Semi-OT: Visiting Ann Arbor on a whim
My husband and I were in Adrian over the weekend for the NCAA D3 regional baseball tournament and decided to blow off the dinner for the team parents and drive to Ann Arbor for dinner. Is there a better place to do that? I don't think so. We went to Frita Batidos and walked for a bit after, and it was great to be back, even for a few hours. My husband, who went to college elsewhere, remarked that he thought Ann Arbor was the best college town in the U.S. And it is. Another great thing about the area around Ann Arbor, including Adrian? There are Michigan block M's everywhere, and it's easy to feel at home. We've been traveling to Granville, OH -- Buckeye country -- for baseball and I always feel like I'm going to get jumped by some crazy Ohio State fan. So those of you living in and around Ann Arbor, I'm jealous.
Ann Arbor is a special place,
It's hard to think of other college towns in Ann Arbor's class. (Places like Berkeley don't qualify IMO because of their settings in much larger areas.)
Boulder? Madison? Athens is the only other one I'd consider for the top tier.
Ann Arbor is the best. But you could make an argument with weather during the main school year. Winter is awful.
Living in CA myself I don't think Berkley compares. It's just too big and dirty. A2 checks all the boxes.
I spent a little time in Berkeley long ago. I was impressed by how much it was like Ann Arbor just below the surface. Just a little further out there. From the crazy street preachers, the same mix of students, the campus businesses and hangouts and the familiar old, cramped overpriced off campus student housing, I felt right at home.
I've been to a lot of college towns. Some have things going for them that Ann Arbor can't match, but all things considered I still think AA is the best. I liked Lawrence a lot more than I expected to. The biggest problem there is that you're stuck in Kansas.
I hear you. I spent 4 years in Kansas one summer.
Columbia, MO
In Berkeley right now and (what's with all the rain) if you remove it from the other things in the bay area (coast,hills, east bay, beaches, hiking, SF, wine country and parks) all outside Berkeley, it's nothing special. The bay area has greater Detroit beat hands down, but A2 over Berkeley (even for food) any day.
The Bay Area's nice to visit, but the traffic and cost of living, yikes.
Too many homeless and crazies for this Midwesterner. But it's so exclusive, only the Nobel prize winners get a guaranteed parking spot.
Ypsilanti?
Def not Madison. It’s ok, but not Ann Arbor. Boulder on the other hand. Also Austin is great
Beg to differ, Madison is a great town!
Madison is pretty great. Natural offerings are better than AA. Diversity and meathead factor is in the favor of AA
I’m no expert, but I have been to Boulder and Madison, and they’re both wonderful.
Boulder has a considerable advantage in scenery and local recreation. Madison is much bigger, though that means there’s a lot of non-college space. And it has the lake, which is really nice.
I can’t say that one is better than the other. They’re all really nice places.
Have you been to Berkeley lately? It's a dump. No, literally at any given time there are multiple people shitting in public.
It was a great area to grow up in as well (moved to Saline when I was 12. Go Hornets an all that.), and later on, a great place to go to college as well. Even better, I still live within striking distance. It is a very special place indeed.
Clicked on this totally thinking a big-time prospect decided to randomly visit campus today.
however, it is a great place. Like most of the places in Michigan, the summer/fall weather never lasts long enough into the school year. Lots of freezing walks to class thru the snow. Football saturdays tho=the best.
Burlington, Charlottesville
Charlottesville is a dump with a tenth the charm Ann Arbor has. The campus is spectacular, that I'll grant, but the town is soulless. I live nearby and go there for the bookstores and a couple of restaurants, but not the night life.
Was in Charlottesville this past year, and I think that's a pretty good summary. Beautiful campus, but the "town" area is pretty basic, and everything else was on that avenue of strip malls.
I think you are underselling both the pedestrian mall and proximity to the Shenandoas
Charlottesville is a nice city, but you need a car to truly take advantage of it. UVA grounds is separate from the actual city
Madison and Iowa City are both great college towns. The former is a bigger version of Ann Arbor and the latter is a smaller one.
I've heard that about Madison. It looks very pretty from pictures I've seen.
And to the OP-- I've lived in southern Ohio for 26 years. I've always worn my Michigan gear and aside from the very occasional remark, all you're likely to get from Buckeye fans is side eye. There are actually quite a few of us M fans-- whenever I see a fellow Wolverine, we furtively say "GO BLUE" like it's the password to a secret club we belong to. When I'm back in Michigan I have to stop myself from saying it to every Michigan fan I see.
Madison is really a great place. Imagine taking Ann Arbor, putting the state capitol in the middle, then also putting in a few large lakes. Also double the population. If you like being active and outdoors, there's always something to do. If you like beer and brats, you'll never go hungry. But still has a college town feel and their State St. feels just like A2. Plus, the farmer's market that rings the capitol on the weekend is one of the best I've been to... Maybe even better than San Francisco and Seattle.
I liked Madison, but it was almost too nice and too idyllic. Felt almost dystopian when I visited
Granted, it's been a decade since I've been to Madison, but I liked it and felt at home.
It felt like Ann Arbor with a 2 drink minimum.
This is also my opinion.
I've been to dozens of P5 college towns and AA is tough to beat. It's a bit odd how crappy a lot of major college towns can be. Off the top of my head Tucson, South Bend, Stillwater, Starkville, Durham are absolute dumps. Of course there are a lot of pretty decent campuses in or around larger cities such as UWashington, UCLA, Arizona State, Northwestern, UTexas, Berkley, Stanford, NC State.
In terms of smaller college towns I have liked Madison, Iowa City, Chapel Hill, College Station, TX is not bad, Athens, GA is pretty cool, and I'm excited to experience Oxford, MS for the LSU away game this fall.
you have a great travel schedule. you should post OP's on the trips.
Thanks. I actually have done this the last few years. As we get closer to the season I'll post my schedule to get some discussion going. As of now I have 4 trips booked, LSU @ Texas, ND @ Michigan, LSU @ Ole Miss, and OSU @ Michigan. I will probably add another game or two, possibly UGA v. Florida in JAX and a combination of USC/UCLA/Stanford/Washington.
what is the connection with the 2 LSU games? i assume you have a specific reason such as geography, a degree, family, whatever.
one of my closest friends moved there for work about 10 years ago so I visit him often, usually corresponding to an LSU home game weekend. At first it was one per year. But the last few years I've gone down for two games each season, cherry picking the biggest games, Alabama, Auburn, UGA, etc. We decided to hit the road for two this season.
That's awesome. My daughter will be a freshman at LSU in the fall, can't wait to go to an LSU game. She also has several friends attending Alabama so we're arranging an LSU-Alabama trip.
Add to your crappy list Tempe and Tucson IMO, especially Tempe. The "fraternity row" looks like rundown section 8 housing and the "campus" is strewn across the city to the point you have no clue when you're really in or off campus buried in a mishmash of shops and offices. And game day? I truly feel sorry for ASU students - Ann Arbor is unbeatable in that arena.
Wasn’t impressed with College Station. I really liked LSU’s campus, but greater Baton Rouge isn’t great.
I’ve enjoyed time at the University of Minnesota in the “campus in a big city” category. Dinkytown is quite good, though the campus itself is nothing special. Minneapolis / St. Paul are really underrated, though. Lovely places.
I hit Iowa City 3 years ago for a game and Madison 2 years ago for a game.
I must say I TOTALLY underestimated Iowa City!
I agree with this, although Madison is more of a city than a college town. Iowa City reminded me a lot of a small Ann Arbor.
One of the things I like to do when I travel is visit other campuses and college towns. I'm in the throes of this because my junior daughter is looking at colleges now. We hit the San Diego schools last weekend and travel to San Luis Obispo to see Cal Poly this weekend.
Here is my take; welcome your thoughts/critique:
Great college towns/cities:
Ann Arbor (we all know why)
Madison (close to my favorite; the vibe is great, Lake Mendota in the summer is awesome, and the Farmers Market around the Capitol is really nice)
Austin (saw it briefly, but so many great bars and shops)
San Luis Obispo (great location and cool downtown area; 15 minutes to the beach and 30 minutes to the vineyards in Paso Robles)
Boulder: Pearl Street is awesome, and the scenery beautiful. I worked for a company here and the town starts to get old because it's pretty small, but Boulder is still a really nice place to spend 4 years.)
Good college towns/cities:
Fort Collins, CO (this place surprised me; like Boulder in that it's near the mountains)
Athens, GA (lived in Atlanta four years and would go here; it's relatively small though in the downtown area)
Burlington, VT (small college town; but on Lake Champlain)
Iowa City (like a small A2; like the vibe here)
Chapel Hill (very pretty, but it seemed pretty small if you don't count the Research Triangle area)
Flagstaff, AZ/NAU (cool little downtown area; near the mountains and Grand Canyon)
Santa Cruz (really like the downtown area, and the campus is in a redwood forest)
Santa Barbara (UCSB is in Isla Vista; Santa Barbara is stunning and 10-15 mins away; school right on the ocean)
Colleges near good big cities (separate category)
U-Dub, WA (just visited; area around campus has a good amount of stores and restaurants; but unfair to call it a college town; still pretty decent)
Berkeley (been 3 times; Telegraph is cool, but the homeless and panhandlers get old and cost of living is ridiculous)
Dinkytown/Minneapolis (I went to grad school here; Dinkytown is not bad, loved Minneapolis)
Evanston (I like this town, but it is really still Chicago, so is it its own town?)
Disappointing college towns/cities:
Tucson (only a couple of streets; not as bad as I heard, but disappointing for the size of the school)
Eugene, OR (meh; just went and for the size of the school, nothing impressive)
Laramie, WY (small; near mountains, but nothing stands out to me)
UCLA/Westwood; (I live 30 mins way, several blocks of shops that are chains, the area is horribly congested)
USC (near a not nice area)
Albuquerque (not a lot to see around the UNM campus)
UCSD/La Jolla (just visited; La Jolla itself is nice, but the college is isolated from the town; the campus was dead; no wonder it is called UC Socially Dead)
Columbia, MO (just OK, fun school, but the town doesn't have more than a few downtown streets)
Bloomington, IN (the campus is beautiful, maybe I am missing something, but the town is just not that great)
Champaign/Urbana (I remember this place well after 30+ years; boringgg....)
State College: (for the size of the school, just one long street, so it should have more going for it)
I've only been to Davis (UC Davis) briefly and am going again; the town is cool but small.
I live in the South now. My best friend here in Dallas is - yes - a Buckeye.
You can run - but you cant hide...
Madison deserves a nod here as others have noted.
I’ve never been to Knoxville, so am curious what others think. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in ATL, but never made the trip to Athens, so also interested in more opinions on that.
Knoxville is pretty decent actually. The stadium is right on the river which makes for some great views when you are sitting at the very top of the stadium like we did. Had a great steak dinner on campus that night. We didn't stay in town though so don't know much about that. One night in Nashville which is great, then two in a massive cabin in the mountains near Pigeon Fork.
Great gameday atmosphere on Cumberland Avenue. The stadium is (hate to say it, but) fantastic. I recall liking the campus but my actual memories of it are fuzzy despite two trips.
Austin is pretty awesome. I would pick AA as number one. But in January....
I like Austin (annoying bougieness aside) but I think it's too big these days to be considered a college town. There's too much else going on there.
As far as I'm concerned, there's never a bad reason or bad time to visit Ann Arbor!
Between football games, basketball games, random visits, and business meetings, I'm up in Ann Arbor probably thirty times a year...and each visit - even in a small way - brings me back to my five years at U of M.
I live just a few blocks from the Big House and absolutely love A2
Ann Arbor is fantastic. Born and bred so a bit biased. Lived in Berkeley for 5 years (PhD) and it is like if Ann Arbor forgot to take her meds. Don’t care much for California but love Berkeley (school and city). Absolutely gorgeous campus.
As others have mentioned, Madison, Boulder, Knoxville and Austin are other great college towns with the same feel as Ann Arbor.
Yes , love Ann Arbor , especially Campus Downtown area , M Den ,etc.