Whether you’re a teenager headed off to commence your adulthood or a mid-career worker bee looking back on your salad days, fall is school-spirit season. There’s nothing quite like the lively vibe of a college town in the weeks when the leaves change colors, the students return to campus, and football kicks off. Want to get in on the action? Here are five towns at the top of this year’s class.
Ithaca, New York
With its many waterfalls and its perch on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, the glacier-carved home of Cornell University and Ithaca College truly is, as the ubiquitous bumper stickers say, “gorges.” And water’s not all that flows around here: Between the many vineyards in the Finger Lakes wine region and the thriving local craft beer scene, visitors will never go thirsty. What’s more, the agronomist tilt of Cornell’s curriculum—the Ivy League school, founded in 1865, is one of the few private land-grant universities in America—helps ensure that the area remains a hub for sustainable farming. Don’t believe us? Just spend a few minutes walking around the Ithaca Farmers Market.
Where to Stay
Located in a restored 19th-century mansion just a few blocks from the Cornell campus, the Argos Inn is decorated with antique French furnishings and original artwork from Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró. Before bed, pop downstairs to Bar Argos for one of the best cocktails in town.
From $200, argosinn.com
Where to Eat & Drink
No weekend here is complete without a stop at the Ithaca Farmers Market for a breakfast burrito and some local produce. (Vendors even set up during the winter at the Triphammer Marketplace.) For a sit-down meal, downtown Ithaca’s Restaurant Row offers many options, including Mercato Bar & Kitchen, which serves Italian-inspired seasonal cooking, along with local beer and wine. After dinner, have a drink at the aptly named The Watershed, a zero-waste cocktail bar with an impressive list of non-alcoholic options. Or play some pinball at The Westy, an alleyway spot that draws students and locals alike.
Things to Do
Perhaps the most dramatic waterfall in the area can be found in Taughannock Falls State Park; hike to a lookout to watch the namesake cascade plunge 215 feet into a gorge. Afterward, continue a few more miles up along the western shore of Cayuga Lake to take in the old vines at Hosmer Winery, whose riesling appeared on Wine Enthusiast’s list of the best wines of 2021.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Since 1793, when the University of North Carolina’s Board of Trustees founded Chapel Hill as the home for their new institution, the town and the school have been synonymous. Today, whether you’re a hoops head who wants to see where Air Jordan took off, a foodie drawn to the renowned restaurant scene, or a history buff curious about America’s oldest public university, you might agree with UNC alum Thomas Wolfe’s description of Chapel Hill: “As close to magic as I’ve ever been.” The town is also a perfect jumping-off point for exploring the Raleigh-Durham Research Triangle, which is anchored by UNC, Duke University, and North Carolina State University.
Where to Stay
Stay right on campus at The Carolina Inn, a Southern Colonial building that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places for good reason: The hotel, which began welcoming guests in 1924, is located on the site of the 1752 chapel that gives the city its name.
From $399, destinationhotels.com
Where to Eat & Drink
For down-home classics like fried chicken and country ham, head to Mama Dip’s Kitchen, where the descendants of original owner Mildred Council carry on her tasty legacy. At Lantern, James Beard Award–winning chef Andrea Reusing showcases local ingredients through a range of Asian- influenced preparations (think wild catfish with red curry and Thai basil). While Franklin Street cocktail den The Crunkleton is technically members-only—you can “apply” at the door—it’s the kind of place where you’ll feel equally at home ordering a pre- Prohibition whiskey or a Miller High Life. From there, a short walk takes you to He’s Not Here, a student hangout since 1972 that serves beers in a signature 32-ounce Carolina blue cup.
Things to Do
Learn to read the night sky or catch a kid-friendly STEM program at Morehead Planetarium, which in 1949 became the first planetarium to open on a U.S. college campus and trained astronauts during the 1960s and ’70s. Or do a deep dive into Tar Heels hoops at the Carolina Basketball Museum, which pays tribute to UNC legends, including Michael Jordan, who as a freshman hit the game-winning shot in the 1982 National Championship Game.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
While as many as 115,000 fans flock to the University of Michigan’s “Big House”—America’s largest stadium—for fall football games, there’s much more to Ann Arbor than tailgates and touchdowns. Over the last decade, the city has become a thriving tech hub, thanks in large part to the steady stream of talent from the university. Ann Arbor is also a great place to get outside, thanks to more than 160 city parks, its location on the Huron River, and U of M’s botanical gardens and arboretum.
Where to Stay
Just across the street from the U of M campus, Graduate Ann Arbor is full of nods to both the school and city, such as library-inspired furnishings, mosaic tiling that evokes the historic Nickels Arcade, and the Allen Rumsey Cocktail Lounge, named for the city’s cofounders. From $359, graduatehotels.com
Where to Eat & Drink
Zingerman’s Delicatessen has been slinging pastrami and brisket for more than 40 years, growing into an empire that also boasts a bakery, creamery, and coffee roasters. Befitting Ann Arbor’s international community, James Beard Award semifinalist Ji Hye Kim shares dishes from her native Seoul at Miss Kim. (Try the tteokbokki, or rice-cake batons.) For late-night shenanigans, find the red light glowing over the entrance to The Last Word, a speakeasy-style bar downtown, or join the kids for Long Island ice tea fish bowls at Good Time Charley’s, which student paper The Michigan Daily dubbed the best bar in Ann Arbor.
Things to Do
The University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum combine to spread out over 800 acres, encompassing a conservatory, a garden for children, and miles of hiking trails. Or visitors can go back in time at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, which displays roughly 1,500 artifacts from ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, and Egypt. Don’t miss the 1920s water-color recreation of the wall murals from Pompeii’s Villa of the Mysteries.
Boulder, Colorado
Home to the University of Colorado’s flagship campus, Boulder is an outdoors mecca, with great weather and a smorgasbord of hiking, biking, and fishing options. It’s no wonder the city has been named America’s fittest several times over. For those who prefer to stay indoors, the city that nicknamed itself the “Athens of the West” in the early 20th century has drawn Beat Generation writers (Allen Ginsberg cofounded the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University) and a glut of used bookstores, as well as a creative craft brewing scene.
Where to Stay
The city’s first luxury accommodations, the Hotel Boulderado, opened to guests in 1909, and more than a century later the building still features many original details—notably its soaring stained-glass atrium. In 1969, Boulder, formerly a dry city, issued one of its first liquor licenses to the hotel’s basement bar, which is now a swanky cocktail lounge called License No. 1.
From $389, boulderado.com
Where to Eat & Drink
Come to Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse for afternoon tea, and stay to gaze at the hand-carved and -painted interiors, which were shipped in 200 crates as a gift from sister city Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Similarly stunning are the plates at multiple James Beard Award–winner Frasca Food and Wine, which showcases the cuisine of Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. To sample Czech-style lagers and Belgian-inspired wild-fermented beers, pull up a seat at the sleek, circular bar inside Wild Provisions. And to feel like a movie star (sort of), visit The Sink, which has served CU students since 1923, and where Robert Redford worked as a janitor during his one year attending school here.
Things to Do
Get a bird’s-eye view of the city by hiking up the jagged sandstone formations known as the Flatirons, Boulder’s signature natural landmark. (A variety of trails exist, many of them starting in Chautauqua Park.) In winter, fly down the slopes at Eldora, a 680-acre ski resort just 30 minutes from town that has a healthy mix of beginner and black diamond terrain; this local favorite is far more relaxed, and far less crowded, than some of its more famous counterparts to the west.
Eugene, Oregon
Thanks to an alum by the name of Phil Knight, Eugene and the University of Oregon are inextricably linked with sports. The Nike founder and his wife have reportedly dedicated more than $1 billion to the school over the last four decades, and the city is sometimes called “Track Town, USA,” on account of the shoe company and U of O’s dynastic track program. Beyond its athletic pedigree, though, Eugene’s location at the southern end of the fertile Willamette Valley make it an ideal place for pinot noir drinkers and steelhead-chasing fishers, as well as boho types such as 1957 U of O grad and Merry Prankster Ken Kesey.
Where to Stay
Set amid the shops and restaurants at downtown Eugene’s 5th Street Public Market, The Gordon Hotel is an art aficionado’s dream, displaying 200 works, including pieces by U of O students; there’s even an Art Bar where guests are invited to paint and draw.
From $229, thegordonhotel.com
Where to Eat & Drink
Parked at Coldfire Brewing Wednesday through Sunday, the Yardy Eugene food truck serves a rotating menu of West Indian dishes (fried chicken, plantains, curried channa) using Pacific Northwest ingredients. Marché, a local staple for more than two decades, applies a similar farm-to-table ethos to classic French bistro fare. To sample the Willamette Valley’s most famous product, stop at Oregon Wine L.A.B. and taste a single-vineyard pinot noir from the house label, William Rose Wines. If you’re in town for a football weekend—especially the annual rivalry game against Oregon State—head to Rennie’s Landing, an on-campus bar that starts slinging break-fast and bloody Marys every day at 9 a.m.
Things to Do
Rent a bike and hop on the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path System, which runs for about a dozen miles, connecting Eugene and Springfield. (Feeling a bit more ambitious? Consider pedaling the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, which begins north of downtown in Armitage County Park and continues 134 miles to Champoeg). The aquatically inclined, meanwhile, won’t be able to resist white-water rafting or fly-fishing for spring chinook and summer steelhead on the McKenzie River.
Next Up: 5 of the Best College Football Experiences across the Country
