Put your wallet back in your pocket, underclassmen. Here is a list of some of the fun stuff to do and things to see around Salt Lake for the low, low price of $Cheap.
Mestizo’s Coffeehouse & Art Gallery
Touting some of the best coffee and Mexican Hot Chocolate around town, this unassuming joint on the West Side is part coffee shop, part activist hang out, and part free gallery. Mestizo‘s usually features the work of local artists and has spotlighted some of the U’s very own students. Coffee and art to peruse while you sip a hot drink — what more do you want? The best part: The gallery is quiet and has tables for you to spread out during a study sesh.
Brewvies
For the over-21 crowd local pub/movie theater, Brewvies couldn’t be more student-friendly. Monday nights are Movie Buff nights; free screenings start at 10 p.m. and usually follow a theme (this July’s was Jim Carrey classics). If you can’t brave Brewvies on a school night, their $6 student rate should get you out on the weekends — and save you money for beer.
$5 Tuesdays
While not totally free, $5 Tuesdays clocks in close. Who knew Tuesday nights at both the Megaplex and Cinemark chains are where it’s at? Five dollars for any showing at all Megaplexes and participating Cinemarks. If you are unlucky enough to have night class on Tuesdays, stop by the Union front desk and get discounted student tickets for any other night of the week. Remember that the Cinemarks have started to show independent and limited release movies, so you never have to pay art house rates again.
UMFA + Red Butte Garden + The Natural History Museum
News alert: All three of these university-supported institutions have campus wifi and are absolutely free to students. So unless you are reading this in the Rose Garden at Red Butte as a break before you get back to prepping for your midterm, what are you doing? Go there now. If you have to do math homework it might as well be somewhere you can smell the roses. Both the Natural History Museum and UMFA have some of the best coffee on campus.
The Hill
Simply known as “the hill,” the foothills immediately behind the Red Butte Garden amphitheater are easily accessible from the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and offer incredible views of the city. But it’s on concert nights that the Hill really outdoes itself. Lawn chairs, would-be concert goers, and the occasional pet dot the hillside as the small amphitheater grows a small, dancing contingent of moochers behind its back fence. Bring a snack, a blanket, and some buddies to enjoy some of the world-class acts that come through the Garden every summer. If you actually want to venture into the amphitheater gates but don’t want to fork over money you would otherwise be using for books check out the Sundance Institute’s Summer Series here: http://www.redbuttegarden.org/sundance.
@TheChrony