How to weekend travel... In College Towns

How to Weekend Travel…College Towns


Think there is nothing to do in a college town expect attend the college? After attending many weekend conferences at many different universities and colleges, I’ve discovered the art to weekend traveling. I’ll give you advice on how to properly explore what seems like a small college town. What one person would call the new hottest restaurant or attraction; another would call an overpriced waste of time. I’ll show you how to discover your own personal hotspots, tailored to your tastes.

So you are at some seminar or conference held at university. Once you arrive at the conference you marvel at the beauty of the campus and the historic architecture of the buildings. Then you decide to explore the town around the campus and you are suddenly and utterly disappointed. Upon leaving campus, you discover that you will be stuck in desolate and dreadfully uneventful college town for the weekend. Often times in the case of college towns, looks can be and usually are deceiving.

If there wasn’t a place near the college where students could go to escape the stress of midterms and research papers, all of the students would transfer by their sophomore year. College students have an incredible knack for finding the most amazing privately owned businesses. Their expertise is in locating inexpensive yet delicious restaurants, coffee spots, bookstores, and somewhere to listen to live music. Most college students would be more than willing to tell you about one of their favorite places if you simply ask.

There are some dos and don’ts to going about asking a student where to go. First, do not try and use slang you are not used to while talking to them. This will only lead to judgment face and denial of any helpful tips. You should let them know that you are visiting for the weekend and on a very limited time schedule. Maybe even ask them where they would go to grab a quick bite to eat in between classes.
Most of the time profiling people is wrong, but this would not be one of them. One of the great aspects of college a college campus is that most students wear clothes that display their interests. Use this to your advantage when asking where to go and what to do during your visit. For example don’t ask the person wearing a PETA shirt where to go for the best steak in town. A little less obvious of an example is the fact that you should ask someone wearing a pep band shirt which restaurants have live music. Or asking who looks overly academic or wearing an honor society shirt where to go for coffee because chances are they drink a lot of it to stay on top of their work.

After you have done your research, drive around the town for a while. This may seem like a waste of time but if you look carefully, you can figure out which places are worth your time. If you see a privately owned business with a line of people out the door, keep it in mind and come back during an off hour. This way you have the confidence that people who live in the town believe it is worth waiting for and going at an off hour helps you avoid that wait. For many college town restaurants the sketchier the restaurant appears the better. If people are willing to look past the décor, the food must be appetizing. Small tip offs like these can lead you to some of the best food in the area.

One of the most helpful tools while on campus is student activity boards. If you go to a residential life office or student recreation buildings, most will have a bulletin board or flyers for places to go off campus. These are usually put together by students and if done well, they can be the easiest way to plan out your weekend.

During your trip, adopt the attitude of a laidback, open-minded college student. This will not only help you relax while trapped at your conference and help you find the places that will make your weekend memorable.