A “Lynchburgian” Summer

SA Engages

June 7, 2016

The moment after graduation caps are tossed in the air, Lynchburg seems to lose half of its inhabitants for a few months. Being one of many “college towns” across America, Lynchburg experiences a spike of residents in the fall and spring and a significant drop in residents for the summer. Yet, this does not mean that “the Burg” becomes a lackluster spot on a central Virginian map! Instead, it is easier to get around and explore without the nuisance of extra traffic and long wait lines at restaurants. With this in mind, here are a few thoughts that come along with being a year-round Lynchburgian (is that a cool term?).

Do you ever have a day in Lynchburg where you have to walk into multiple coffee shops just to find a spot to sit down and start some homework? Most likely this occurred on a Monday night when online class homework was due and you were in a bit of a frenzy. One of the best parts of living in Lynchburg over the summer is the higher chance that a seat will be available at The Muse, Mission House Coffee, White Hart or any Starbucks around the area.
Along with the higher probability of having a table for yourself at a coffee shop, food is definitely up there on the list of reasons why a summer in Lynchburg can be enjoyable. Of course, the wait times to be seated significantly decrease over the summer, but there are even more perks – one of these being Food Truck Thursday. On Thursdays around lunchtime, Lynchburg’s most hip and Snapchat-able foods are served at Miller Park. If you’re around, you won’t want to miss T&E Catering‘s dirty fries and Uprooted’s sweet tea. And if we’re discussing food, Lynchburg Restaurant Week cannot be passed over. With participants such as RA Bistro, Market at Main, Waterstone Pizza and others, Restaurant Week is always one to look forward to in the summer. This year, Restaurant Week is from June 18-25, and you can see the deals that each restaurant is putting on here.
Over the summer in Lynchburg, we get to experience pretty cool “happenings” before the students return. Some of Lynchburg’s newer features this summer include Aldi (a grocery store with lower priced food but higher priced shopping carts), One Way Out (an escape room located off Lakeside Drive), and Steak and Shake (no explanation necessary). All three of these locations bring something new to Lynchburg that contributes to what people like to do around here: eat, get milkshakes late at night, and make new memories with a group of pals.
Lynchburg’s shopping scene is not typically one that people rave about, but it has its perks. Just think – with thousands of college students departing for the summer, how much more is there to buy at TJ Maxx and the J.Crew Clearance store? Stores around the 434 are much more enjoyable to peruse when there are less people and seemingly more items for you to choose from.
Lastly, let’s talk about the place where we probably feel the most judged – you guessed it! The gym. If you are able to get into the LaHaye Student Union during the summer, consider yourself blessed. During the school year, 5 pm is the time to avoid the gym the most due to no available treadmills, a small selection of weights that are undoubtedly too heavy for most, and a lack of foam rollers (which are the best part of any post-workout). Yet, during the summer 5 pm rolls around and the gym is pretty much as unoccupied as a spring or fall semester’s 5 am (which is slightly busier than you would think, but still not overwhelming). Due to the lack of students in Lynchburg over the summer, one could imagine that many fitness centers in the area experience the same sort of retreat of members, just in a less dramatic fashion.

There you have it, folks! In the summer, Lynchburg becomes less “Liberty”, leaving room to notice some of the pretty cool things we have goin’ on that might not be given attention to with the influx of students in the fall and spring. We live in a pretty cool place, and there is no better time to discover its features than from May to early August, when the students come back and we start the excitement and bustle all over again.