Places You Won’t See on the College Tour (But You Definitely Should!)

When you visit Carleton, there’s only so many places that your tour guides can show you, but there’s so much more to explore that you should definitely check out! Here’s a list of places I visited with my Mom when we came here that definitely helped in securing my decision to attend Carleton.

The Arb

Even though around 80% of the acreage of Carleton is taken up by the arb, you unfortunately won’t be taken here on your tour. But you should definitely check it out because it’s one of the most beautiful places on campus! 

My Mom and I visited in April when the campus was just starting to come back to life after winter. Even though there weren’t really any leaves on any of the trees yet, I remember seeing the river and coming from the prairies of Colorado where natural bodies of water aren’t that common, I was sold. 

My recommendation: Go through the tunnel underneath Colvill Memorial Highway (on google maps, it’s denoted as “Carleton College Pedestrian Tunnel.”) Once you’re through, turn left and take that path through for as long as you’d like. You’ll walk along the river, through a forest, and eventually end up in some grassier areas. If you’re quiet, you might have a chance to see some deer, foxes, squirrels, and a lot of different species of birds!

Downtown Northfield

Okay, obviously they won’t take you downtown when they’re trying to show off the campus.

However, you really should check it out! When my Mom and I visited for the first time, I think she wanted to pack her bags and move there because of how cute the downtown is. 

If you visit in the spring or early fall, I would recommend going to The Blast, which is a little ice cream shop right by campus, and walk around the cannon river and explore all the shops that are there.

If you visit Carleton when The Blast is closed, any of the coffee shops are a win. I’ve heard that Little Joys has some of the best, but you can’t go wrong with any of them. 

The Rec

I’m going to be 100% real with you. I have not actually been to the Rec to work out on my own. However, I have used it for rock climbing club and rugby when it’s too cold to be outside. When it gets too cold to run outside, I’m sure you will definitely find me in there on one of the treadmills. 

If you are a gym rat, the Rec won’t disappoint. There’s so much, from two climbing spaces to indoor track to handball rooms and everyone in between, you won’t have any issue finding some cool way to get your exercise in. 

The Maker Space

This is very specific, however if you go into the basement of Anderson and follow the sounds of random power tools, you’ll most likely end up at the maker space.

When I was visiting Carleton for the first time, they let me shadow a physics class. While there, I got to sit in on a lecture and work with some of the students who were taking the class. They were all so friendly and one of the people asked me if I wanted to see the maker space.

I had no idea what that was, but I was there so why not?

The area was so cool! The student showed me what she was working on: a container to help her research team study fruit fly brain activity. 

While the makerspace was really awesome, the thing that stood out to me the most was that this student had no idea who I was but she wanted to take the time to show me a cool thing that she very much didn’t have to do. 

That’s honestly what sold me on this school the most: the culture of wanting to share what one is excited about! Everyone’s interests are so varied, however, I don’t think I’ve yet met someone here that isn’t passionate about something that they love to talk about with others. 

Carleton is honestly a beautiful campus with a lot of cool buildings and forests and lakes and rivers, but the thing that will sell you is how people treat each other.

So that’s my biggest recommendation: talk to the students. We talk back and we love to share all the cool things that are here. Can’t wait to see you on campus!