With only a few more exams, papers and lectures standing in the way, a well-deserved break is just around the corner. College students around the country will soon be packing their bags and migrating to warmer climates for a week of sun, sand and a lot of alcohol. While all of the beaches around the Gulf of Mexico are crowded, you could be having a much better vacation.

I will admit I do have a slight dislike of the beach to begin with. My pale skin skips burning and jumps straight to bursting into flames after too much sun. I’m surrounded by my fair share of drunk people on this campus during unofficial, so I don’t need to spend my break with them either. Fortunately, there are a variety of spring break ideas better than the stereotypical beach week.

Relive your childhood. There are a lot of fun things out there that we forget because we’ve “grown up.” Disney World, Universal Studios and the new Harry Potter Park are places we would have loved as kids and probably still would. You can also remember those fun family vacations you went on and relive those as well. You could even be radical and go on vacation with your family.

Watch some baseball. For those of you who can’t stand to miss out on Florida, there are more than beaches and theme parks. Spring Training is happening right now and you could go watch your favorite team play some baseball. One of the best parts of baseball in the spring is the casual atmosphere. You can get seats right on the field and even have the chance to talk with your favorite players before and after each game. If your team isn’t in Florida, you can make your way to Arizona, which is also beautiful this time of year.

Learn something. Spring break is usually viewed as a time off of class, but it’s a great time to travel to a place where you might actually learn something. One example would be Washington, DC. Our nation’s capital has many great tourist attractions relating to history and most of them are free to visit. If you have a bit more cash, you could tour places around the country like New York City and Boston, or go abroad to Paris and Rome. Your history books gain a lot more meaning when you can see what they’re talking about in person.

Stay home. Whether you live in the northern or southern part of the state, Chicago and St. Louis both have a lot to offer during your week off. People from all over the world visit Chicago as a tourist destination, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find something fun to do. Even if you’ve been there before, try visiting the Museum of Science and Industry or go shopping on Michigan Avenue. If you’re from further south, St. Louis’ Art Museum and Zoo in Forest Park are excellent and, more importantly, free. I am an admitted zoo addict and will be spending an entire day there taking pictures.

Volunteer. You can help yourself and others during your week of vacation through volunteer projects. If you can’t afford to travel, there are a number of places in your community that could use some help. After school programs and homeless shelters always need an extra set of hands around their facilities. If you can afford it, you can also travel abroad for volunteer work to do disaster relief in Haiti or build houses in Mexico.

Whatever you do, make sure you have some fun and relax. Even if you are an over-achiever and plan on doing homework during most of your break, take some time to do something else you enjoy. Take something from this list or get creative and plan a crazy road trip. If you can’t squeeze something in at the last minute, start planning for next year. Whatever you do, make sure you come back with something more than a sunburn and a hangover.

Micah is a senior in LAS.