University Plaza: Much More than Meets the Eye

Living on campus my first two years without a car forced me to explore the area around campus a bit more intimately than most students. With the guidance from some of my older Florida Tech friends, I began exploring University Plaza, a plaza owned by the school on Babcock Street (Not to be confused with Panther Plaza by The SUB on campus).

This plaza, located behind the Clemente Center, is home to two stories of eclectic businesses and popular college haunts. Probably the best known establishment here is Old School Pizza, a little hole in the wall pizza joint that knows just how to attract students. With a menu full of large portions and student favorites (garlic knots, wings, stromboli’s, etc) Old School knows how to cater to the stereotypical “poor college student,” providing a budget-friendly way to go out and grab a bite with some friends off campus.

There are also a number of other restaurants in University Plaza, such as King of the Gyro and Middle Eastern Aromas, to add to the international flair of our school. There is also a tattoo parlor, as well as Angela’s Salon. If you have Metro PCS, then you’re in luck! There happens to be a Metro PCS store in University Plaza as well. If for some reason the on campus laundry facilities aren’t working, or you find them to be too expensive, there is also a laundromat.

One of the most recent additions to the University Plaza is the conception of the Student Business Incubator. The Nathan M. Bisk College of Business has set up a facility for students to use as a location to help get their business ideas off the ground. I personally have been to the facility to listen to speakers that the college brings in and I can already see the potential in this space.

So the next time you’re bored or hungry (or both), why not head on over to University Plaza and see what new odds and ends you might find?