How to Enjoy America's Best College Campuses

The University of Virginia is both handsome and historic.

Even if you're not a prospective student, a nice college campus can be a great place to explore on your travels, with lush landscaping, cool architecture, diverse diversions and good cheap eats normally among the highlights. Here are some of the best campuses to visit in the United States.

Things You'll Need

• Comfortable walking shoes.

Instructions

1. The University of Virginia Charlottesville is handsome, historic (founded by Thomas Jefferson) and actually a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Launched in 1819, the unspoiled grounds showcase some truly classic structures, and the campus is especially attractive in spring and fall.

2. Out in the Northwest, the University of Washington is at its most striking in the springtime, when its many cherry blossom trees burst into bloom at its main campus. Check out the superb views from the terrace at the Allen Building, or drop by the iconic Suzzallo Library. The school has a thriving sports scene too, and is a great setting to catch some Division 1 football or basketball.

3. A bit south, Portland, Oregon's Reed College is known for its left-wing leanings, a forested canyon that cuts through its campus and acclaimed Douglas F. Cooley Gallery, an internationally recognized modern art space. Eclectic architecture, well-used pedestrian bridges and some odd annual celebrations add to the school's memorable nature.

4. The University of California, Santa Cruz is a dramatic and delightful haven of redwood trees, cool cafés and great walking paths. Wandering the 2,000-plus acres is a great way to spend an afternoon, and the nearby city of Santa Cruz boasts a boisterous boardwalk amusement park when your campus fun is done.

5. A few hours north in the East Bay, the University of California Berkeley is another winner. With its iconic highlights like ancient Sather Gate and the towering Campanile, a history of public civil dissent, and some often offbeat people watching, this is one of the more colorful college enclaves in the United States. Telegraph Avenue, off of the campus's south side, is one of the funkiest avenues in the Bay Area, with cool shops, cheap eats and intriguing sidewalk vendors.

6. Across the country, Harvard and its surrounding Cambridge environs are the East Coast's version of Berkeley. While it's fun exploring the nearly 400-acre grounds, the real highlight is hanging out in Harvard Square and nearby Central Square, frequently alive with animated street performers and home to numerous top-notch ethnic restaurants and popular bookstores.

7. Cornell University, in the charming little city of Ithaca in New York State's Finger Lakes region, is undoubtedly one of the most enchanting campuses in the Northeast. Gothic and Victorian architecture, alone, is impressive, as are the views of town and Cayuga Lake; autumn visitors will appreciate the brilliant fall foliage all over campus.

8. Yet another Ivy League beauty, New Jersey's Princeton University is historic, attractive and rich with interesting opportunities. The university's art museum is particularly a great stop, with artifacts from around the world and works from masters like Henry Moore and Picasso.

9. Little-known Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee is renowned for its attractiveness, especially its exemplary Gothic architecture. The campus is also a forested contrast to the surrounding city streets and a great place to get away from it all.

10. Elsewhere in the Volunteer State, Nashville's Vanderbilt University is a gem of its own. Actually designated as a national arboretum in 1988, the campus is an oasis of greenery, with more than 300 species of trees and shrubbery on its grounds.

Tips & Warnings

• Student passersby are a great source of local info.-so ask about hotspots such as good eateries and bars.

• Parking is often restricted/monitored around colleges, so be careful to avoid a ticket or costly tow job.