Guilford College in Greensboro, NC: Places to Hang Out on Campus

Guilford is a small college, with a proportionately small campus. But just because it's not a large, sprawling, city campus, that doesn't mean that there aren't places to hang out. At Guilford, you have to make your own fun. Here are some ideas:

1) Stoops/porches: A bunch of the dorm buildings have stoops and porches that people hang out on during the warmer months. Binford's stoops are usually especially popular, and a good place to meet new people. Milner has a large patio with benches and a view of the tennis courts, and Mary Hobbs has a nice big porch with a swing on it.

2) Lounges: Some lounges are better than others. Some are almost always empty, but ones with more than just televisions, such as the lounge on the first floor of Milner, can be a fun place to hang out. It had (the last time I checked) a pool table and a fooseball table. There's also the community center, which is behind the new apartments and has large computers for gaming, wi-fi access, and a large flat screen TV.

3) The Hut: The hut is the location of Guilford's on-camups Quaker services, meditations, and sometimes classes. lt looks just how it sounds: it's small, cozy, a little cluttered, and it has a fireplace. It also has several comfortable couches and chairs, a sink, an attached bathroom, and a piano. It's a nice place to hang out in late at night if you're with someone and want some privacy, or if you're by yourself and just want some quiet.

4) The second floor of Founders: The second floor of Founders is worth checking out, because student art is often displayed there in two adjacent rooms. There are also a few couches and chairs for sitting around, and if you go late at night, there are windows that open out to a little roof deck that you can sit on and watch campus from a bird's eye view.

5) The radio station: Trust me, if you don't want to be a part of the radio station, you at least need to make friends with people who are, because it's a great place to go hang out. Find a friend who has a radio show and visit them. That way, you can make a guest appearance on the air, and get to wander around the station, which is filled with great music but also has a lot of...um...artistic flair. The various writings and drawings all over the walls are enough to keep you busy for an hour or so, and you never know what you might find if you wander around.

6) The lake: The Guilford lake, bordering the Guilford woods, is a great place to hang out. On hot, sunny days, people gather by the lake in groups, bringing food, instruments, and various other accoutremont. Just don't swim in it. Or do, but be very careful. Word is that there are golf carts and other large pieces of metal underneath the water and that more than a few people have hurt themselves. Also, it's pretty gross.

7) The bridges in the woods: There are a few bridges in the woods, and it's too difficult to give you directions to all of them in print. Your best bet is to ask an upperclassmen to take you there. But I will say that one is right past the lake; if you take the paved path into the woods, the bridge will be right past it on your right. Get a group of friends and whatever enertainment you prefer and go to the bridges and just hang out for a while.

8) The swings in the woods: There are also three swings (or maybe more) in the Guilford woods. There is one (or maybe there are two?) tame swings, just wood hung by ropes, off of the paved path through the woods. If you take that path, there'll eventually be a clearing on your left where the two swings are hung from a large tree. If you take the wooded path, however, you can find two different swings in two different directions. Try to find them on your own. But beware--one is the swing of death.

9) The fire pit in the woods: This is another one you'll need to get directions for. Basically, if you take the wooded path whose entrance is by the houses by the lake, take a right where it splits, you'll eventually take a small path on your left that will lead you there. There's a fire pit, logs used as benches, and usually there are garbage cans out there for throwing away any trash you make. In the fall and spring, people like to have parties out at the fire pits. Sometimes you can just find them by following the sound.

10) The meadows: There are three sets of meadows located behind the parking lots behind the old apartments. People gather and hang out in them, usually in the second or third meadow. But be careful: it can be tricky getting there at night, and there is poison ivy around.

So those are just some suggestions, but use your imagination. There are plenty of places at Guilford to explore, visit, and hang out, if you look around.