Sports, traditions, food, and surroundings make these the most fun college towns to visit, for four years or for a weekend getaway
It ’s gentle to recall of college as a worldwide experience , and there are a lot of commonalities between schools — brick and Hedera helix , an good afternoon on the grassy quadrangle , the tenseness of an all - nighter to finish a newspaper , the smell of fresh textbook in moth-eaten program library , the smell of stale beer in an off - campus cellar , sweat out an good afternoon hangover in an old matching seam , that form of thing . But there are also striking difference of opinion among high - education introduction , and many of them are based on location . Fromcamping finish in Coloradotoliterature in Iowaand tailgates in Mississippi , the facts of living diverge wildly in college towns across the land .
You may not be able to turn back meter and try college all over again , but score of these schools are arrange incool , quaintlocales that are just as fun for visitor as they are for students , so you could still sample the charm of our finest academic creation . These are the full college town in America .
Iowa City, Iowa
For book lover , no American college township comes close toIowa City , the house of the University of Iowa and a UNESCO - designated City of Literature . If walk in nature are more your f number , hit the 16 - mile River Corridor Trail , a paved path along the Iowa River that thread from town into green blank . Or you could stroll downtown ’s Pedestrian Mall , filled with collegiate bookstores and coffee shops . The University of Iowa also has one of the coolest traditions in college football : At the end of the first after part of each home game , the totality of Kinnick Stadium turns and waves to patients in the next children ’s infirmary .
San Luis Obispo, California
When you set a university in the James Jerome Hill above the California coast , you do n’t have to do much to convince student your home is one of the best college Town in America . SLO mark full-grown point for Cal Poly with its natural beauty in the pith ofCalifornia ’s Central Coast . The bustling business district has scores of eating place right along the Santa Maria River , all just a unforesightful walk from the historic Fremont Theater and blocks of college bar . It ’s also delightfully commodious to all the great nature of the Golden State , whether that have in mind hiking through Reservoir Canyon , waddle with otters inMorro Bay , or surfing in Pismo Beach . The home of Cal Poly is also squarely in the center of wine country , allow for quick day excursion toPaso Roblesand the Edna Valley .
Charlottesville, Virginia
The arresting campus of the University of Virginia is one of the most architecturally impressive in the worldly concern , including designs by Thomas Jefferson himself . So you ’d be forgive if you never leave campus — but you should . Charlottesvilleis a ingathering of wind streets in the Virginia hills , where you’re able to toss off into floater likeBodo’sfor the state ’s best bagels orMariebette Caféfor the city ’s key signature Bronut . The Downtown Mall is the town ’s centerpiece , a footer promenade fill with restaurants and an historic field of operations that teems with energy when the weather is skillful . C - Ville also boast some top grade breweries likeThree Notch’dandRockfish . It ’s also in the sum ofVirginia wine state , and if you ’re big on Viognier , no station in America does it better .
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is the picture of college in the Midwest , where fall brings big games to the Big House and change colouration all over campus . Like much of the realm , Ann Arbor makes the most of its fugitive nice weather , and the lake beach at Brighton Recreation Area and Hayes State Park perpetually beckon while temperatures are still above 65 degrees . Downtown is an idyllic ikon of a Great Lakes small townsfolk , where brick buildings and the Michigan Theater make for an incredibly picturesque Main Street . Poke around and see if you could find one of its out of sight fairy doors , or cool down off at a gourmet water ice pick shop likeDexter CreameryorZingerman ’s .
Athens, Georgia
Notching back - to - back NCAA football championship does a lot for a college township ’s ambiance , but even before the University of Georgia ’s recent historical run on the gridiron , games “ between the hedges ” were a religious experience , highlighted by the spine - tingling spectacle of the solo horn player in the upper South Deck . The town itself is packed with historic homes and Civil War land site , as well as a handful of rattling brewery and a cool , retro dramaturgy downtown . There are also about 60 bars in a four - mental block radius , which came in especially ready to hand during UGA ’s 41 - year backup drought . reach upSandbarorDouble Barrellto get a sense of Athens ’ student aliveness .
Bloomington, Indiana
Granted , IU might not be the basketball game power plant it once was , and football game has never been Indiana ’s potent case , but Bloomington proves that you do n’t call for dominant sport to have a world - course of study college townspeople . The urban center boasts a campus lined with pick - and - crimson tulips , and hoops biz inside Assembly Hall are still some of the most high - energy in all of the NCAA . Bloomington ’s bikeable business district B - line track allow you to explore without a railroad car , so you could seize a sandwich at theVillage Deliand then drift along Kirkwood Avenue , a pedestrian street line with shop , bars , and outdoor restaurants . cover on the bicycle track out to Lower Cascade Falls , and you ’ll detect a peaceful niggling slice of Indiana nature .
Boone, North Carolina
If you did n’t take Whitewater Rafting as an elective course , did you really have a college experience ? It ’s a valid logical argument if you attended Appalachian State University , nestled among the Blue Ridge Mountains in Boone . This North Carolina dangerous undertaking township desegregate its ski - and - snowboard civilization with omnipresent school spirit , and you ’ll feel students eagerly pack the incline at the nearbySugar Mountain Resortas shortly as C. P. Snow allows for it . In accession to its outdoorsy PE elective course , App State has a renowned unrest science program , giving Boone some of the just breweries of any college townsfolk in America . You ’ll find all of them at the annualHigh Country Beer Festival , but if you ’re not in townspeople that weekend , make certain to hit up local favorites likeLost ProvidenceandBooneshine Brewing .
Boulder, Colorado
Though it ’s not even an 60 minutes outside of Denver , Boulder feels a world away from the with child urban center , a rugged mountain township tucked into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains . Those mountain views are part of what makes gameday at Folsom Field so especial , where , at every turn , you ’re signally in Colorado . Boulder has its part of large college taproom ( shoutout tothe Downer ) , but students are as much about the abundance of outdoor activities as they are about barroom hopping . Within half an hour , you may be skiing down a flock , rock climbing , slacklining , or tubing along Boulder Creek .
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
The abode of the oldest public university in America , Chapel Hill unfeignedly has grow up around the University of North Carolina . The campus itself is an architectural marvel — whether you ’re having a drinkable among the Georgian column at the Old Well or hearing the chimes from the iconic Morehead - Patterson Bell Tower . you may also absorb yourself in the shoal ’s storied hoops history at the freeCarolina Basketball Museum . Franklin Street is the townsfolk ’s main drag , and at night , it turns into a social district where you may roam from bar to debar with whatever drink you wish . Grab a juicy credit card cup atHe ’s Not Here , and see how far into the gloomy the Carolina nighttime take you .
Columbus, Ohio
The largest city in Ohio is far more than THE Ohio State University campus , where you may take the air past breweries and wall painting in the Short North Art District , bewitch professional baseball game , field hockey , and soccer downtown , or take the air through chronicle in German Village . On gay Clarence Shepard Day Jr. , savor a cocktail along the lazy river at the country’sbest weewee parks for grown - ups(akaZoombezi Bay ) . Or stop intoDonatosfor a taste of the unusual Columbus - style pizza . OSU ’s Parker Dairy Store was the provenience of the Drumstick chicken feed cream kickshaw , so after you ’ve grabbed your requisite scoop at the originalJeni ’s Ice Creamin the North Market , you’re able to continue your ice cream crawl there .
Eugene, Oregon
If Woodstock had hosted a college football game game as part of its lineup , it in all probability would have felt a lot like Eugene . No college townsfolk in America gibe a granola , hippie ethos with tough - heart football fandom quite like the house of the University of Oregon , a position where you ’ll order a quinoa bowl and Kombucha and finish with a hearty “ Go Ducks ! ” chant . Like a lot of West Coast hippie townspeople , it ’s got its cast of characters of characters , like the Guy on Bike Stilts and a resident celebrity frog . If nothing else , it shows that sports passion and school spirit can go hand - in - hand with barefoot life style .
Lexington, Kentucky
A basketball game at fabled Rupp Arena on the campus of the University of Kentucky might really only be the second best sporting experience in Lexington . The top honor belongs to airstream days atKeeneland Race Course , the Wrigley Field of sawbuck racing where fall and spring meets are adequate part cocktail political party and parimutuel . Lexington is also the philia of horse country , where you could visit Kentucky Derby winners who ’ve retired to stud at theKentucky Horse Park . Then channelise out along the bourbon track for savouring atWoodford ReserveandCastle & Key .
Madison, Wisconsin
The Badgers may not have the championship trophy cases of some of their heavy 10 rivals , but game day in Madison is as spectacular as anywhere in the group discussion . Sat get started at the Badger Bash , a sprawling tailgate where thousands of fans join the march band near the Camp Randall Memorial Arch . Regardless of the musical score , verify to stay inside the bowl through the end of the third fourth part , where all 80,000 people jumpstart at the same time to House of Pain ’s “ Jump Around,”creating a register on the Richter scale . Wisconsin ’s capital is also home to the state ’s best pizza pie atIan’sand iconic Warren Earl Burger atDotty Dumpling ’s Dowry . you could also meander along the picturesque Monroe Street , which bid everything from a retro diner atMickie ’s Dairy Barto James Beard Award - winning stuff atFairchild .
Oxford, Mississippi
Tailgating in any ego - respecting college town is always a rowdy good time , but the tailgating capital of America sit down inside The Grove at Ole Miss. It ’s 10 acres of virtuous pregame bedlam , where sundresses and pastel Marco Polo are the uniform of the day , and grad vie to see who can have the most over - the - top setup . The food at The Grove is also some of the best you ’ll ever see at a tailgate , as self - styled secret plan - daylight gourmet conjure circulate that would put most southerly hymeneals to shame . More for the most part , Oxford is a low - key gravid intellectual nourishment town , where James Beard achiever Vishwesh Bhatt arrange an Indian spin on Southern food atSnackbar , and you ’ll bump astonishingly refreshing seafood atSoLa .
Providence, Rhode Island
From the outside , Providence looks like any other mid - sized American metropolis , with a minor sensible horizon and bustling downtown . But take the air around and you ’ll see that rather than wooing - wearing master , Providence ’s streets are filled with fresh - faced college nestling from one of five university that call the urban center abode . business district has a vibrant ball club scene , whether imbibing on the rooftop at theProvidence G , or dancing atAlchemy . Federal Hill can make a causa as the good Little Italy in America , where distinctively old - schoolhouse spotsAndino’sandCamille’sharken back to a dissimilar earned run average of Italian dining , and plate up some of the best red sauces you ’ll ever have .
San Marcos, Texas
Twenty geezerhood ago , you could make a pretty strong case for Autin as Texas ’ top college townsfolk . But as any Texan will tell you , that town has alter , and now the title sits squarely south on I-35 in San Marcos . The home of Texas State University is all the quirkiness and live music Austin was before technical school moved in , where you could hit a show at theCheatham Street Warehouseand then hop from bar to measure along the metropolis ’s main square . Student lifetime does n’t get any better than when tubing down the San Marcos River , sip a 12 - pack of Lone Star and savour in the quick Texas sunshine . Barbecue is also a must when in Texas , and venerableBlack ’s BBQhas a spot correctly on Hull Street .
State College, Pennsylvania
Part of what have State College so exceptional is its location , a town nestled along the Allegheny Front Range that feels like this isolated little enclave . It creates a fancy - like college otherworld , where dark whiled away at The Brewery or in the basement atPhyrstseem to have no issue in the world beyond the tidy sum . White - out gamedays at Beaver Stadium are a spectacle , where over 100,000 fans make a brainy — and deafen — backdrop for the football on the area . tailboard engulf the entire vale , too , making State College on Saturdays one elephantine Penn State party .
Tallahassee, Florida
The best party school day in America ’s near party state sit down fitly in the state Capitol Building . Florida State University may not have the best sports teams in the state , or the best pedantic rating , but by god , do preposterously good - take care pupil bedevil down there . Spend a nighttime in Tally and you ’ll recover some of the wildest night of your life sentence at spots likePotbelly’s , Bullwinkle ’s , and the five - barTally Strip . On secret plan days , bring a cooler and roam around Indian Village , an flat complex near Doak Campbell Stadium where the town ’s top tailboard run well past kickoff . Inside Doak , you ’ll find it heavily not to get hyped when Chief Osceola slam his flame spear into the field . Just prepare to have that catchy warfare chant stick in your question for at least 48 hours after .
Tempe, Arizona
Some might call Tempe a suburb of Phoenix , but spend an afternoon here and you ’ll realize it ’s very much the picture of a desert college town . The bars along Mill Avenue feel a niggling like lofty frat parties , where the mechanically skillful bull atRodeo Ranchhas launched many a fabled college storey , as have the notorious blue drink atMill Cue Club . Hike to the top of the town ’s iconic Hayden Butte , and you ’ll appear right down into Sun Devil Stadium , which while a terrible advantage point for a football game game , is a visual sense nonetheless . outside enthusiasts can rent kayaks in Tempe Town Lake , or go splash around along the Salt River . During the spring , Tempe is also the spring training home of the Los Angeles Angels , and you might pick out some of the team ’s up - and - arriver out on the town during March .
Tucson, Arizona
Not too many college towns have a home park 10 minute out , but such is the example in Tucson where the University of Arizona sit about 15 mo fromSaguaro National Park . College town need more than cacti , and Tucson could also make a case as having the serious college townsfolk food in America . The country ’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy is habitation to some first - charge per unit Mexican restaurants . And while the upscale stuff and nonsense is swell , you ca n’t leave Ithiel Town without grab a Sonoran Hot Dog at James Beard - winningEl Guero Canelo . There ’s also ample on - campus culture too — from the Ansel Adams archives at theCenter of Creative Photographyto the famous Woman Ochre picture at theUA Museum of Art .
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