When I first came to Longwood University, I was told all the wonderful things about the school: the student-teacher relationships, the Lancer pride, the Chi Walks — all on the virtually never-ending list of events going on on campus. It was great! I was so excited to attend such a great school.

Nearly as soon as my first semester started, I began hearing whispers — which quickly grew into a dull roar — about the lack of things to do in town.

What?

Anybody who says there’s nothing to do in Farmville either hasn’t looked around or doesn’t enjoy … well, anything.

In my four years as a student at Longwood, I never once uttered the phrase “I’m bored.”

There are so many things to do here in Farmville, especially for the students who seem to do the most complaining.

There’s a swimming pool on campus. Stores, coffee shops and other businesses literally line the streets. Buffalo Wild Wings, Cookout, McDonald’s, Ruby Tuesday, Applebee’s and so many other restaurants offer a wide variety of food choices. Businesses in the area, such as Uptown Coffee Café, have open mic nights and other community events to attend.

Go for a walk or run in town. Hike or run or bike down the High Bridge Trail State Park. Blaze your own trail through the woods or wade through the dozen or more creeks, ponds and lakes in the area.

Get friends together to play football, ultimate frisbee, tennis, golf, bowling, soccer or volleyball. Or, you could people watch.

Go support your fellow Lancers and Hampden-Sydney College Tigers in their sporting events.

There are so many small towns in the country and in the state which embody the phrase “nothing to do.” Farmville is surely not one of them.

BRIAN KLINGENFUS is a staff reporter for The Farmville Herald. His email address is Brian.Klingenfus@FarmvilleHerald.com.