The Best College Towns in the U.S. (2024)

The Best College Towns in the U.S. (1)

America is full of fantastic college towns, but some have sports, traditions, food, and surroundings that make them extra special. From campuses set high in the Rocky Mountains to football stadiums nestled in happy valleys, the college towns below all offer unforgettable memories—whether you’re an alum back on campus for homecoming or you just want a weekend away from your everyday life.

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ann Arbor is the picture of college in the Midwest, where fall brings big games to the Big House and changing colors all over campus. Like much of the region, Ann Arbor makes the most of its fleeting nice weather, and the lake beaches at Brighton Recreation Area and Hayes State Park perpetually beckon while temperatures are still above 65 degrees. Downtown is an idyllic image of a Great Lakes small town, where brick buildings and the Michigan Theater make for an incredibly picturesque Main Street. Poke around and see if you can find one of its hidden fairy doors, or cool off at a gourmet ice cream shop like Dexter Creamery or Zingerman’s.

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Athens, Georgia

Notching back-to-back NCAA football championships does a lot for a college town’s atmosphere, but even before the University of Georgia’s recent historic run on the gridiron, games “between the hedges” were a religious experience, highlighted by the spine-tingling spectacle of the solo trumpet player in the upper South Deck. The town itself is packed with historic homes and Civil War sites, as well as a handful of fantastic breweries and a cool, retro theater downtown. There are also about 60 bars in a four-block radius, which came in especially handy during UGA’s 41-year championship drought. Hit up Sandbar or Double Barrell to get a sense of Athens’ student life.

Bloomington, Indiana

Granted, IU might not be the basketball powerhouse it once was, and football has never been Indiana’s strong suit, but Bloomington proves that you don’t need dominant sports to have a world-class college town. The city boasts a campus lined with cream-and-crimson tulips, and basketball games inside Assembly Hall are still some of the most high-energy in all of the NCAA. Bloomington’s bikeable downtown B-line trail allows you to explore without a car, so you can grab a sandwich at the Village Deli and then wander along Kirkwood Avenue, a pedestrian street lined with shops, bars, and outdoor restaurants. Continue on the bike trail out to Lower Cascade Falls, and you’ll find a peaceful little slice of Indiana nature.

Boone, North Carolina

If you didn’t take Whitewater Rafting as an elective course, did you really have a college experience? It’s a valid argument if you attended Appalachian State University, nestled among the Blue Ridge Mountains in Boone. This North Carolina adventure town mixes its ski-and-snowboard culture with ubiquitous school spirit, and you’ll find students eagerly packing the slopes at the nearby Sugar Mountain Resort as soon as snow allows for it. In addition to its outdoorsy PE electives, App State has a renowned fermentation science program, giving Boone some of the best breweries of any college town in America. You’ll find all of them at the annual High Country Beer Festival, but if you’re not in town that weekend, make sure to hit up local favorites like Lost Providence and Booneshine Brewing.

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Boulder, Colorado

Though it’s not even an hour outside of Denver, Boulder feels a world away from the big city, a rugged mountain town tucked into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Those mountain views are part of what makes gameday at Folsom Field so special, where, at every turn, you’re unmistakably in Colorado. Boulder has its share of great college bars (shoutout to the Downer), but students are as much about the abundance of outdoor activities as they are about bar hopping. Within half an hour, you can be skiing down a mountain, rock climbing, slacklining, or tubing along Boulder Creek.

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Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The home of the oldest public university in America, Chapel Hill truly has grown up around the University of North Carolina. The campus itself is an architectural marvel—whether you’re having a drink among the Georgian columns at the Old Well or hearing the chimes from the iconic Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower. You can also immerse yourself in the school’s storied hoops history at the free Carolina Basketball Museum. Franklin Street is the town’s main drag, and at night, it turns into a social district where you can roam from bar to bar with whatever drink you like. Grab a blue plastic cup at He’s Not Here, and see how far into the blue the Carolina night takes you.

Clemson, South Carolina

When your town ups and renames itself—like Calhoun, South Carolina did in 1943—to honor the school inside its borders, that spirit is tough to match. Such is the case in Clemson, where Tiger paws fill nearly every store window in the city. Game days in Death Valley have a palpable energy, leading up to the famous run-in to the stadium that was once called “the most exciting 25 seconds in college football” by a certain ABC announcer. The town sits right between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Lake Hartwell, so opportunities to get outside are endless. In town, you’ll find some first-rate barbecue at spots like The Smokin’ Pig and Roller Mills Smokehouse. Or you can hit the retro Mac’s Drive-In for college-era nostalgia.

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Columbus, Ohio

The largest city in Ohio is far more than THE Ohio State University campus, where you can walk past breweries and murals in the Short North Art District, catch professional baseball, hockey, and soccer downtown, or walk through history in German Village. On sunny days, enjoy a cocktail along the lazy river at the country’s best water parks for grown-ups (aka Zoombezi Bay). Or stop into Donatos for a taste of the unusual Columbus-style pizza. OSU’s Parker Dairy Store was the birthplace of the Drumstick ice cream treat, so after you’ve grabbed your requisite scoop at the original Jeni’s Ice Cream in the North Market, you can continue your ice cream crawl there.

Eugene, Oregon

If Woodstock had hosted a college football game as part of its lineup, it probably would have felt a lot like Eugene. No college town in America matches a granola, hippie ethos with hard-core football fandom quite like the home of the University of Oregon, a place where you’ll order a quinoa bowl and Kombucha and finish with a hearty “Go Ducks!” chant. Like a lot of West Coast hippie towns, it’s got its cast 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 lifestyles.

Knoxville, Tennessee

Though Knoxville has seen a huge influx of newcomers this decade, the University of Tennessee’s home has still kept its college-town charm. That’s thanks in large part to its game-day experience. Tailgating on boats with the Vol Navy is the essence of fall Saturdays in Knoxville, followed by the Vol walk, then screaming with orange-clad maniacs at the 100,000-seat Neyland stadium. The city’s recent growth has spurred a restaurant boom in places like the Old City and Market Square, expanding Knoxville’s allure beyond just football. This year’s baseball national championship hasn’t hurt the city’s year-round appeal either, as spring evenings at Lindsey Nelson Stadium are an idyllic alternative to fall’s football insanity.

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Lexington, Kentucky

A basketball game at legendary Rupp Arena on the campus of the University of Kentucky might actually only be the second best sporting experience in Lexington. The top honor belongs to race days at Keeneland Race Course, the Wrigley Field of horse racing where fall and spring meets are equal part cocktail party and parimutuels. Lexington is also the heart of horse country, where you can visit Kentucky Derby winners who’ve retired to stud at the Kentucky Horse Park. Then head out along the bourbon trail for tastings at Woodford Reserve and Castle & Key.

Madison, Wisconsin

The Badgers may not have the championship trophy cases of some of their Big 10 rivals, but game day in Madison is as spectacular as anywhere in the conference. Saturdays get started at the Badger Bash, a sprawling tailgate where thousands of fans join the marching band near the Camp Randall Memorial Arch. Regardless of the score, make sure to stay inside the stadium through the end of the third quarter, where all 80,000 people jump simultaneously 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 at Ian’s and iconic burgers at Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry. You can also meander along the picturesque Monroe Street, which offers everything from a retro diner at Mickie’s Dairy Bar to James Beard Award-winning stuff at Fairchild.

Oxford, Mississippi

Tailgating in any self-respecting college town is always a raucous good time, but the tailgating capital of America sits inside The Grove at Ole Miss. It’s 10 acres of pure pregame bedlam, where sundresses and pastel polos are the uniform of the day, and alumni compete 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 find at a tailgate, as self-styled game-day gourmets conjure spreads that would put most Southern weddings to shame. More largely, Oxford is a low-key great food town, where James Beard winner Vishwesh Bhatt puts an Indian spin on Southern food at Snackbar, and you’ll find surprisingly fresh seafood at SoLa.

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Providence, Rhode Island

From the outside, Providence looks like any other mid-sized American city, with a modest skyline and bustling downtown. But walk around and you’ll see that rather than suit-wearing professionals, Providence’s streets are filled with fresh-faced college kids from one of five universities that call the city home. Downtown has a vibrant club scene, whether imbibing on the rooftop at the Providence G, or dancing at Alchemy. Federal Hill can make a case as the best Little Italy in America, where distinctively old-school spots Andino’s and Camille’s harken back to a different era of Italian dining, and plate up some of the best red sauces you’ll ever have.

Rochester, New York

A big part of the college experience is trademark end-of-the-night drunk food. And in Rochester, that means the Garbage Plate. The heaping serving of macaroni salad, a cheeseburger patty, hot dogs, and French fries originated at Nick Tahou Hots and is now a citywide staple. And Rochester’s confluence of students from the University of Rochester, RIT, and nearby SUNYs at Brockport and Geneseo have made it the stuff of late-night legends. Rochester is also teeming with college-friendly culture, where you can stroll the Neighborhood of Play and the new World Video Game Hall of Fame. It also has a staggering high concentration of breweries per capita, which includes a sunny spot to kick back with a cold one by a waterfall at the Genesee Brew House. Just outside the city, Letchworth State Park is home to the “Grand Canyon of the East,” a true scenic surprise.

San Marcos, Texas

Twenty years ago, you could make a pretty strong case for Autin as Texas’ top college town. But as any Texan will tell you, that town has changed, 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 tech moved in, where you can hit a show at the Cheatham Street Warehouse and then hop from bar to bar along the city’s main square. Student life doesn’t get any better than when tubing down the San Marcos River, sipping a 12-pack of Lone Star and basking in the warm Texas sun. Barbecue is also a must when in Texas, and venerable Black’s BBQ has a spot right on Hull Street.

State College, Pennsylvania

Part of what makes State College so special is its location, a town nestled along the Allegheny Front Range that feels like this isolated little enclave. It creates a fantasy-like college otherworld, where nights whiled away at The Brewery or in the basement at Phyrst seem to have no consequence in the world beyond the mountains. White-out gamedays at Beaver Stadium are a spectacle, where over 100,000 fans create a brilliant—and deafening—backdrop for the football on the field. Tailgates engulf the entire valley, too, making State College on Saturdays one giant Penn State party.

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Tallahassee, Florida

The best party school in America’s best party state sits appropriately in the state capitol. Florida State University may not have the best sports teams in the state, or the best academic rating, but by god, do ridiculously good-looking students throw down there. Spend a night in Tally and you’ll find some of the wildest nights of your life at spots like Potbelly’s, Bullwinkle’s, and the five-bar Tally Strip. On game days, bring a cooler and roam around Indian Village, an apartment complex near Doak Campbell Stadium where the town’s top tailgates run well past kickoff. Inside Doak, you’ll find it hard not to get hyped when Chief Osceola slams his flaming spear into the field. Just prepare to have that catchy war chant stuck in your head 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 little like elevated frat parties, where the mechanical bull at Rodeo Ranch has launched many a legendary college story, as have the notorious blue drinks at Mill Cue Club. Hike to the top of the town’s iconic Hayden Butte, and you’ll look right down into Sun Devil Stadium, which while a terrible vantage point for a football game, is a sight nonetheless. Outdoor enthusiasts can rent kayaks in Tempe Town Lake, or go paddling along the Salt River. During the spring, Tempe is also the spring training home of the Los Angeles Angels, and you might spot some of the team’s up-and-comers out on the town during March.

Tucson, Arizona

Not too many college towns have a national park 10 minutes away, but such is the case in Tucson where the University of Arizona sits about 15 minutes from Saguaro National Park. College towns need more than cacti, and Tucson could also make a case as having the best college town food in America. The country’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy is home to some first-rate Mexican restaurants. And while the upscale stuff is great, you can’t leave town without grabbing a Sonoran Hot Dog at James Beard-winning El Guero Canelo. There’s also ample on-campus culture too—from the Ansel Adams archives at the Center of Creative Photography to the famous Woman Ochre painting at the UA Museum of Art.

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Matt Meltzer is a Miami-based writer who’s been covering food, events, and travel in Miami for over a dozen years.

The Best College Towns in the U.S. (2024)

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