When it comes to events in Tucson, there’s almost always something going
on—but this weekend is somewhat of an oddity. Save for one or two
shows, there really aren’t many special happenings or one-time events
for students to attend this weekend.
A boring weekend simply isn’t acceptable, so here are five things to do during the weekend when there’s nothing else going on.

Movie
Night

With midterms coming up and a constant barrage of tests and
projects hitting everyone at once, movies and TV tend to get left by the
wayside around this time of year. Put the textbooks and laptops away,
silence your cell phones, grab some popcorn and a few good friends and
have a movie night at home. 

Rom-com, sci-fi, action, Western,
horror, drama—pick any genre, find a couple of movies you’ve never seen
on Netflix or from Casa Video, grab your favorite movie snack and get
lost in another world for a little while.

Reid Park Zoo

Reid
Park is gigantic. Not only is there a zoo within its borders, but the
park also boasts a dog park, an experimental rose garden, Hi Corbett
Field—the official UA baseball stadium—various other sports fields, a
man-made pond and an outdoor concert area. 

The zoo inside the park,
although it seems like it would be small, is really a sight to see and a
great way to spend a weekend morning. From staple zoo creatures like
lions, elephants and giraffes to a myriad of colorful bird species and
other exotic animals, the Reid Park Zoo exceeds expectations. It even
has sea otters that show off their adorableness for the zoo guests.
Admission is $9 for adults, and the zoo will be open from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m. until May. 

Picnic in the Park

If you’re looking to get
outside but aren’t feeling up for a trip to the zoo, how about a good,
old-fashioned picnic? The weather this weekend is looking to be hot, so
instead of trekking to the nearest park in the heat of the day, wait
until it starts to cool down and grab some friends for a dinner picnic. 

Picnics
don’t hurt your wallet, either. Making your own food or even buying it
prepared from the grocery store is a lot cheaper than going out to eat,
and hanging out at a park is free. Find a shady tree, throw a Frisbee or
a football around, enjoy a Tucson sunset and kick back with some buds.

Mini
Golf

Driving around Tucson, it’s easy to notice that golf is a pretty
popular thing around here. It doesn’t seem to make much sense because
growing grass in the desert isn’t the easiest of tasks, but according to
golfnow.com there are over 25 golf courses throughout Tucson. 

Golf
may not be the most exciting or cheap activity to take part in as a
college student, though, which is why there’s mini golf.
Easier and a
lot more colorful than normal golf, mini golf is one of those
activities that can always be fun with good company, whether you’re a
hole-in-one ace or you hit the ball into the water traps every other
swing. Golf N’ Stuff, Funtasticks and Triple Play are the three mini
golf locations in Tucson, and Funtasticks is just a single bus ride away
from campus.

Roller Skating

The music, the lights, the
ridiculous looks on your friends’ faces as they try to stay upright
while circling the rink—there’s really nothing like roller skating. 

Skate
Country, Tucson’s one and only roller rink, is located on Twenty-second
Street about 20 minutes east of campus. The rink has skating sessions
throughout the week, including a 7-10 p.m. session on Friday and
multiple throughout Saturday and Sunday. 

Skate rentals are available
for $3 a pair if you don’t have your own, and session admission ranges
in price from $1 on Monday nights to $8 during the Friday and Saturday
late skates. 

And don’t worry if it’s your first time, just grab a friend to hold on to.

Follow Victoria Pereira on Twitter.