2 Georgia colleges named in 'Prettiest College Campuses in America' list

Two colleges in Georgia were named among a list of the "Prettiest College Campuses in America."

The two were Berry College, a private liberal arts college in Rome, Ga., and Atlanta's Spelman College, the private women's liberal arts college known for being one of Georgia's most illustrious historically Black colleges.

The list recognizes both colleges' beautiful scenery and overall campus architecture.

Berry College

Credit: Courtesy Berry College

Ford Hall.

Credit: Courtesy Berry College

House O' Dreams

Credit: Courtesy Berry College

Deer grazzing during sunset.

Credit: Courtesy Berry College

Deer grazing during sunset.

Credit: Courtesy Berry College

The Old Mill.

Credit: Courtesy Berry College

The Old Mill.

Credit: Courtesy Berry College

Berry College's Mountain Campus.

Credit: Marylynn Ryan/GPB

Berry College was found in 1902 by Martha Berry, who inherited the land for the school from her prominent businessmen father.

The college is known for having the world's largest campus, spanning 27,000 acres, with 41 primary buildings, and having 88 miles of trails throughout northwestern Georgia.

The list highlights Berry's scenery within its many destinations across the campus, specifically Ford Hall, named after Henry Ford, who funded it, and its "surrounding structures and its nearby reflecting pools."

"There are many beautiful campuses in the U.S., but I think Berry has a distinctive quality to it," Berry President Dr. Steve Briggs said. "We have some of the classically beautiful parts, like the beautiful stone Ford buildings, but we also have this expansive, natural beauty. It creates a sense of wonder for people when they come to campus, which I think is atypical of many campuses."

Along with the "normal" majors offered at Berry College, the school incorporates its habitat into students' academic studies using a "natural laboratory."

The campus has coyotes, allowing those who study and track coyotes to gain an understanding of "how they are a part of the ecosystem." Students can also study the health of an ecosystem by considering how the health of humans, animals, plant life and water all relate to each other, with the college's One Health program.

"You're able to not only study that academically here; you're able to go out, walk it, be part of it, and see it every day," Briggs said.

Sights such as deer grazing in the meadows, the way the buildings sit on top of an alley of trees and a small hill, the pine forests, and the small lake are all a part of why Berry College is known so widely for its nature-bound beauty.

"It's just a beautifully designed campus," Briggs said.