Except from a few posters on CC, of whom some may not have been to the school, I’ve not heard much suggested that would distinguish Hamilton with respect to alcohol consumption. Regarding actual research, I’ve not seen any to that effect. Certainly the Princeton Review does not include Hamilton on either of its two lists related to high alcohol use.
I think Elon would be a safety for you with a 4.0/32. My son got merit there with a 3.7/29. He loves it, we love it, every anecdotal review we heard in person loved it, they are moving up in rankings and doing a lot of great things. But…you are at a higher academic tier (there is a nice Fellows program for higher level students at Elon, but still, I wouldn’t group Elon with most of the schools being discussed in this thread).
I live in OH and agree that the Denison vibe of conservative/overly preppy might be a little outdated. Especially the conservative part. It is isolated though, IMO, and I think you’ve mentioned that as a disadvantage about another school. But it would be the same for many other schools mentioned in this thread.
And yes, you can apply without visiting and save the visit until if/when it becomes a top choice or not. Check the Common Data Set to see how Demonstrated Interest is weighted in admissions, and plan accordingly. There are also other ways to show Demonstrated Interest such as meet with reps at college fairs.