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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2000)
Park system adds to outdoor leisure ■ The end of the sum mer does not ring the death knell for outdoor fun. Parks and sites can be enjoyed year round. By Sarah Baker Staff writer Get out while you still can. Soon books and classes will be more commonplace than shorts and sunglasses. But there is still plenty of time to take advantage of summer freedom while the days are still longer than the nights. Although it may be surpris ing to some, Lincoln and the sur rounding areas are lush with parks, trails and a variety of other recreational opportunities, most of which are free or have a minimal admission fee. Many of the parks, recre ational areas and trails around the area don’t cater specifically to college students, but most do give students the chance to get outside while it’s still warm to do something out of the ordinary. Pioneers Park Nature Center, located just west of Lincoln, offers 700 acres of free, outdoor, year-round entertainment. Becky Witulski, a spokes woman from Pioneers Park Nature Center, said the park aims its activities toward families, but it still remains a big draw for col lege students. She said she was very inter ested in doing things to attract more students, but nothing has been discussed so far. “I don’t know what college kids want to see, but I think it’s a great idea to start doing more for diem,” she said. Witulski said in the winter months, Mahoney’s sled run is one of the most popular attrac tions and draws snow enthusiasts of all ages. “We also attract cross-coun try skiers in the winter, and they are an older crowd,” she said. Pioneers Park also has picnic areas, biking and walking trails, a ball diamond and soccer field and wildlife such as bison, elk and deer. Get away from the city entirely and take a half-hour trip to Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, which is teeming with out door opportunities. The park’s season runs roughly from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. Park spokeswoman Alice Veskerna said the park’s craft center is open year-round on Saturdays, as is the mini-golf course - weather permitting. “We even have people come to play mini-golf in January,” she said. The park’s other year-round activities include horseback rid ing, fishing and hiking. Mahoney also has cabins and lodging that are available for rental throughout the year. Of course, state parks aren’t the only option for outdoor entertainment. Downtown Lincoln is more than an eclectic ensemble of bars, shops and Greek restau rants. Nestled away among the hubs of commerce are several beautiful parks and gardens available to all to help escape the concrete and racket of the busi ness district. The Sunken Gardens, located at 27th and C streets, is a former neighborhood dump site that was converted to a botanical garden during the Great Depression. The park is most often reserved for wedding cere monies, said Julie Watson, a spokeswoman for the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department, and she added that on average, about 50 ceremonies are performed there per year. The garden is the largest flower display in the city and blooms with more than 50,000 flowering plants. The Folsom Children’s Zoo, near the Sunken Gardens at 1222 S. 27th St., is another option for outdoor fun in the late summer. With animals as diverse as llamas, lemurs and dwarf croco diles, the zoo offers the chance to see foreign wildlife close to home. Todd Logan, marketing and events coordinator for the zoo, said many are dissuaded from visiting the zoo because of its name. “I think college students would really enjoy what we have here, but they just don’t come because they think it’s only for children,” Logan said. “It’s really not that way.” The zoo began in the 1960s as a children’s zoo with a focus on farm animals, but since then the zoo has continued to expand its scope and now includes larg er, more exotic animals such as baboons and leopards. Most of the zoo’s activities are oriented toward families, Logan said, but he thought focus ing more attention to college-age people would be a success. Lincoln is also a hot spot for bike riding and has about 70 total trail miles throughout the city. . Rich Rodenburg, owner of Bike Pedalers, 33rd and B streets, said he has seen trail pop ularity grow in recent years with college students. “Biking is a good recreation al pastime,” Rodenburg said. “When you’re not in the bars, what else is there to do but get on a bike and go ride?” Students find it much easier to ride a bike to campus than drive a car, Rodenburg said. The network of trails throughout the city makes it possible for stu dents to get to campus on a bike much faster, he added. The Billy Wolff and Rock Island Trails join together at 30th and A streets then continue north to 16th and R streets, ending up near City Campus. The Murdock Trail, which begins at 17th and Holdrege streets, is convenient for those who need to bike to East Campus. Rosenburg said the MoPac Trail, one of the longest trails in Lincoln, will soon extend all the way to City Campus. “Biking is great transporta tion,” Rosenburg said. “That makes it ideal for students.” Although none of these activities are that unusual, they are fun, cheap and close to cam pus, which makes any of them ideal for one last dose of summer fun. Work for a daily newspaper The Daily Nebraskan employs writers, editors, photographers, artists, advertising account ex ecutives, classified ad executives and distribu tors. You do not need to be a journalism major to work at the Daily Nebraskan. Visit us in Au gust to inquire about openings. 20 Nebraska Union 402-472-2S88 dnOunl.edu I NO APPOINTMENTS NEEDEDI | 17th& N St 476-9466 I service! “ W§FP ® 'Envioninwiitai Dlspotl Foo hchM | Coupon expire* August 31,2000 — ii ?
