So your parents are in town for Family Weekend, here to enjoy the lovely metropolis that is Ames and give you, hopefully, some cash and groceries.

You’ve got two, maybe three days to see them, enjoy them, get sick of them and eat all the homemade cookies Mom made for you and your roommate.

Once the hugs and love are out of the way, there’s going to be a looming problem — what do you do with your parents for a whole weekend? You’ve gotten used to life without them — a full month into the school year — and now you’ve forgotten what else you’ve done with them for the other 18 to 23 years of your life.

You can’t take them to the bar, you can’t tailgate with them and you can’t get them to write that paper for you. The automatic assumption is that Ames offers little to the nuclear family, and only knows how to cater to the college student.

Well, the Daily is here to save the day.

There’s plenty in Ames to do that will satisfy you and the ‘rents for the weekend. The city and university offer plenty of things that everyone can enjoy — providing for a happy Parent’s Weekend free from the pain of counting the tiles in your dorm room while your little sister sings “The Song That Never Ends.”

You can actually go to the game, instead of standing in a grass lot hoping for a plastic wristband from ISU Police. There’s music, gardens, museums — plenty to fill the 48- to 72-hour gap you’ve got to fill.

So read on and plan away.

1. Killing Time

It’s the perfect time of year to play with a few butterflies and wander through Reiman Gardens, a place that is generally unloved by students. The gardens are the largest available publicly in Iowa, and there’s plenty for you to look at and smell. You can wander on your own through the large facilities, including the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing. It’s been said that the butterflies will come and perch on your shoulder if you’re nice enough. There are lots of flowers in bloom this time of year, even though it’s not spring. Hazel’s Kitchen is a nice little caf‚ with sandwiches, fruit, juice and coffee if you get a little hungry from your wanderings. Best of all, it’s free (donation suggested of course) to students. Your parents, though are $7 each.

2. Clean (new) clothes

By now your jeans and T-shirts are probably a little dirty and ragged. Spending $1.50 per load always seems much more costly than wearing jeans that are nice and “worn in” for a few more weeks. Mom and Dad won’t stand for your uncleanliness though. Try and take them to the hallway that is North Grand Mall and stroll through the stores it offers. Cheap movies aren’t far away either. But if you need more shopping and a mall that is more reminiscent of a hotel lobby, visit Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines.

3. Taming the hungries

At some point, they’ll want to make sure you eat something rather than dorm food that includes meat that isn’t quite as juicy or tasty as Mom’s. This weekend, ranch casserole won’t do. High-end food lovers should head toward Aunt Maude’s, 547 Main St., or Lucullan’s Restaurant, 400 Main St. The cheaper, best-for-your-buck is obviously Hickory Park, 1404 S. Duff Ave., which has been a parent-in-Ames-for-a-weekend favorite for ages. The family should also take a look at Campustown, which offers a great variety of cheap, fast and good food. Mom might like all the little stores in downtown Ames with the several pizza places and other eateries.