9 hotels across 7 Deep South campuses in 6 states, every one within a mile and a half of the campus it serves. 6 are under a mile, close enough to walk back between a ceremony and dinner, or to drop a carload of boxes and come back for the rest.
Distances are straight-line, measured from the hotel to the campus, which means they are consistent from one entry to the next and you can check them. The full method, and why there are no walking times, is in the main college stays guide.
Alabama: Hotels Near Auburn
Auburn is a compact college town built around its university, which means most hotels are a short walk or drive from the main quad, dining, and Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn University
Laurel Hotel and Spa, 0.9 miles from campus. A full-service hotel with a spa in downtown Auburn, the Laurel is a comfortable choice for parents who want more than a standard chain stay during a campus visit.
Arkansas: Hotels Near Arkansas
Fayetteville is in the Ozark highlands of northwest Arkansas, and the University of Arkansas campus runs along Dickson Street, the town's main strip of restaurants and shops. One hotel made our cut here, so book early around graduation and home football weekends.
University of Arkansas
Graduate by Hilton Fayetteville, AR, 0.9 miles from campus. A full-service hotel on North East Avenue, one block from Dickson Street, with a restaurant and bar that stay busy on game days.
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Kentucky: Hotels Near Kentucky
Lexington is a mid-size city where the University of Kentucky campus is close to the downtown core, making it straightforward to combine a campus visit with the restaurants and shops along Main Street.
University of Kentucky
Elwood Hotel & Suites, 1.1 miles from campus. A mid-size all-suites hotel on Parkway Drive near Rupp Arena, offering more living space than a standard room, useful for families staying several nights during move-in or family weekend.
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Louisiana: Hotels Near LSU
Louisiana State University is on a large, tree-lined campus in Baton Rouge, the state capital, and hotels near the university put visitors within reach of both the academic core and Tiger Stadium.
Louisiana State University
The Cook Hotel and Conference Center at LSU, 1.1 miles from campus. A conference hotel on West Lakeshore Drive, directly on the LSU campus perimeter and backs onto University Lake, making it the closest full-service option to Tiger Stadium.
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Mississippi: Hotels Near Ole Miss
The University of Mississippi is in Oxford, a small town where the Square, the main social hub, is less than a mile from campus, making the area easy to navigate on foot during a visit.
University of Mississippi
The Oliver, Oxford, 1.1 miles from campus. A boutique hotel on South Lamar Boulevard, steps from the Oxford Square, suited to families who want to walk to restaurants and shops after graduation ceremonies.
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Tennessee: Hotels Near Tennessee & Vanderbilt
Tennessee covers two very different visits: Knoxville is a mid-size college city where the campus runs along the Tennessee River, while Nashville is a large urban centre where Vanderbilt is in a residential neighbourhood close to Midtown. Both cities are busy on football and graduation weekends, and Nashville draws non-university visitors year-round, so availability can tighten at any time.
University of Tennessee
The TENNESSEAN Hotel, 0.7 miles from campus. On Henley Street beside the Tennessee River, the Tennessean is a upscale downtown Knoxville hotel well placed for parents attending graduation or a game at Neyland Stadium.
Graduate by Hilton Knoxville, on the edge of campus. A full-service hotel on Cumberland Avenue, the main strip bordering campus, putting restaurants, bars, and the Tennessee Theatre within easy walking distance.
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Vanderbilt University
Loews Nashville Hotel at Vanderbilt Plaza, 0.4 miles from campus. A large upscale hotel on West End Avenue, directly across from Vanderbilt, with a full-service restaurant and enough room capacity to handle graduation weekend demand.
Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University, 0.4 miles from campus. A full-service Marriott on West End Avenue, directly across from Vanderbilt's campus, with on-site dining that makes it a practical base for multi-day visits.
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Book around the campus calendar
Move-in in late August and commencement in May are the two dates everyone wants at once, and in a small college town there is nowhere else to put people. Family weekend and homecoming in October usually land on a home game, which doubles demand. Check the athletics calendar before the academic one.
If your dates are fixed and a pick above is full, use the "see all hotels" link under each campus. It searches from the campus rather than the city centre, so results come back in the right order.
