College campuses might not seem like romantic places, but many are home to some pretty heartwarming traditions, some of which could be the perfect addition to any Valentine's Day celebration. From declaring your undying love to your sweetheart, to getting hot and heavy in the stacks, these campus traditions can make it even more fun to celebrate your love today and throughout the year. Read on to learn about some of the best romanticcollege traditions across the country for couples.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, ETERNAL FLAME
Want your love to last forever? If you're a student at this central Illinois school, then take your sweetheart to the Eternal Flame on campus. The monument was a gift to the campus from the class of 1912 and features a Roman column with a light at the top: the so-called "eternal flame." Located on the school's main quad, lovers can bring their sweethearts to the flame and kiss under it, with the idea that, "a lover's kiss will bring eternal bliss." When a couple kisses under the flame, their love is said to last forever, guided by the light burning from the Eternal Flame. Unfortunately, the light often burns out or is vandalized, which could mean couples are navigating in the dark when it comes to eternal love. Nevertheless, the spot is a romantic destination (especially in the spring when surrounded by blooming magnolia trees) and a must for anyone visiting the campus.
STANFORD, FULL MOON ON THE QUAD
If you don't mind having an audience for your kisses, this tradition on Stanford campus may be right up your alley when it comes to campus romance. Started in the 1800s, this campus event began with senior men and freshmen women meeting under the full moon to share a rose and a kiss, though today it often involves live performances, crowd-watching, and even some major making out. Still, few schools sanction getting your groove on like this, and couples can kiss among a sea of other students under the light of the full moon, with the school even providing mouthwash to keep things minty fresh.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY, SWEETHEART CIRCLE
The name of this campus romantic spot comes both from the fact that the front of the main campus at GSU forms the shape of a heart and that back in 1906 when the campus was first started, this circle of pavement and lawn was the only place on campus that boys and girls were allowed to socialize with one another — with supervision, of course. While male and female students may not face the same chaste regulations today, the green lawns of the Sweetheart Circle are still a romantic destination and many alums and students have used the space to propose or have a wedding ceremony. For students who want to get romantic there, it is said that walking around the circle three times with your sweetheart will ensure that you will one day get married.
DRAKE UNIVERSITY, SINGING VALENTINES
What could be more romantic than a message sung to your sweetheart on Valentine's Day? Drake students who don't have the singing chops to pull this kind of thing off on their own can hire the school's choir to do it for them. For a fee, the Singing Valentine program lets students send a pretty ditty and a rose (or a dozen roses) to their significant other on campus or off. The tradition started when the choir needed to raise funds for a trip, but has helped more than just choir members make Valentine's Day a very special occasion.
CARTHAGE COLLEGE, KISSING ROCK
Carthage College's Kenosha campus is home to a pretty famous boulder. Pulled from a field in 1913, the two-and-a-half ton rock quickly became a favorite part of campus life, though its scenic setting overlooking Lake Michigan (the rock was moved from its original location in the 1960s) hasn't hurt the rock's popularity. Covered in layer after layer of paint and graffiti from lovers, the rock is a symbol of romance on Carthage's campus and has been the site of many a romantic tryst during its nearly 100 years of history. Couples who want to stay together not only kiss on the rock, but also add their own artwork to the famous stone.
TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY, KISSING TREE
Near Transylvania University's library stands an old white ash tree that holds a special place in the hearts of many alumni from the school. Throughout the school's history, the tree has been a place where couples have come to steal a kiss or two, though perhaps more so back in the early days of the school when kissing in public was strictly forbidden. Administrators and faculty would look the other way only when student stood under the so-called kissing tree. Today, students don't need to worry about kissing restrictions on campus, but many still head to this famous tree, encircled by a bench, to kiss, talk, or just hang out. In recent years, the tree was named one of the most romantic places on American college campuses by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY, CRIM DELL BRIDGE
Bridges are easily laden with all kinds of symbolism and meaning, and this one on the Williamsburg campus of William and Mary is no exception. Located in one of the college's most scenic areas, the bridge is sometimes referred to as the "lover's bridge" because of a longstanding college tradition that is romantic and disturbing at the same time. Lovers who cross the bridge and kiss at the middle it is said will be together forever, which is the lovely and romantic part of the story. Should things sour between the two, however, the woman must throw her ex-lover off of the bridge and into the water if she doesn't want to be forever alone. Whether you subscribe to all or none of the college legend, the bridge is without a doubt a lovely scenic place for a walk or kiss with your sweetheart.
OHIO UNIVERSITY, KISSING CIRCLE
Nestled into a brick walkway on Ohio University's campus is a small circular area of pavement that carries with it a very sweet tradition. During the 1950s, lovers would meet at the spot to kiss or would leave chalked messages to one another. Older traditions required a man and woman to kiss anytime they passed through the circle at the same time. Notably, in 1962, a love-struck student painted a giant message to his sweetheart in the circle, declaring his love for her for all the campus to see. While kissing in the circle isn't as popular for students on campus today, it's still a place where students leave messages and meet and its special place in campus history is commemorated by a plaque from the Class of 2007.
HARVARD UNIVERSITY, STACKS SMOOCHING
For students at Harvard, it's part of the college tradition to take your sweetheart somewhere less common for a secret rendezvous. Kissing, making out, or all-out love-making in the school's Widener Library is considered a right of passage for undergraduate students, though if the statistics are right, very few pull it off (less than 6%). Still, the dark and rarely used sections of the library could be a perfectly romantic spot to take your significant other if you're a Harvard student, provided you both love the smell of books and don't mind the danger of discovery, of course.
PURDUE UNIVERSITY, OLD PUMP
The Old Pump, located at the campus' southeast corner, was used by farmers back in the 1860s but has in the years since become a campus landmark, and one with a bit of a saucy history. During the early years of the school, women had to be in their dormitories at a very early hour and were not allowed dates on weeknights. Women skirted this rule because they were allowed out to get water from the pump, an opportunity they very often used to meet with their sweethearts. The pump no longer stands in its original location (nor do the dorms), but has been reconstructed elsewhere on campus and couples can still meet there after dark for some talk or kissing. Of course, if you're super serious about your sweetheart, the school also boasts a romantic bell tower tradition, stating that if students kiss under the tower then walk past the nearby stone lion fountain, they will eventually be married.
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