DeKALB | The view of DeKalb in the eyes of newcomers can be summed up in four words: cornfields, NIU, food and cornfields.

The restaurants along Lincoln Highway are about as far as some students venture off campus on foot, and some may need motivation to walk the distance to downtown DeKalb.

A deeper look at the downtown, however, yields a myriad of sights.

The first thing to see is a giant cornstalk mural on the side of a building at Lincoln Highway and First Street. This, however, should not be enough to persuade one to turn back from what seems like a futile quest for DeKalb entertainment.

The town’s more edible options are in abundance if the trek is continued.

The Nut House, 229 East Lincoln Highway, offers candy, peanuts and popcorn. Surprises abound inside, with offerings of hand-knit scarves for when the DeKalb wind picks up.

For students who like the coffee house atmosphere, The House Cafe, 263 East Lincoln Highway, is the place to go. Pick up and read one of the several titles off the bookshelf while relaxing on a couch with a coffee or smoothie.

Live bands play every night, ranging in genres from jazz to rock to heavy metal. To find out what bands are playing, visit thehousecafe.net. The House also offers an all-you-can-eat Indian lunch buffet Monday through Friday.

To show off vocal skills, one can go to Andy’s Lounge, 317 East Lincoln Highway, for karaoke.

A short way further, Irish music plays outside O’Leary’s Irish Pub & Grill, 260 East Lincoln Highway. Here, Irish dancing may suddenly sound very appealing. On Fridays and Saturdays, O’Leary’s opens its upstairs with couches, a pool table, dart boards and a high-definition big screen TV.

The Lincoln Inn Family Restaurant & Bakery, 240 East Lincoln Highway, has a small-town weekday morning brunch atmosphere.

Eduardo’s Mexican Restaurant, 214 East Lincoln Highway, is one of the highway’s bar stops.

Annex the Lord Stanley’s, 142 East Lincoln Highway, is the place for pizza.

For dessert, take a quick walk for ice cream at Tommy O’s Family Restaurant, 330 N. Second St.

“If you need a gift for somebody you love, care about or want to have care about you; [Cracker Jax] is a good place to start,” said store owner Lauren Woods.

A small shop with the aroma of coffee and candles, Cracker Jax, 118 N. Third St., offers vintage clothing and jewelry in addition to various other gift options.

Other vintage clothing stores worth visiting are Moxie, 230 E. Lincoln Highway, and Encore Clothing Inc., 132 E. Lincoln Highway.

Stephanie Wise is a City Reporter for the

Northern Star.