Free Fun at Duke
Some of the most interesting benefits are free
From the soaring architecture of the Duke Chapel to telescopes tucked away in the forest, Duke offers a wealth of arts, culture, sports and other activities to engage your mind and body.
Here are Working@Duke's top picks for fun that won't cost a dime. If you get to the end clamoring for more activities, check out the "Free Fun" photo album on facebook.com/workingatduke for other ideas.
1. Take a walk on the wild side
Each month, Sarah P. Duke Gardens offers a one-hour "walk on the wild side" in the H.L. Blomquist Garden of Native Plants, nestled in the southeast corner of the gardens.
The tour covers a different topic each month, from invasive species to what makes a native plant native.
"The Blomquist Garden is designed to feel as if you are walking through a wild landscape, but it is interpreted and labeled like a living museum," said Stefan Bloodworth, tour leader and garden curator.
Join the walk at the visitor center at 11 a.m. on the first Thursday of the month, rain or shine. For topics, visit blomquistgarden.blogspot.com.
2. See a play
Talented Duke theater majors write, direct or perform plays as part of their senior projects each year. And you're invited to attend for free.
From Feb. 11-13, students will perform "Stories from Medellin" and from Feb. 25-27, "Two Small Bodies." Shows are at 8 p.m., and seating is first-come, first serve in the Brody Theater on East Campus.
"Students are encouraged to be bold, sexy, outrageous, dangerous," said Jay O'Berski, a drama professor who regularly attends student productions. "This makes the perfect no-cost gamble for a night out at Duke."
More information is at theaterstudies.duke.edu/productions.
3. Explore virtual worlds
Looking for an out-of-this-world experience? Head over to the weekly open house at the Duke Immersive Virtual Environment (DiVE).
DiVE is a small room with computer-generated displays on walls, ceiling and floor that create a three-dimensional world. Stereo goggles and a special wand help immerse visitors in worlds that react to where they look, step and reach.You can enter an imaginary kitchen, designed by psychologists to test stress levels, for a timed exercise involving searching for lost keys. Soon you'll be carefully stepping over virtual toys on the floor and flinching when virtual soup cans tumble out after you open a cupboard.
"The more time you spend in the DiVE, the more you forget that you aren't seeing real things," said Holton Thompson, associate in research for the Visualization Technology Group.
The open house is 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. every Thursday in room 1667A of the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences. No reservations are needed.
4. Cheer on the Blue Devils
Take a break from coveting basketball tickets and cheer for winter and spring Blue Devil athletes in fencing, tennis, track and swimming. Competition is fierce, with athletes such as Becca Ward, winner of the 2008 Olympic bronze medal in fencing.
"We have some terrific student-athletes representing Duke University with a great record of team and individual accomplishments," said Jon Jackson, associate director of athletics/university and public affairs at Duke.
For more sports, visit goduke.com.
5. Listen to jazz
Jazz at the Mary Lou Williams Center.
Steve Nowicki, dean of undergraduate education and professor of biology, has studied birdsong for years. But on many Wednesday nights, he taps his toes to a different tune -- jazz at the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture.
Music, led by John Brown, director of Duke's jazz program and leader of the John Brown Quartet, fills the center from 9:30 p.m. to past midnight most Wednesdays.
"It is a wonderful, informal way to spend an evening mingling with other music lovers," said Nowicki, as he applauded a vigorous sax solo on a recent evening. "You get undergrads and grad students, Duke folks and community folks -- people of every color and age."
Music in the Mary Lou resumes in January. Visit mlw.studentaffairs.duke.edu to learn more.
6. Watch a free movie
Cinema lovers won't want to miss the films and film series shown by Screen/Society, which hosts screenings of challenging and thought-provoking domestic and international films.
"We raise cultural literacy and show challenging films that push the envelope," said Hank Okazaki, exhibition programmer for Duke's Program in the Arts of the Moving Image.
The first film in January will be "Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film." The four-hour film, shown in two parts, explores Warhol's astonishing artistic output between 1940 and 1987. Part one will show Jan. 21 at the Nasher Museum auditorium; part two is Jan. 28. Show times are 7 p.m.
For a list of films, visit fvd.aas.duke.edu/screensociety/schedule.php.
7. Stargaze in Duke Forest
Spend an evening with the stars at the Duke Physics Department's Teaching Observatory in Duke Forest.
Ronen Plesser, associate professor of physics, organizes public stargazing opportunities several Fridays each month. Depending on the time of year, he may introduce you to Jupiter's moons, the colors of a binary star system or giant rings of cosmic gas through the 10-inch telescopes.
"My favorite telescope object is the great nebula in Orion," Plesser said. "There are so many things going on there. You can almost see the processes of star birth."
Public stargazing is subject to weather conditions. To confirm dates, times and directions, visit cgtp.duke.edu/~plesser/observatory.
8. Visit Duke's Smart Home
The Home Depot Smart Home is the world's first LEED Platinum "live-in" laboratory and the centerpiece of the Duke Smart Home program. On weekends, visitors can tour this unique residence hall and learn about new technologies and sustainable living, including solar power, plants on the roof, and water cisterns.
"I really liked the smart lights that turn on when someone comes into the room," said Alessandro Mangiafico, 11, who toured the house with his parents, who are Duke employees.
The Smart Home is on Faber Street off Swift Avenue. Visit smarthome.duke.edu for tour dates, times and directions.
9. Enrich your mind with a lecture
Does the digital revolution create new knowledge or just make us work harder? Find out Jan. 19 during a talk by Lynn Hunt, professor of history at UCLA. Hunt's lecture is part of the Duke Provost's Lecture Series for 2009-10 focusing on the Historical Record in the Digital Age.
Duke averages 15 to 20 public lectures each week. Visit calendar.duke.edu to find a lecture.
10. Visit UNC
If you can't find enough to do at Duke, hop on the Robertson Scholars bus for a free, non-stop trip to UNC-Chapel Hill.
The Robertson Bus runs to and from Duke's West Campus bus stop and UNC's Morehead Planetarium every day (including weekends) during the academic year. Check bus schedules at robertsonscholars.org.