Though hordes of tailgaters and fans will soon lay siege to Auburn at the start of the 2014 football season, there are plenty of non-football related fun activities available around town.
"I think a lot of freshman get locked in and think that the only entertainment available to them is on campus, but there's so much more happening out in the actual town," said Lillian Parker, senior in public relations.
Auburn has parks such as Kiesel, Samford and Hickory Dickory parks to go to on the weekends.
Parker said whether it's a picnic in the shade or an afternoon review session, places like Chewacla and the Davis Arboretum provide the comforts of nature without having to leave town.
According to Parker, adventurous students should keep an eye on local event calendars to stay posted on upcoming events.
"If you're not into football or you're not going to the games, it's an awesome time to get a job waiting tables because you are going to make so much money from the people who are coming in," said Laney Payne, senior in psychology. "Or, if you babysit, there's a lot of families coming in who are looking for all-day sitters, you go to their hotel room and babysit their kids all day. That's what I did my sophomore year."
With much of the Auburn Family devoting its time on Saturdays to tailgating or watching the game, Whitney Mullins, senior in environmental design, said shopping around town is made significantly easier.
Mullins, who worked at the GameStop in Tiger Town during much of the 2014 season, said football Saturdays keep most buyers away.
"Most of the time, it's fairly busy, but on game days, GameStop was dead," Mullins said. "No one ever came in during the games. We might have had three people come in for the whole season."
Mullins said she did on occasion watch a few games in local restaurants, but remembers the environment more than the on-field action.
"We would go to Zazus and just watch the game, but I would go more for the atmosphere," Mullins said. "Everyone there is really cool, and especially if you're watching the game everybody acts like a big family. People you don't know will come up and hug you. It's a good atmosphere to be in."
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