Not sure what to do while your camper is busy during the day?
Although you’re welcome to observe camp sessions, it’s often a better idea to give your camper a little space and find some way to pamper yourself and keep younger siblings engaged.
There’s a lot to do here . . . if you know where to look! We’ll help you find the good stuff with custom maps free for the asking. Click on the links below for ideas!
These sites are located within very easy walking distance of our rehearsal space:
- Cinema gallery: displays art by local artists
- Urbana Free Library: has a nice children’s department, reading room, and coffee shop!
- A dangerous place to go if you love old books: Priceless Books
- A nice health food store with coffee shop/cafe: Strawberry Fields
- A small shopping mall with gift shops, a natural foods grocery, a yoga studio, an acupuncture practitioner, and a gym at nearby Lincoln Square Village
- A new hipster hangout at 204 W. Main Street, next door to a nice coffee/pizza shop
These sites are within a mile of our rehearsal space:
- Anita Purves Nature Center interpretive center, trails
- Family Aquatic Center pools, climbing wall, and more
- Crystal Lake Park Lake House walking paths, rent a paddle boat
- Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Let us arrange a tour for you.
- Spurlock Museum international treasures
- University of Illinois School of Music library—it’s fun to just see how much stuff they have, and they’ll let you hang out and listen to their recorded music collection!
These sites are within 15 minutes or less if you’re driving:
- Meadow Brook Park excellent play structures, walking paths, extensive sculpture garden
- Krannert Art Museum exhibits always being updated
- Orpheum Children’s Museum
- Champaign Historical Society
- Bookstores, gift shops, and other shopping adventures
Road Trips! If you willing to go the extra mile(s) you can get to these sites by car in 40 minutes or less!
- Monticello Railway Museum
- Allerton Park, Monticello mansion, many themed gardens with statues
- Lake of the Woods Park, Mahomet covered bridges, bell tower, lakes
We may be out in the middle of a corn field. . . but we do have some amenities!
- Coffee houses: at least 2 within in easy walking distance from camp facilities, 3 or more in downtown Champaign, and 3-4 on-campus, 1-2 miles away.
- Bookstore: national chain complete with coffee bars and music departments.
- Rare and Used Bookstores: located in each downtown area. No coffee, but lots of cool stuff.
Shopping: A description of the main shopping zones in our area.
- “The Prospect Strip”: very mainstream with chain stores and the large Market Place Mall.
- Downtown Urbana: smaller shops including art galleries, non-chain eateries, curios, nifty clothes, vintage and antique shops, gift shops, used books, and the smallish artsy Lincoln Square Village.
- Downtown Champaign: smaller shops including all of the above in somewhat greater quantity (except the mall)
- Then there’s Campus Town, home of students and the place to stock up on Illini paraphernalia or browse international fast food emporia.
Recreation: We have active park districts, playgrounds, gyms of various descriptions, and other places to get moving.