50 Colleges That Rival Ivy League Campuses in Beauty

46. Mount Holyoke College – A Feminine Fortress of Serenity

Tucked in South Hadley, Massachusetts, Mount Holyoke feels like a gothic novel come to life. Its stone towers, iron gates, and winding wooded trails surround Upper and Lower Lakes—mirror-still bodies of water flanked by swans and weeping willows. The college’s architecture blends Victorian elegance with modern updates, while its botanical gardens and conservatory rival any museum. As the oldest of the Seven Sisters, Mount Holyoke carries a legacy of quiet, unwavering strength. Students study beneath stained-glass windows or beside the lake under cherry blossoms. It’s a space where women’s leadership, environmental stewardship, and poetic solitude naturally intertwine.