<p>We will be at Conn. College for one day/night while touring several colleges with my rising senior. Any suggestions for places to eat/see/experience to help him get a feel for the school/area? Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Um…I didn’t honestly see too much in New London that was insanely out of the world for a small town. It’s nice, but again, small. I’d recommend looking whatever the school has up on their site- [Connecticut</a> College : Area Hotels, Dining](<a href=“http://www.conncoll.edu/admission/6789.htm]Connecticut”>http://www.conncoll.edu/admission/6789.htm) Since even on their (the school’s tour) we didn’t have time to see much, and mainly just went to the beach to run around for a bit. </p>
<p>:) </p>
<p>The school’s very campus centric, although there are some great neighboring towns- Niantic has a big used bookstore called The Book Barn, and Mystic has some cool museums. Conn itself has a musuem pretty much on campus, if he’s interested in that sort of thing.</p>
<p>On campus, I’d go by what he’s interested in. No need to spend too much time in the science center if he’s interested in the arts- that sort of thing. I personally enjoyed the library, which has an asian art & books collection on the first floor, and a cafe in the basement. It’s leveled by studiousness- the more intense a project is, the higher the floor a student will want. The top floor makes you feel very loud if you walk too much, but the cafe is more lively, and probably filled with more groups. There’s actually a library beneath Harkness Chapel as well- upon entering there’s a door and staircase tucked away to the left. Take it down, and those are the religious offices and then the study room & library with piano. I get the feeling that Conn has a lot of good meeting spaces for their students to study, or hang out in- Unity House has a ‘living room’ to relax in, and while I visited, me and other propsies grabbed their Taboo game and played. (Unity is the multi-cultural center). Theres also some nice common rooms, and Cro (the student center) is a big events place as well. The arboreteum and the Athletic center are both very nice- if the weather is as nice as it was last weekend, walking onto Temple Green will give you a stunning view of the Long Island Sound. (I should remember to upload those pictures…) I think the feel of the school depends partly on the students and professors being very tight knit, and for the most part, friendly- especially as I wandered around very lost in the Art Center, they’re good at giving directions. </p>
<p>Personally, I can’t tell you a great deal about New London itself you won’t find online. But as for getting a good idea about the college, I tend to read fliers to see what events are going on, grab the major fact sheets in the admissions office, and look in the different centers for similar pamphlets that describe things students do/apply for. Unity house has several wall holders for these types of things in the back of the house, and there are a lot of event flyers/campus newspapers floating around. If you manage to go into a dining hall, there’s a daily paper that lists events going on.</p>
<p>Foxwoods and/or Mohegan Sun. Both offer hotels, casinos, shops and great dining options. A must see for all.</p>
<p>Also Mystic,CT is 10 mins up I95. Mystic is a quaint ocean front town. Plenty of hotels, Mystic Village (shops), Mystic Seaport, and a drawbridge that is surrrounded by more great shops/restaurants etc. </p>
<p>Be sure to drive by the beaches… Ocean Beach right there in New London. Misquamicut Beach, R.I. is about 25 minutes away. </p>
<p>If you are headed through Rhode Island on your way to your next stop, Newport R.I. above all, is a MUST SEE!</p>
<p>Enjoy your trip!</p>
<p>With all due respect, I couldn’t disagree more with tiki. The casinos are fairly unrelated to the college and while they are a resource for some entertainment, are not worth seeing. While on campus, you should take a quick walk down to the arboretum, it is one of the coolest aspects of the college. Other than that, like Yurtle said, it’s about your son’s interests. </p>
<p>While the surrounding towns (Mystic, Stonington, and Niantic) are very charming, New London is worth checking out because it is so close by. I recommend a quick walk down Bank Street especially and maybe State Street as well, and getting a coffee at either Muddy Waters (a huge Conn College hangout), or Bean and Leaf (a great local cafe). Downtown New London is very much focused around the arts and “lefty” oriented stores (galleries, fair trade store, garde theater, the hygenic art, fiddlehead’s food coop, etc.) and ethnic food. For window shopping and upscale cuisine, Mystic is the typical destination. Enjoy your visit.</p>
<p>What camel said, as he’d know better than I. </p>
<p>I’m adding the bookstore link I talked about. It’s a bit out of the way from the normal running grounds of students, but still pretty close. [The</a> Book Barn - Niantic, Connecticut - “One of CT’s truly great bookstores.”](<a href=“http://www.bookbarnniantic.com/]The”>http://www.bookbarnniantic.com/) Plus it’s a book mecca, and if he likes to read at all, I’m sure he’d like the store. I’m putting in a visit or two while at Conn, because it looks pretty awesome, and some local friends think it’s worth it to experience. Plus, if he ever needs novels for class, he can buy them dirt cheap there, which is what my friend did. (She was an English major so she had to buy a lot of novels, but still.)</p>
<p>Keep in mind both Boston and NYC are close(ish) for weekend trips! I imagine students visit every once in awhile.</p>
<p>Camelman, Swimmom said eat/see/experience the school/area. My post was obviously in reference to the area and since they are staying overnight, gave them hotel options as well. If you could see past the ‘casino’ factor, you would see why they could be of interest. Many colleges boast of the shows or entertainment that they have had on campus, Connecticut College just happens to have access to two of the hottest attractions in the northeast. Yes college kids love bookstores and coffeeshops but they also look at the surrounding area to see what the recreation would be like. Recreation includes beaches, shops, dining out and going to see a show every now and then. It also could include taking a date to Mystic, or going with the guys for a weekend in Newport. </p>
<p>I would lay all the possibilities out on a table and let my son pick what he would like to see. After all, he will be the one living there. Connecticut College is an amazing campus, I would assume it will sell itself if it offers a good portion of what her son is looking for.</p>
<p>You should definitely visit Mystic. It’s 10 minutes from New London and I have visited every year once or twice since I was a baby (i live about 90 minutes from Mystic/New London). It’s such a quant town with great shops downtown and in Old Mystic Village along with great restaurants-Mystic Pizza is a must and more upscale restaurants can be found for a nice dinner.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions. We arrive later this week and look forward to exploring New London.</p>
<p>So, swimmomto2, how was it?? Did he fall in love??</p>