The Office for Student Affairs has you covered with ways to beat boredom and the heat this summer:
- Visit the Gopher Spot in St. Paul Student Center and Goldy's Gameroom in Coffman Memorial Union for campus-made ice cream, billiards, board games, and food. Goldy’s Gameroom also features a broader menu and an entire bowling alley to enjoy.
- Recreation & Wellness’ Center for Outdoor Adventure (COA) offers affordable outdoor gear rentals to everyone. You can rent gear for camping, backpacking, climbing, mountaineering, and bouldering, as well as equipment like mountain bikes, canoes, and paddle boards.
- RecWell’s Gopher Swim School (GSS) offers private and semi-private lessons to students and the public. Often a popular choice for people with busy schedules, these lessons are a great way to get personalized instruction.
- PAWS (Pet Away Worries and Stress) sessions continue over the summer with monthly opportunities for you to hang out with registered therapy animal teams - including dogs, bunnies, cats, and even chickens.
- Browse a collection of artwork that reflects the diversity of the university community, created by student, local, and national artists throughout Student Unions & Activities' (SUA) facilities:
- Shop for free groceries at the Nutritious U Food Pantry, which is open weekly through the summer at their Coffman Memorial Union location. Keep an eye on their regularly updated event calendar to learn about related pop-ups.
To learn about even more offerings open to the general public, check out the Summer 2026 guide to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.