The Quinnipiac University campus is a town in itself with all of the amenities to live a comfortable day-to-day life, but there is much to do beyond the confined grounds of campus that can liven up a day. For students on a budget, who need to de-stress, or that just want to have fun, Hamden and its surrounding towns offer more fun and more great deals than you may think.

The Long Wharf Theater is just 10 minutes away in New Haven and offers $20 tickets for students year round for any show. The Long Wharf has performances everyday usually twice per day, except Monday. One really great thing about the Long Wharf is that it is really quite intimate.

Constructed out of a small warehouse, every seat in the theater offers superb views of the stage. The theater also does a lot of collaboration with Quinnipiac. QU students have put on multiple performances there, and beginning next week QU’s Theater for Community will be performing “Medea” from Feb. 27 until Mar. 2. If you’re looking for someone to go with, students enrolled in drama classes are often required to attend performances there. Check out their Web site, www.longwharf.org for more information.

If music tickles your fancy a bit more than acting, check out The Space on Treadwell Ave. in Hamden.

According to their Web site, “The Space is basically halfway between an underground arts collective and a sticky floor rock venue. There’s a carpet, a staff of awesome volunteers, couches galore and over 100 kinds of tea. There’s also rock and roll, folk, acoustic orchestras, independent film, funk, computer games, indie shows and more happening on our stage.”

With performances every evening and a weekly open mic night, The Space is the perfect place for performers and audiences alike to enjoy some music. WQAQ does a lot of collaboration with The Space as well.

“They are just a really chill, alcohol free environment that lets local (and not local) bands play pretty much every night and their shows are between five to 10 dollars,” junior WQAQ member Laura Goodman said. “It’s really fun and a relaxing place to see a show. It’s a good, different environment from the usual clubs that bands play in.”

If food is what you’ve got a hankering for instead of entertainment, Side Street Grille is just down the street from campus, and has a great bar and menu. Tuesday is free wing night at Side Street and Wednesday is senior night.

“Tuesday and Wednesday are my new favorite nights to go out,” senior communications major Brittany Severino said. “Side Street is the best because so many other students go there and I love seeing all of my friends.”

While Side Street caters to mainly students who are 21 and over, their menu is available throughout the day for dining in and for takeout. Side Street is a very small bar whose wooden floors and walls give it a very homey feeling. Because it caters to locals and students, the prices are extremely reasonable.

“I eat wings for dinner every Tuesday night, ” said Dana Bizzarro, a senior communications major. “It’s all you can eat and they are so good. It’s definitely the place to be for students like me who are on a budget.”

So what goes better with dinner than a movie? North Haven Showcase Cinemas offers $5 movie tickets every Tuesday for any film your heart desires. Showcase has all of the newest movies playing and is located just minutes away in downtown North Haven. It is also accessible by the Quinnipiac shuttle.

If you’re looking to pack a little more action and movement into your day and do something more than just sitting in a theater, look no further than the Hamden Lanes on Dixwell Ave. The lanes are open everyday, but beginning Thursday, Feb. 7, the lanes are beginning a new tradition. From 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. every Thursday will be a college night Bowlerama. College students can bowl all night for just $15 and there will be a live DJ every week and some free munchies.

Senior education major Kathlyn Johnson said, “I used to do laser light bowling with my friends every Friday night when I was in high school, this Bowlerama thing sounds like so much fun and just like what we used to do in high school.”

So the next time you find yourself needing to just get off campus for a while, check out some of the great culture, sports and eats that Hamden and the surrounding areas have to offer. There are countless opportunities for a great time at a great price any day of the week.