Charlottesville, VA

Charlottesville 101: Rolling vineyards, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the redbrick Downtown Mall–it's easy to see why so many students graduate from the University of Virginia and stay put.

Why It Made Our List: iPads and laptops have replaced satchels and quills, but students still sign honor codes, dress up for football games and vie for coveted spots in secret societies at the university Thomas Jefferson founded in 1819.

Don't Miss: Jefferson's contributions, such as The Lawn, where 54 peer-selected students forgo modern conveniences for the honor of living in 18th-century buildings. From town, walk the wooded two-mile Saunders-Monticello Trail to Monticello.