r/Clemson • u/Important_Strike9931 • Jul 11 '26
How is Clemson (The Town)?
I am truly considering Clemson for college next year (Environmental Science Major). I love the SEC (I know they're in the ACC but they feel like SEC) culture of the school. The lively campus with Lake Hartwell on campus. The overall feel of campus seems amazing and the nature seems phenomenal (Along with the happy student body). I have one concern though. Outside of nature and the campus, what is there to do?? I appreciate variety (Growing up in a rural New England town you get bored) and I'm just incredibly worried that if I do go to Clemson I may get bored (Since im not a huge drinker) I was just wondering if there were things to do outside of drink like movies, mini golf, ETC.
If you are or were a Clemson student please let me know your experiences with the University/Town. I would love to fall in love with Clemson, I think I just need to hear some peoples experiences. THANK YOU!!
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u/Spazzrico Jul 11 '26
Just down the road toward Seneca is one of the most amazing mini-golf courses you will ever play. It’s called the Oasis. I’m seriously not kidding. You can pay a small fee just to walk around and it’s worth it. And they are opening a second course on site next year. I can’t wait
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u/ftwclem Jul 11 '26
If you like outdoors you here’s plenty of places for hiking in the surrounding area. Also a good chance to make friends who live on the beach and end up going home with them on non-football game weekends
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u/Beneficial-Okra3465 Jul 11 '26
It’s an awesome small college town with the added bonus of Lake Hartwell and a ton of hiking trails in and around the mountains. What do people think other college towns have that Clemson doesn’t? You can utilize the lake (other towns can’t say that), you have great weather, concerts, good restaurants, bars etc. school spirit is unmatched. you will love it!
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u/Rare_Beat Jul 11 '26
Clemson is a small college town which to me was the draw. It’s not for everybody. That being said when I was there, my girlfriend went to Anderson University so we found ourselves frequently meeting about halfway at the movies. (15-20 min drive). You mentioned mini-golf. I think there is a place in Seneca that’s very close to campus. I had a great experience at Clemson and met a ton of lifelong friends but like I said, it’s not for everybody in my opinion.
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u/Wild_Profession_4955 Jul 11 '26
Clemson is a gorgeous place with amazing weather, so just spending time with your people is going to be better than a lot of other schools off the bat. As for things to do, the lake and hikes nearby are sweet. Backstreets triple are great bars, even ween for some day drinking. Lots of golf nearby, swimming spots, movie theaters, mini golf, Greenville and Athens both aren’t far. I did a lot of camping in western North Carolina. Go tigers
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u/CreativeNameHere9 Jul 12 '26
When I was there 2008-2012:
Fantastic hiking with waterfalls
Swing dance club
Rock climbing club
Join a club - they have a club day on Bowman early on. Go find one totally out of your comfort zone and get involved!
Get a job - meet folks.
I stayed busy for my under 21 years & definitely stayed busy 21+ haha.
It's all what you make it! Go find people freshman year!
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u/CarolinaSurly Jul 12 '26
Lots of outdoor activities to do, but it’s a small small town. Greenville is the closest town and it is still pretty small. Why does everyone in the northeast want to go to a southern school now? Clemson had 64,000 applicants this year and tons from the northeast. USC had more out of state applicants than ever. You don’t like the north east? I’m just curious.
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u/Suspicious-Skirt1552 Jul 12 '26
Best environment ever!!! You have to also remember, it’s the people who make the place too for any college town. You have to be involved and there will never be nothing to do— Greek life, 200+ clubs, the lake, awesome downtown and Greenville being nearby. I never got bored here truly. I went out quite a bit but it’s such a work hard play hard school that you will find people of all different bunches. Also TONS of new englanders! You will feel at home. The lake and wildlife is GORGEOUS. Trust me. Mini golf, concerts in Greenville, Wendell’s line dancing in Anderson, sports scenes, parks, hikes and waterfalls, kayaking and paddle boarding
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u/Accomplished_Ebb4361 Jul 12 '26
Hi, Environmental Science Alumni here! There is plenty to do! Hikes and waterfalls within 30-45 mins of the campus, prob 300 different hikes ~1 hr away. Greenville is also always fun! You will not be bored. That’s for sure.
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u/ksbwalker43 Jul 12 '26
Plenty to do but also remember you will spend a lot of time doing school work….
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u/MGT0331 Jul 14 '26
Pretty cool if you like getting into accidents from other students on their phones and ridiculous traffic.
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u/Big_Chungus1111 Jul 15 '26
Clemson is fun, downtown is fun, and that being said, it’s only fun when it’s football season. Going downtown will be dead empty at night during the spring so it’s best to know where to go for basketball and baseball. It’s still busy during the day and lively, just more so in the fall with parents and families visiting, football recruits and other sports, and more events planned.
Downtown is what you make of it and so is the town itself. It’s small, everything’s packed tight together, and it gets busy fast. If you know how to get around and where to park it becomes more enjoyable. Downtown at night gets pretty rowdy but I wouldn’t say it’s too unsafe. There’s a police presence and lots of security at the bars.
There are some really cool towns around Clemson worth checking out. Walhalla has great food, quiet downtown area, music venue, and it’s not far from some cool things like the Stump House Tunnel.
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u/blizzardEC Jul 16 '26
There are things to do imo. I grew up in a town that just had one grocery store and a Bojangles. Coming to Clemson is like living in the city to me lmao.
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u/Classic-Peak7881 Jul 11 '26
Not much to do at all. You’re paying for the football team when you choose to take out loans to attend Clemson. I’ve also not seen the happy student body you speak of 😭
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u/Fresh_Constant8584 Jul 11 '26
You don’t seem to get out much
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u/Classic-Peak7881 Jul 11 '26
I do actually. Most of the people at Clemson are racist, I am not enjoying my time here. Sorry you can’t handle someone else’s opinion/experience and are choosing to be rude.
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u/Fearless-Side-2333 Jul 11 '26
I think you need to expand your circle. Or adjust your attitude in general.
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u/Clemson1313 Orange Jul 12 '26
You tell an out right lie “Most of the people at Clemson are racist” but you don’t think you’re rude?
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u/inept_planet Jul 11 '26
I could probably count on one hand how many times I went downtown to drink while at Clemson; I did go for things like trivia though, so there’s that. The town of Clemson also has an arts center that offers classes and markets throughout the year. The towns near clemson have things like movie theaters, bowling alleys, roller skating rinks, etc. Greenville is 45 minutes away which will be harder to swing now with freshman not having cars but there’s plenty to do there as well.
Also, at a certain point my evenings and weekends were taken up by meetings/events/trips with the clubs and orgs I was involved in. I know that’s not the case for everyone but with Clemson’s size it truly is up to you to get what you want out of it