Things to Do
at UMass Amherst

Eat at the #1 Dining Hall in America

Here's something most Amherst residents don't know: the UMass dining halls are open to everyone. No student ID. No reservation. Just walk in, pay at the door, and eat.

The Princeton Review has ranked UMass dining the best in the country for eight consecutive years. The four dining commons (Worcester, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire) serve everything from Vietnamese pho to halal burgers to Montreal chicken, with about 20 languages spoken among kitchen staff whose personal food histories show up on the menu. Worcester Commons alone serves 12,000 meals daily across 12 stations in a 25,000-square-foot space.

What it costs: Breakfast $12.00, Lunch $16.25, Dinner $19.25. Children ages 2 to 10 eat for $6.50, and children under two eat for free. Cash or card accepted at the door.

For a more upscale evening, the University Club (known on campus as the UClub) is a full-service restaurant and lounge housed in two historic colonial farmhouses, open to the public with reservations. It features local beer, wine, and farm-fresh ingredients in a setting most locals have never seen. Call 413-545-2551 to reserve a table.

See World-Class Performances (Many of Them Free)

The Fine Arts Center at 151 Presidents Drive is one of the region's premier performing arts venues, and it is completely open to the public. The current season features the Paul Taylor Dance Company, jazz pianist Kris Davis, classical guitarist Kevin Loh, avant-garde dance artist Hiroaki Umeda, and Bruce Hornsby. Tickets typically start at $19 for youth and $29 and up for adults.

Many performances every semester are completely free. The UMass Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Lab Ensemble, Brass and Trombone Choirs, and chamber music ensembles perform regularly at no charge. The Spring Arts Festival (April through May) is especially rich with free events. The Hands On workshop series lets you try glassblowing, bead weaving, and terrarium making for a small fee.

Three art galleries are free and open year-round: the University Museum of Contemporary Art, the Augusta Savage Gallery, and the Hampden Gallery. The Spring Artwalk (once per semester) brings all three together with free food and live music.

Borrow Books from the Third-Tallest Library in the World

The W.E.B. Du Bois Library is 28 stories tall, holds over 4 million titles, and Massachusetts residents can get a free borrower's card. Walk in with a Massachusetts ID, fill out an application, and you're in.

While you're there: the Digital Media Lab has 50-plus 3D printers, professional audio recording booths, a green screen room, and video and camera equipment available to borrow. The Science and Engineering Library houses the Aggie Seed Library, where you can check out seeds the same way you'd check out a book. The top floors of Du Bois offer a panoramic view of the Pioneer Valley that most locals have never seen. A live-streaming peregrine falcon nest has been on the roof since 2003.

On-site, Massachusetts residents can access over 500 research databases free of charge using public computers.

Cheer on the Minutemen and Minutewomen

UMass fields 21 varsity sports, and not all of them cost money to attend.

The three ticketed sports are football, hockey, and basketball. Football at McGuirk Alumni Stadium runs through the fall with a full gameday atmosphere including the Power and Class of New England marching band. The stadium holds 17,000 and single game tickets start around $23. Men's Hockey at the Mullins Center is genuinely worth attending. UMass hockey alumni include Cale Makar, who won a silver medal at the Olympics for Canada. Men's and Women's Basketball also play at the Mullins Center.

The sports most residents never think about are often the most accessible and intimate. Baseball at Earl Lorden Field, Softball at Sortino Field, Men's and Women's Soccer at Rudd Field, Women's Lacrosse at McGuirk, Swimming and Diving at Boyden Pool, and Track and Field at the UMass Track Complex are all either free or require a small cash-at-the-gate fee.

Attend a Free Public Lecture

Every semester UMass hosts dozens of free public lectures across its departments. The English Department's Troy Lecture series has brought Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Junot Diaz, and Seamus Heaney to campus over the years. The next one features N.K. Jemisin on March 31, 2026, free and open to the public. The Visiting Writers Series brings emerging and established poets and fiction writers throughout the year. Individual departments across the university host named lectures in history, science, public health, and more.

The central hub for all of it is the UMass Events Calendar, updated daily and searchable by type, date, and department.

Tap Into UMass Extension

UMass Extension is a division of the university specifically designed to bring research and education into the community. It has operated since 1914 and is arguably the most directly useful part of the university for everyday Amherst residents, particularly anyone who grows food, tends a garden, or cares about land and the environment.

Through the Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, UMass Extension offers public workshops, online seminars, and certificate programs throughout the year. Recent offerings have included pruning fruit trees, managing pollinator-friendly habitats, ecological weed management, and orchard establishment for homeowners. The Pollinator Steward Certificate Program is a 10-hour course open to anyone.

The Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory is open to homeowners and backyard gardeners, not just commercial farms. For a modest fee, you can submit a soil sample and receive a full analysis with fertilizer recommendations. There is also a Plant Diagnostics Laboratory where you can bring or send a plant sample to have pests or diseases identified by Extension specialists.

Take a Class at UMass

UMass is not just for 18-year-olds. Through University+ (formerly Continuing Education), any adult can enroll in UMass courses in person, online, or hybrid format without being a degree-seeking student. Subjects range from history and writing to professional development, leadership, and building and construction technology.

The History Department explicitly advertises its online courses to the general public, describing them as small, discussion-rich, and highly participatory. K-12 teachers can earn professional development credits or graduate credit for licensure renewal. The University Without Walls program lets working adults complete a full bachelor's degree part-time, and professional certificate programs are available in fields including arts management and communication disorders.

Get Fit on Campus

The Recreation Center on Commonwealth Avenue serves over 3,000 members daily with cardio and strength training areas, group fitness classes, an indoor jogging track, basketball courts, a brand-new climbing and bouldering center, and two pools. The Orchard Hill Disc Golf Course offers something more relaxed outdoors.

One honest caveat: community memberships for non-UMass residents are available in summer only, for $65 for the season. During the academic year, access is limited to UMass affiliates. If you know someone with a membership, guest passes are $10 per visit.

Just Walk the Campus

No one stops you from walking around UMass. The campus has real things worth seeing: Campus Pond, the Fine Arts Center overlook that students call one of the best sunset spots in Amherst, the Arts Bridge where artists work at all hours of the day, the Orchard Hill disc golf course, and the Du Bois Library tower viewed from the ground. Campus tours run through Undergraduate Admissions and are primarily for prospective students, but the campus itself is open and walkable any time.