While the Delta State campus offers many club activities, Cleveland, Miss., itself may seem boring to outsiders. However, on the inside, Cleveland is teeming with life. 

With various local businesses and music festivals, Cleveland offers activities for anyone in the community to enjoy. 

Visit A Local Business

 Located on the corner of South Court Street and South Bolivar Avenue, Mississippi Grounds sells more than just coffee. They offer a wide range of items for breakfast, lunch, and dessert and also have free wifi and sofas for college students to sit in while they work on their schoolwork.  

Interesting fact: according to their website, Mississippi Grounds was originally an old service station before it was converted into the coffee shop we know today. 

Go See A Show

With the Bologna Performing Arts Center (BPAC) and the Roy L. and Clara Belle Wiley Planetarium on campus, there’s no shortage of shows to see. 

While tickets at the BPAC are upwards of $40, they do occasionally offer five dollar movie nights. This semester they are offering shows such as Frozen Two on Feb. 13, and Cats on Feb.20. 

The BPAC will also offer free screenings of smaller filmmakers this year as part of the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. 

The Roy L. and Clara Belle Wiley Planetarium is one of the lesser known places in Cleveland. They offer shows about once a week to the public and tickets are three dollars if you bring your Okra Card or five dollars for adults.

On occasion, The Wiley Planetarium will offer special events such as “A Night Under the Stars” on Valentine’s Day priced at $20 per couple. 

Each show lasts about an hour, but attendees get a view of the stars that are nearly impossible to achieve with the naked eye. More dates are available on their website. 

Get Lost in Nature

Cleveland boasts multiple parks within the city limits and a Wildlife refuge just outside of its borders.

The Dahomey Wildlife Refuge offers 35 miles of hiking trails, a butterfly garden and year-round fishing. 

They also have seasonal hunting for waterfowl, deer and the like. All that is required is an unlimited, $15 hunting and fishing license. 

Just outside of the refuge is a field, which is perfect for admiring the night sky.  

If you do decide to go to the refuge during hunting season, I would advise you to wear orange so you are not mistaken for a deer. 

Another place to get in touch with nature is Bear Pen Park where you can purchase duck feed and watch the ducks gobble it up. You will not have to worry about wearing orange here. 

Scour Through Local Consignment Shops

Cleveland’s array of consignment shops can help students get desired items at a lower price. The city offers Moonstruck Flea Market, Salvation Army, Consignment for a Cause and Riley Rou’s. 

Cleveland native Morgan Raper claims that this is the way she has stayed sane in the Delta. She says that she “got some of [her] best clothes from places like Moonstruck or Salvation Army.” 

Get in Touch With The Local Scene.

People have been told for many years that Cleveland, Miss., is boring. The “Keep Cleveland Boring” non-profit organization has set its mind to changing that reputation. 

The next festival that they will be hosting is Anotherfest on April 4, 2020. Their website says that this will be a “spring musical festival that takes place at various venues throughout downtown Cleveland.” 

Keep Cleveland Boring also sponsors Otherfest, Pour Mississippi, Drinko de Mayo, Cleveland Bites and St. Joe’s Day. 

Since Cleveland, Miss., is still evolving along with the DSU campus, it can be difficult to find things to do. 

One thing that is needed in Cleveland is to have the right friends. Morgan said that with friends, “you can be doing literally nothing and it becomes some of your favorite memories.”