College Life at Northern Illinois University

Meeting up with friends for a quick study break or some weekend fun at the bars and restaurants around town is popular amongst NIU students. Many of the favored spots are right around campus on the Lincoln Highway or just minutes away from the university in downtown Dekalb. Here are a few places you’ll want to check out near campus:

Best Restaurants Near NIU:

Fatty’s Pub and Grill
Egg Haven Pancakes and Cafe
Tapa La Luna
Thai Pavilion
Mediterraneo Grill

Best Bars Near NIU:

Lord Stanley’s
O’Leary’s Ale House
Hometown Sport’s Bar & Grill
KJ’s Bar & Grill
Sullivan’s Tavern

Things To Do at Northern Illinois University

The Northern Illinois University Campus Recreation program is a great tool for students who want to be engaged in campus recreational and outdoor activities. Students can participate in group fitness, intramural sports, and Outdoor Adventures. Outdoor Adventures is a group that creates events like the Boundary Waters Canoe Trip. Dekalb has many parks throughout the city that offer a wide range of recreational activities like golf courses, soccer fields, basketball courts, sports complexes, and flower gardens to stroll through. Shabbona Lake State Park is a great spot for weekend camping and fishing trips.

Although Dekalb isn’t a large city, there are plenty of activities for students to get into both on and off-campus. Whether it be in one of the hundreds of on-campus clubs, or joining a frat or sorority, students at NIU get involved. Like many college campuses, sports are huge at NIU. Huskie pride is evident all around Dekalb so grab your red and black gear and head to a game to support your school! Students can also hang out at the Huskie Den where you can catch movies, shoot some pool, or go bowling. The Campus Activity Program provides students will dances and other social events throughout the year. Another program, called Expressions, is a great way to showcase (or watch performances) your singing, rap, poetry, or dance talents. Students can also catch concerts at the Convocation Center throughout the year.

Head off campus, and check out the town! The Whiskey Acres Distilling Co makes their own whiskey and you can take tours and sample their products and grab drinks before, during, and after the tour. Visit one of the city’s museums like the NIU Art Museum of the historic Ellwood House Museum, home to Isaac Ellwood, the inventor of barbed wire. Catch a movie at the Carmike Market Square 10 Cinema or get some friends together for a night of fun at Star Worlds Arcade. Throughout the year you can also see films, concerts, catch live performances, and reading at the Egyptian Theatre, which also holds an annual haunted house!

Highlights Include:

Attending a Huskie sports event
Sampling the whiskey at Whiskey Acres Distilling Co
Touring the Ellwood House Museum
Going to the Egyptian Theatre haunted house

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