College Campuses as a Vacation Option

If you have a college bound student in your household, you may be spending some vacation time visiting college campuses.   You should spend some time checking out the campus on your own, getting an unbiased feel for the place, and then arrange for a tour with school officials.

But campuses can provide lots of other fun experiences, even if attending classes is not in your future.

• Most colleges have great architecture and buildings, often with very interesting history.  You can usually find someone who can share with your the history of the campus, covering some of those urban legends that don’t quite make it to the college website.  History buffs are usually eager to share their knowledge with interested visitors.
• Campuses usually have lovely grounds and landscaping.  If you need to find a place to just sit and relax for awhile, have a picnic lunch if the weather is nice, or to study a map and get your bearings, a campus is a safe place to do that.
• You can ask a student for directions or recommendations about somewhere to go or some place to eat.  Since students usually have limited budgets, you will probably get budget friendly suggestions.
• If you need protection from the weather, you can pop into a student union building, a library (most campuses I’ve visited don’t require a student card to go into the general libraries), or even an administration building.  If you’re traveling on the cheap, you may find a study carrel in a quiet corner of the library where you can put your head down for a short nap.
• Student aged travelers can make like-aged friends.
• During non-school times, many campuses rent out dorm rooms at affordable rates.
• College campuses offer affordable dining options. Most campus dining facilities (other than in the dorms) are open to the public, so if you can’t face one more sandwich or cold meal, try finding a campus cafe.  Don’t expect gourmet food, but you’ll get something tasty and filling offered at a reasonable price.  Bring cash, as not all will accept debit or credit cards.

I love visiting colleges,and enjoy walking around looking at the campus.  That’s Boston College in the photo. I loved checking out the combination of gothic and modern architecture on the campus, and since it was a rainy day, I hung out in the library till the storm passed.

Do you have a favorite college campus to visit?

Photo credit: personal collection