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Livin' it up in Lawrence By Becka Cremer bcremerr@kansan.com
If you can't send yourself to the vacation this spring break, bring the vacation to you
When she was a child and her family needed a break from dreary weather, Courtney Bregar's mother brought Florida to Illinois. Bregar, Chicago junior, says she remembers boarding a pretend train—a row
of chairs in their kitchen—with her sister. After awhile, their mother would announce they had arrived and would send the girls to put on their swimming suits.
While the girls were getting ready for a day at the beach, their mother would set up a picnic of summertime foods on a blanket.
"We'd eat our food in 'Florida' in the sun," Bregar says. "Instead of being in Chicago in the snow."
Years ago, Bregar's mom found ways to bring a vacation home to her daughters. This spring break, Bregar intends to return the favor when her mom comes to visit.
"I'm going to show her what Lawrence is really like," Bregar says. "I'm going to show her the hot spots. I'm trying to make my home a mini-vacation for my mom, just like she used to do for us."
If you're staying in Lawrence for spring break, take a cue from Bregar and her family and find the vacation spots in your routine. Here are some places to start:
Learn about Lawrence history
If you grew up with parents who thought vacation was synonymous with education, make an effort to bone up on Lawrence history this break—you'll get all of the perks of those childhood vacations without the long car rides
with your siblings.
Saira Khan, Lawrence senior,suggests starting at the Watkins Community Museum.
"The museum downtown is neglected a lot. Kansas is a historically rich place. It was a hotbed of activity
After you've visited the museum, head to the Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau to pick up a few brochures for self-guided tours around Lawrence. Alternately, download the tours onto your iPod from the
Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau 785.865.4499
402 North Second Street
Hours: Monday through
Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
www.visitlawrence.com
visitors bureau website. Debbie White, manager at the Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau, suggests a self-guided tour called "Quantrill's Raid: The Lawrence Massacre."
She says all KU students should learn a little about Lawrence history. "Then they'd understand the Border War." she says. "Because it's not just about sports."
If you're looking for a more active, on-campus spring break activity, head to the Kansas Union for some bowling or to the lawn at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics.
"Although the museum is interesting to some,it's not everyone's thing," says Cori Ast, communications
Jaybowl
785 864.3545
Kansas Union, Level I
Hours: Monday through Friday,
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
www.unionprograms.ku.edu
/jaybowl.shtml
Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics
785.864.4900
Rediscover campus
The Natural History Museum in Dyche Hall and the Spencer Museum of Art will maintain regular hours through spring break. The Natural History Museum is hosting a "Science of the Human Body" exhibit during the break.The exhibit is geared toward younger children, says Khan, who works as a visitor services associate at the museum, but everyone can find something interesting about the human body.
785.864.4900
2350 Petefish Drive
Hours: Monday through Saturday,
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
www.doleinstitute.org
When you've had your fill of local history, use the week off classes to head back to campus.
coordinator at the Dole Institute.The grassy area outside the building is a great place to picnic, play guitar or hang out, she says. And if you're in the mood to learn something, too, admission to the museum is free.
Bregar says she and her mom will probably visit the Spencer Museum of Art during their tour of Lawrence, and that they plan to mix
Even if you don't know anything about art, museums offer calming places to take a break from your hectic life, says Bill Woodard, director of communications at the museum. Take your friends, he says, because it gives you something new to talk about.
during the Civil War, with a lot going on," she says.
up her usual routine by getting massages and cooking together. If all goes well, her mom's real-life airplane ride to Lawrence will be as memorable as the pretend-train trips from Bregar's childhood. JP
Watkins Community Museum
785.841.4109
www.watkinsmuseum.org
1047 Massachusetts Street Hours:Tuesday,Wednesday. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Thus, it's a cheap date to come here." Woodard says. "Admission is always free."
Spencer Museum of Art
785.864.4710
"Plus, it's a cheap date
765.864.4710
1301 Mississippi Street
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday,
Saturday and Sunday, Noon to 4 p.m.
Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
www.spencerart.ku.edu
Natural History Museum
785.864.4540
1345 Jayhawk Blvd.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
www.nhm.ku.edu
Contributed photos
Spring break fun! The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics' lawn can be a fun place to lounge and picnic, and exhibits within the museum are free.
Exhibitions open at the Spencer Museum of Art during spring break:
- Climate Change at the Poles Through May 24, 2009
A Greenland Glacier:The Scale of Climate Change Photographs by Terry Evans
Through May 24, 2009
A Tradition Redefined: Modern and Contemporary Chinese Ink Paintings from the Chu-tsing Li Collection, 1950-2000
Through May 24, 2009
Discover the Spencer's Second Life® Island
Through Summer 2009
Reviving the Past: Antiquity &
Trees & other Ramifications: Branches in Nature & Culture Through May 24, 2009
Antiquarianism in East Asian Art Through 2010
x + 2 = mOB A
Source: Emily Ryan, office manager at the Spencer Museum of Art
March 5,2009
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