Get out more August 14 2002

Students: Don’t retreat to your dorm room for another afternoon of downloading music or trying to coax the hottest new thing on your hall into playing drinking games. Get out and enjoy the city. What better way to do this than to start out at other college campuses?
Here are a few must-see places where students and non-students alike are welcomed. Be brave and ask your professors for extra credit for visiting these spots — you might have to write a page or two on your visit, but isn’t a passing grade worth it?

Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
Don’t you want to see what the guy who designed all your snazzy new Target furniture can really do? Explore this beautiful piece of architecture designed by Michael Graves. The permanent collection of ancient art varies from objects from Greece and Rome to the near East and the ancient Americas, but the museum may be best known for its collection of mummies and Egyptian funerary art. $5. Closed on Mondays. The museum is located near the university entrance at North Decatur and Oxford roads. Parking can be daunting; check out the campus map online first. 571 S. Kilgo St. 404-727-4282. carlos.emory.edu

The Robert Ferst Center for the Arts, Georgia Tech
This 1,200-seat auditorium perched in the middle of Tech’s campus hosts acts as varied as Beck (Aug. 20), “Politically Incorrect’s ” Bill Maher (Oct. 25), Puccini’s La Boheme (Nov. 15) and Fosse, the Tony Award-winning musical (Dec. 6). Tech’s variety of shows are open to students and the general public alike. Tickets go on sale Sept. 3. Prices range from free to $40. The Ferst Center is adjacent to the Student Center. 349 Ferst Drive. 404-894-9600. www.ferstcenter.gatech.edu

Spivey Hall, Clayton College & State University
This sometimes forgotten venue south of the city offers some of the region’s finest performances in piano, vocal, jazz, choral, organ, string and early music. Not in tune with music without words? Check out the season-opening concert given by Rodney Gilfrey, baritone (Sept. 14, 8:15 p.m., $30). Tickets are heavily discounted for CCSU students and faculty, but a visiting student gets 50 percent off. Morrow’s not too far away — just 15 minutes south of downtown. Take I-75 South to Exit 233. Follow the green and white signs 1 1/2 miles north on Ga. Highway 54 to Clayton State Boulevard. 5900 N. Lee St. 770-961-3683. www.spiveyhall.org.

Georgia Shakespeare Festival, Oglethorpe University
Performing for years in a circus-like tent on the neo-gothic campus, the theater’s digs still hark back to those open-air days with picnics on the lawn and panels that crank open to let the breeze in. Don’t be worried about wearing jeans or BYOB-ing it. This Shakespeare pad ain’t too stuffy. The Singular Voices Festival runs Sept. 18-22, featuring two one-man shows: Booth, Brother Booth and The Gospel of John. The Taming of the Shrew runs Oct. 11-Nov. 3. $15-$32. Easy access: Turn into the school’s main entrance, go straight back and the Conant Performing Arts Center is the last building. 4484 Peachtree Road. 404-264-0020. www.gashakespeare.org.

The Bentley Rare Book Gallery, Kennesaw State University
Make an appointment to connect with the past through original works like a 1542 Chaucer and an original nine-volume set of “Tristram Shandy.” Available to KSU students, faculty and the public, this world-class collection of 15,000 items spans the history of the written word in the Western world. Kennesaw is a 15-minute drive north of the Perimeter on I-75. Exit on Chastain Road and turn left. Turn right into KSU’s main entrance and follow the signs. The gallery is located on the lower level of the Horace W. Sturgis Library. Parking and entrance into the library are free, but appointments are required to view the book collection. 1000 Chastain Road. 770-423-6535. www.kennesaw.edu/library.

The Bradley Observatory and Delafield Planetarium, Agnes Scott College
Sky viewing at its finest — with professionals on hand to tell you what exactly you’re seeing. The exceptional technology at this privately funded college benefits the public through lectures, slide shows, planetarium shows and the use of its nine state-of-the-art telescopes. Free. Lecture schedule varies. Several parking lots. Call ahead if bringing a large group. 141 E. College Ave. 404-471-6265. bradley.agnesscott.edu.

Jerry Portwood contributed to this story.