Things to do
This page is a list of things you might want to do in Maryville, Missouri. Obviously there's Walmart and The Hangar (movie theatre), but this page will be primarily focused on the lesser known ways to divert yourself.
On Campus
Exploring
Take a walk around campus sometime. Several times in fact. Become acquainted with shortest routes between two points, secluded areas, buildings with roof access or unlocked doors, and mysterious stairs and ladders inside those buildings. This will help you build a useful store of information that might come in handy sometime.
Don't underestimate the fun of getting into, on top of, or underneath structures previously thought inaccessible. And take pictures. (Perhaps wait until after graduation to share them online, but take them anyway.) As a suggestion, the belltower has become more difficult to scale since it was cleaned up and the ladder removed... We know of no one that has accomplished this.
Affectionate Acts
First, it should be made clear that we do not condone wanton debauchery.
That said, don't do anything in the Academy building. Nobody wants to see it (and you probably don't want to be seen by those that do), so we're here to help you know when to leave the Academy.
Academy-Safe
- Hugs
- Quick Kisses
- Mild Stroking
Everything Else
- Leave
So if you're not going to do anything fun in the Academy, where should you do it? This is one instance when having an intimate knowledge of the campus comes in useful. There are two keys to a good rendezvous point. First, and obviously, it must be secluded. Second, you must be able to get away quickly, as people have been known to go looking for couples in the midst of pleasurable yet nefarious deeds.
This is not a howto guide here. We aren't going to make even a small list of places to go. We don't want to lose you those spots, and posting them online doesn't seem like the best way to preserve their secrecy. We suggest asking second years, as some spent a good portion of their first year finding these places.
We are, however, quite prepared to make a short list of places not to go.
- Fine Arts building practice rooms.
- Union reading room. Far too open and in a hub of activity. The key here is don't be stupid. \
Beat current records or set new ones
Off Campus
Off campus, students have to be more creative. Honestly, there isn't much off campus fun just waiting for you, so you generally have to make your own. To leave campus, you generally need to sign out. If it's a group outing, oftentimes you can get a driver to take you in a van, though the entire city is within walking distance (for sufficiently large values of walking distance). We recommend following protocol for leaving campus as often as possible, but acknowledge that the rules can be a bit stuffy and will simply take this opportunity to impress upon you the one rule you should always follow: Don't Be Stupid.
Places
- The Hangar
- A movie theatre and themed restuarant. If a new movie shows up there, you can usually get a van ride on weekends.
- Clothing shops
- There are several of these in Maryville, including a thrift store, where word has it that you can get AWESOME stuff.
- Restaurants
- You can eat food in Maryville. While there are the obligatory fast food joints everywhere, there are also some nice places like Paglia's, which is Italian for delicious. There is also A&G's Greek night (Fridays), which is Greek for delicious.
- "9" (the new pool hall on Main)
- Pay hourly for a table. They have 10-12 tables there, and it's not very crowded at the times when Academy are able to leave campus. They are friendly, and smoking/drinking/drugs are not allowed there.
- Bearcat Bowling
- It's a fairly small bowling alley. They're pretty cool about letting you come in and sit down even if you don't buy a game. Games are cheap, you'll get slammed with the food. You can also go into the bar there, just don't try to order a drink.
Other than that, you might have to have ideas in mind before hand. For example, many fun games either are poorly suited to the campus environment or are against the campus rules. Therefore, for games such as hide and seek, tag, etc, we recommend the two city parks located within a mile of the Academy. These parks come with the built in luxuries of merry-go-rounds, sand, swings, and trees! Pretty awesome. There are also some bodies of water near Maryville, namely Lake Mozingo, that have excellent fishing, if you're into that sort of thing. The rural areas around Maryville have lots of very pretty scenery, which is great for walks and amature photography.
