BYU NewsNet - Brighten the Summertime Blahs

Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?

I dunno. What do you wanna do?

It's National Anti-Boredom Month, but as the summer continues on, students may think the only things that prevent boredom include a pool, a TV or the mall.

"There are lots of fun things to do during summer that people just don't think of," said Chris Thompson, 23, a finance major from Idaho Falls, Idaho, who works at BYU's Outdoors Unlimited. "You just have to look a little harder."

Thompson said one fun and cheap activity for students is to rent a canoe or kayak for the day.

"There are a lot of mild rivers off of Provo Lake for people to go down," Thompson said. "It's a great place to go if you haven't had any canoe or kayaking experience before."

For $25 or $23, you can rent a kayak or a canoe respectively for the day from Outdoors Unlimited, 1151 WSC.

For those who prefer to stay on land, another option would be to rent a tandem bike, which seats two people.

Thompson said you can go pretty much anywhere with a tandem bike, but suggests a ride down Provo Canyon.

"The canyon has a lot of trees, and the scenic routes are great for bikers," Thompson said. "It is a great date idea."

Tandem bikes run $6.50 an hour or $20 for the day at Outdoors Unlimited.

For those days when the heat is unbearable, there are also indoor activities you can use to combat boredom.

Instead of just watching TV re-runs, students can get a group together to play laser tag or arcade games.

Laser Assault, 264 N. 100 West, Provo, appeals to the BYU crowd because of the unique environment of the game, said Mark Nugen, owner and director.

"The black lights and mazes make the game even more exciting when you are hunting for the other team," Nugen said. "It's like a grown-up game of hide-and-go-seek."

Nugen said although there is not a minimum number of people necessary for a group to play a game, it is cheaper and more fun with a larger group.

"We'll let two people play, but it wouldn't be as much fun to shoot just each other," he said. "Once you get to about 10 people, it can be a really fun game."

For groups of 10 or more, students can play $6 a person for a half-hour or $10 a person for an hour during the weekday.

Other ways to fight the monotony include ice blocking, playing arcade games at Nickelcade, 170 S. State Street, Orem, attending a minor league baseball game, hiking Stewart Falls or going bowling.