Every Ohio University student needs to sit down and write out their bucket list. No, not the awesome things you need to do before you die, though let’s face it: It’s going to happen someday, so we might as well live life to the fullest today. You can’t waste your entire life just sitting around your student rental. Get out and have some adventure. We’re talking about all the things you need to experience in Athens Ohio and Ohio University before you graduate. So sit down, make a list, and get your friends to sign it with their own blood. And yes, you can make the list at the bar. In fact, that’s probably the best way to get started.
Road Trip
Find your friend with a car. Fill it with gas and hit the pavement. You don’t really need a destination, though it might help. New York City is nine hours away. Hit the road by midnight and have breakfast at Times Square by morning. See a Broadway Musical on a Saturday night and still make your Monday morning Psyche class. Head to Asheville North Carolina and drink orange mimosas in the used book stacks of the Battery Park Book Exchange And Champagne Bar. Drive to D.C. for some fresh bebop at the Blues Alley, a famous jazz dive that’s been a stage for the likes of Wynton Marsalis and Dr. John.
Kayak the Hocking
It’s actually a lot more fun than it sounds. Sure, the Hocking River you see from Bong Hill is not much more than a drainage ditch, thanks to the Army Corps of Engineers that rerouted the river in the ‘60s to prevent massive flooding. If you go downriver to Hocking County, the river is much cleaner and takes you through some beautiful nature. Hocking Hills Adventures and the Hocking Hills Canoe Livery both feature kayak and canoe rental. Grab some friends and hit the water. (You might want to leave your phone in the car, especially if Old Johnny Walker’s coming along for the ride).
Go Ghost Hunting in the Moonville Tunnel
The Moonville Tunnel in Vinton County is the ruins of an old railway tunnel stranded in the middle of the forest that’s supposedly haunted. Numerous deaths have been said to occur in the tunnel, including a brakeman who fell underneath the wheels of a passing train. To this day, many have reported seeing a mysterious man in engineering clothing carrying a lantern. Photos taken at the spot often display spooky lights and spiritual figures when they are developed. Even if you don’t buy into the ghost stories, just going to a creepy old railway tunnel in the middle of the night will scare you senseless. It can be tricky to find, but here’s a guide on how to get there.