Staying Fit
By now you’ve seen enough of those “best of” college lists to know that Charlottesville, Virginia, and Eugene, Oregon, are great college towns to visit. You Googled “great college towns to live in” and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Boulder, Colorado, were on the list. And you know that Columbus, Ohio, and Gainesville, Florida, have crazy fun fans. Of course, the biggest colleges in the country have a lot going on in their respective towns — that’s why every best-of college list contains the usual suspects.
But this list is different: These six college towns have populations of less than 115,000 people, so they might be off your radar, but they boast year-round school spirit and interesting activities for a weekend getaway. These towns are also less than 100 miles from major cities so you can enjoy a game and the energy of college life – without straying too far from the airport.
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Lawrence, Kansas, is home to the University of Kansas, as well as unique shops along Massachusetts Street.
Alamy
The University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Team: Jayhawks
Steeped in civil rights history, Lawrence was once a key stop on the Underground Railroad — where many freedom seekers pursued a safe haven. The rich culture found in this hub of changemakers lives on in this historic town about 40 miles west of Kansas City, Missouri. Lawrence is home to the University of Kansas and the lesser-known Haskell Indian Nations University, a tribal university where the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame is located. And while there’s enough school spirit to go around in Jayhawks nation (population more than 95,000), there’s a little bit of everything to do in town. The downtown strip on Massachusetts Street has unique shops — a vintage toy store, a European food market and independent bookstores, to name a few. If you want to keep active, the Lawrence River Trail is a nine-mile loop available for hiking and biking and Clinton State Park, just 4 miles from Lawrence, boasts more than 1,000 acres of parkland right off of Clinton Lake. For theater-goers and lovers of the performing arts, the Lied Center of Kansas is the place to be. Grab a burger at the Burger Stand at the Casbah and indulge in some homemade ice cream at Sylas and Maddy’s.
Where to stay: History buffs and ghost hunters will get a kick out of Eldridge Hotel, right in the heart of downtown and only a bit more than 2 miles away from the KU campus. It has 48 rooms and includes a restaurant and lounge. The site has housed a hotel since one was built in 1855 by settlers from the New England Emigrant Aid Society. Col. Shalor Eldridge, who rebuilt the hotel twice after attacks in 1856 and 1863, is said to haunt the hotel, particularly room 506. The hotel was most recently renovated in 2005.
