Best 3 Summer Session Suggestions in Carbondale

Imagine this: the humidity is as high as the temperature, campus lots are only speckled with parked cars, and you just finished your first class of summer session. What are you going to do all summer in a town like Carbondale? Fear not, there is more to this town than the campus grounds. Here are my best 3 summer hot spots suggestions that will make your summer session enjoyable and relaxing.

#1) Hit the Rec, HARD

SIU has quite an impressive Student Recreation Center, and you should use this time you may have alone (or even better with a buddy) to hit the gym. Stay active in a number of ways: by playing basketball, tennis, recketball, swimming in the olympic sized pool, lifting in one of the many weight rooms, taking a aerobics class, or just running on one of the hundreds of treadmills.

#2) Check Out the Local Lakes

Poplar Camp Beach is a serene beach front on Cedar Lake. Swim in the lake or sunbathe on the hill, it’s a guaranteed good time. Only costing $2.50/person for entry, this local hot spot is the perfect way to cool down on those scorching Southern Illinois summer days.

If you’re willing to make the drive and looking for a bigger beach on the lake, I highly recommend South Sandusky Beach at Rend Lake.  One of the highest rated beaches in the area, South Sandusky Beach is roughly a 50 minute drive from Carbondale; this beach costs $5 per day or, if you plan to frequent this gorgeous location, $40 for a summer pass. This location offers a large sand area, buoyed swim area, shaded picnic sites, foot showers, large change/shower houses, and restroom facilities. South Sandusky Beach will open for the summer on May 17th, 2019.

#3) Sunset Concerts at SIU Shryock & Turley Park

Every Thursday at 7:00 PM Student Programming Council, Student Center, City of Carbondale, and Carbondale Park District hosts FREE live concerts in front of Shryock Auditorium on campus and Turley Park just off W. Main St. (Highway 13). Sunset Concert is a wonderful weekly tradition in the summers at SIU. Grab a blanket, some lawn chairs, and your biggest cooler and kick off your summer with Donovan Keith, of Soul Track Mind from Austin, TX, on June 13th, 2019.

Summer session is what you make of it, and I encourage you to make it a session to remember! Stay active at the gym, relax at the beach, and enjoy some nightlife while you study hard this summer. Time flies when you’re having fun! Fall will be here before you know it!