Princeton University

Address:Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton University is the place to visit if you love history and architecture. Founded in 1746, Princeton is one of the oldest universities in the U.S. and boasts graduates like U.S. president Woodrow Wilson and author F. Scott Fitzgerald. Enjoy a free, educational tour around campus, visit the museum and enjoy a variety of shopping and food in the center of town, just steps from the university.

Enjoy a free, hour-long, student-led Orange Key guided tour of the Ivy League university campus. The first thing most people see of Princeton's campus is the graduate college bell tower, standing tall above the trees. The tower is a good representation of much of the campus's Gothic-style buildings. The ivy-covered Nassau Hall is the university's oldest structure and is full of history. During the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall, making Princeton the country's capital for four months. The much-abused landmark survived bombardment with cannonballs in the Revolutionary War when General Washington struggled to free the building from British control. Later, fires left only its walls standing in 1802 and 1855. Rebuilt by Joseph Henry Latrobe, John Notman and John Witherspoon, the modern Nassau Hall has been much revised and expanded from the original designed by Robert Smith.

The 14-story Fine Hall, the tallest building on the campus, represents the more modern side of the campus, with a brown, rock surface and windows set into the sides.

The University chapel is the third-largest university chapel in the world. Known for its gothic architecture, the chapel houses one of the largest and most precious stained-glass collections in the country. One of the most prominent features of the chapel is its stained glass windows, which have an unusually academic leaning. Three of the large windows have religious themes: the north aisle windows show the life of Jesus, the north clerestory shows the spiritual development of the Jews, while the south aisle has the teachings of Jesus. The stained glass in the south clerestory portrays the evolution of human thought from Greeks to modern times. It has windows on such topics as science, law, poetry and war. If the chapel wasn't t set among all of the other architecture, you might think Westminster Abbey was planted on Princeton's campus.

Robertson Hall looks like a modernist version of a Greek temple. Appreciate 60's architecture of the Engineering quad. There's a nice atrium on the side, which most visitors don't notice when arriving from a different direction.

Other sights on the sculpture-strewn campus include Firestone Library with its huge stone facades, the Art Museum, and the elaborate and traditional FitzRandolph Gateway. At the end of Princeton's graduation ceremony, the new graduates process out through the main gate of the university as a symbol of their leaving college and entering the real world. According to tradition, anyone who leaves campus through FitzRandolph Gate before his or her own graduation date will not graduate.

The campus landscaping is painstakingly well kept. A lush, well-manicured vision of green and brown abound. Trees overhang stone walks, which skirt beds of flowers, shrubs and thick grass. Hundreds of paths make it easy to walk or bike the entire campus in spring time. Even with the number of buildings Princeton has, the campus still manages to maintain an open and airy feel, with very little crowding, excellent spacing and balance.

View the Cannon Green, the subject of a longstanding dispute between Princeton University and Rutgers University students. Buried in the center of the grounds on the south end of the main lawn, is the "Big Cannon." The top, protruding from the ground, is traditionally spray-painted in Princeton orange with the current senior class year. A second "Little Cannon" is buried in the lawn in front of nearby Whig Hall. Both were buried in response to periodic thefts by Rutgers students. The "Big Cannon" is said to have been left in Princeton by Hessians after the Revolutionary War but moved to New Brunswick during the War of 1812. Ownership of the cannon was disputed and the cannon was eventually taken back to Princeton partly by a military company and then by 100 Princeton students. The "Big Cannon" was eventually buried in its current location behind Nassau Hall in 1840. In 1875, Rutgers students attempting to recover the original cannon stole the "Little Cannon" instead. The smaller cannon was subsequently recovered and buried as well. The protruding cannons are occasionally painted scarlet by Rutgers students who continue the traditional dispute.

The Academy Award-winning movie, "A Beautiful Mind," contains a scene on Cannon Green.

In addition, visit the Princeton University art museum, for free. Founded in 1882, it is one of the leading university art museums in the country. From a small founding gift of a collection of porcelain and pottery, the collections have grown to over 60,000 works of art that range from ancient to contemporary art and concentrate geographically on the Mediterranean regions, Western Europe, China, the United States and Latin America. Take a tour, hear lectures on a variety of subjects and see varying exhibits. The museum has children's programs during the academic year as well. The museum is closed Mondays.

Carnegie Lake, which was dedicated to Princeton University by Andrew Carnegie, is used by the university's rowing team, but is available for public use for activities such as ice-skating, fishing and picnicking.

Princeton's campus is in the heart of town. Go shopping/browsing in the many shops in Palmer Square – you'll find Jcrew, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor and some smaller boutiques too. While shopping so close to the university is nice, you will find more shopping options in one of the malls. Princeton is also home to an amazing new and used music store. The Princeton Record Exchange, is well known among record fans. People actually come from New York City to browse rows upon rows of five-dollar used CDs.

An excellent transportation network of bus, rail, and highways puts Princeton within easy reach (an hour or less) of major urban centers. Bus and train centers are adjacent to campus. To park in any of the lots you will need a visitor's pass. Princeton's 500-acre campus is most easily negotiated on foot, on bicycle or on one of the convenient P-ride shuttle buses.

There are a number of restaurants pubs, cafes, pizza places, bars and take out options right next to campus, on Naussau and Witherspoon streets. Choose from meat and steak to Italian, Chinese and Japanese and more.

Spend the night in the Princeton area. Choose from many options, including a luxury hotel, regular hotels or charming country inns.