerton Park and Recreation Center - “the best escape from campus”
- Warning: 30 Minutes off Campus via Car! So, make a friend with a car if need be.
- Open: Daily from 8 AM - Sunset with an unstaffed Visitor House open from 9 AM - 5 PM.
  - 515 Old Timber Road Monticello, Illinois 61856
Eclectic shops are located in Lincoln Square Mall, which resides in Downtown Urbana.
Fresh Food is everywhere. Really, what else would you expect going to school in the middle of corn fields…
- Farmer’s Markets
- List of markets is available at the END of the post due to technical limitations with Kramdown’s GFM in list embedding.
University of Illinois Meat Science Lab
- Specialities: Any kind of meat you can imagine and crates of eggs for a very good price from butchers in training.
- Open: Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
  - 1503 South Maryland Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801
Strawberry Fields
- Specialties: Organic and vegan food, scones, coffee, and muffins.
- Open: Monday - Saturday from 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
  - 306 West Springfield Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801
Bevier Cafe - “the poor man’s lunch”
- The College of Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) trains world-class culinary students using the cafe as a restaurant setting.
- Open: Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
  - Room 260, 905 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801
Jarlin’s Custard Cup
- Specialities: Anything with custard.
- Recommendation: Tom Hanks - level
  - 309 W Kirby Ave, Champaign, IL 61820
The Bike Project - “bike’r’us”
- Bikes are the preferred method of transportation around UIUC. The Bike Projects offers the ability to fix, build, or buy bikes.
- Locations:
  - Campus Bike Shop, 608 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Champaign, IL, - Monday through Thursday 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., Friday 2:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
  - Downtown Urbana Bike Project, 202 S. Broadway Ave., Urbana, IL, - Tuesday and Thursday 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Krannert Center for Performing Art
- Krannert is listed because many students do not realize how many free events and paid performances that are offered.
- Moreover, every Thursday at 5:00 p.m. Krannert Uncorked provides free wine, cheese, and sometimes live music!
  - 500 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801
The University of Illinois Parking Department makes the following lots available after 5 PM each weekday and allows campus visitors to park in these lots over the weekend for free:
- B1 Springfield Avenue between Mathews and Goodwin [North East - Engineering]
- B17 Harvey Street between Clark and Main [North East - Engineering]
- C09 Chalmers and Sixth [West Quad - Parents/LAS]
- D09 Illinois and Lincoln [North East (near ISR) - Parents/Engineering]
- E14 First Street and Kirby [Assembly Hall - Sports]
- F23 Lincoln Avenue and Florida [South (near FAR & PAR) - Parents/Recreation]
- F28 Peabody and Dorner Drive [South Quad (near CRCE) - Parents/Recreation]
University Calendar
- Look up events happening all over the university.
- Download event schedules to iCal or Outlook.
Gas prices for the ever commuting college student
- Listing of gas stations with the lowest prices
- Trend chart of gas pricesfor the champaign region to provide guidance on when to buy
To be continued…

As time permits, I may add more to this list… This article has contributions from: AJ C., John B., and Megan P.

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