Hide & Seek

If you’ve been on a campus tour, you’ve seen my freshman dorm (Monroe), favorite classroom (when you first walk into the English building, it’s the room with the glass walls on your right), and natural habitat (Swem). Most tours also hit W&M essentials like the Crim Dell, Terrace, and Wren Building. Still, along the way, you also probably skipped some of my favorite spots on campus!

Here are a few highlights off the beaten path, my favorite places to hang out, get work done, nap, write, or just sit. If you have a few minutes, try and find…

The Botetourt Gallery

Where to find it: The ground floor of Swem, which is one level below the Circulation Desk and all of those computers you see when you first walk in. If you see a statue of Lord Botetourt and a bunch of modern, minimalist stools and armchairs, you’re in the right place!

Best for: Focusing. Your tour guide probably told you that the third floor of Swem is for silent study, which can be really productive….just not if you do it all the time. I think the spell breaks when you pull up a Buzzfeed quiz, or check Facebook, or something. Regardless, when this past spring semester started, third floor lost its magic, and I needed to find a new quiet place to get work done.

The Gallery is perfect. It’s underground, so the Wifi is slower, and there aren’t too many outlets, so I have to print PDFs or bring physical copies of whatever else I’m reading. Most importantly, it’s still in Swem, so I can easily get coffee and see whoever is working upstairs! It’s a little removed, but not totally isolating, which I love. This summer, I’ve mostly used it for working on my Monroe project.

The Physics Library

Where to find it: The basement of Small Hall, which is by the Sundial.

Best for: Group studying during finals and casual weeknights of work. I know, I know, it’s summer, but the Physics Library was such a great find this past semester that I needed to share.

Anyways, like most universities, our library gets pretty intense during finals. So a bunch of English major friends and I decided to find a new place to review together, and stumbled into the Physics Library. It’s a great place to get whatever you need to get done, done: well-lit, open, and super chill, if you’re not majoring in physics. If you understand anything about science, I’m sure it’s a great resource, but for me, it’s a great work space!

The Stairs Behind Wren

Where to find them: From the back portico of Wren, look straight down at the Sunken Garden, and the stairs will be right there.

Best for: Hanging out. Even on the hottest days of summer, I love sitting on these stairs and just talking with friends. Whenever I’m on these stairs, I remember the scene in The Lion King where Mufasa and Simba are surveying the land from Pride Rock. “Everything the sunlight touches…” These stairs are one of the most relaxing places on campus because–besides being the perfect place to watch dogs play fetch–they have all of the good energy of the Sunken Garden, but without the itchy grass or mud. Also, at the end of each semester, my friends and I always end up here and reminisce, so they’re a particularly awesome place for me.

The Best Bench on Campus

Where to find it: Go to the Echo Wall (right by Blair), and stand like you’re going to test it out, facing away from the busts. The Best Bench on Campus will be behind you, on the other side of a small brick wall.

Best for: Naps and/or reflecting. I’ve also seen people playing instruments here, so it must be good for anything relaxing. The bench is secluded behind a tree, but close to all of the buildings on Old Campus, so it’s a great place to catch your breath or do some quick writing before class or a meeting.

Also, in no particular order, here are my top three favorite buildings:

College Apartments, home to the American Studies Department. (The name is misleading, though; I’m 99% sure that no students actually live here.)

The Reves Center, our study abroad office. The building also houses a living learning community called Reves Hall, which is designed for students who want to live in an internationally-focused dorm without picking a single language house. (So I’m 100% sure that students do live here.)

The Daily Grind, one of a few on-campus coffee shops. They sell maybe the best egg and cheese I’ve ever had–with kale and onions and tomato–on a fiesta bagel, which is maybe the best name for a bagel ever. Highly recommended.

Happy exploring!