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Find a Go-To Outdoor Spot

by Betsy Chapman

When school starts up in the fall, our students will have their residence hall room, apartment, etc. as their home base, but it is always nice to have other options of places to spend their time. With so much great outdoor space on or near campus (and even at Wake Downtown), it will be easy for your Deacs to find a go-to outdoor spot. Here are a few suggestions.

Mag Quad (aka Manchester Plaza) – one of the silver linings to the pandemic is we got a lot more outdoor seating areas for our students to enjoy. These Adirondack chairs are grouped together, allow ing a few students to sit together and enjoy a meal, study time, etc. New brick circles are the permanent home for the fire pit social area on Manchester Plaza, on the campus of Wake Forest University, Monday, August 9, 2021.

Café tables – peppered all over the main Quad and Mag Quad are these wonderful green café tables and chairs. You can leave them on the sidewalks where they are, or drag a couple into the grass and sit there. Wake Forest students walk past the new tables and chairs behind Reynolda Hall on their way to class on Tuesday, April 9, 2013.

The Quad (aka Hearn Plaza) is always a great option for being outdoors. Lots of students will claim a spot on the lawn and bring a book, or just close their eyes and relax for a while. Wake Forest students enjoy a warm spring evening on Hearn Plaza, on the campus of Wake Forest University, Friday, March 26, 2021.

Picnic benches – we have a variety of regular benches as well as picnic benches on campus. Some of my favorites are on the back side of Farrell Hall, which is just gorgeous in the fall when all the leaves are changing. Students work outdoors in front of the tent near Farrell Hall, on the campus of Wake Forest University on Monday, November 8, 2021.

Reynolda Village and Reynolda Gardens – just a short walk from campus, through the path behind Winston Hall, is a wonderful combination of green space, gardens, eateries (looking at you, May Way Dumplings!) and shops that are favorites of Wake students. This is a great place to take a book and a blanket to study, or just enjoy a nice walk. Reynolda Gardens of Wake Forest University shows off its fall color on Friday, November 7, 2008.

Bailey Park – don’t rule out Wake Downtown as a place to find a go-to outdoor spot! Bailey Park, accessible from the Wake Shuttle system, is a wonderful stretch of green space. Lots of community activities take place there – outdoor movies, concerts, even yoga! – and you are within walking distance of some great downtown eateries. Members of the community attend an open air film presentation in the new Bailey Park in downtown Winston-Salem on Thursday, June 18, 2015. The skyline of Winston-Salem is in the background.

Whether you are looking for a place to study, or just relax and hang out, we are blessed to have great choices for our students. Encourage your Deac to try some of these out for size this fall and find a special place that can be their go-to outdoor spot.

— by Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (’92, MA ’94)

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