Dartmouth’s beauty is readily apparent in the postcard-worthy shots of Dartmouth Hall, the Green and Baker-Berry and Sanborn Libraries. Yet students craving alone time during midterm season or an escape from their jam-packed schedules might also take solace in some lesser-known locations. When you look past Dartmouth’s most recognizable buildings, you’ll find the College is a patchwork of hidden gems which ultimately coalesce into a dazzling whole.
One such lesser-known spot is the Life Sciences Center greenhouse. Addy Reid ’27 recommends it as both a refuge from inclement weather and a soothing reminder of lush growth during New Hampshire’s harsh winters.
“The first time, I went up by myself just to walk around and feel the warmth,” she said.
Reid loved being “surrounded by beautiful plants” in the warm greenhouse environment and, on her second visit, she brought a friend to share the experience.
During her time there, Reid discovered another hidden gem in the greenhouse itself — a gigantic corpse flower nicknamed “Morphy.” The plant requires seven to 10 years to start its bloom cycle, which last occurred in 2022.
Reid also enjoys Dartmouth’s jewelry studio, which she first encountered on a tour of the College as a high schooler. She even said the director of the studio, Jeff Georgantes, was a critical factor in her decision to attend Dartmouth.
“He was so friendly and willing to share his time,” she said.
The Donald Claflin Jewelry Studio is temporarily located in the Black Family Visual Arts Center while the Hopkins Center for the Arts undergoes renovations. The studio gives students the opportunity to craft “wearable pieces of jewelry” and complete a range of different projects.
Reid said she appreciates that “you only have to pay for the weight of metal you use — or the beads or the length of the chain — and you get to use all of the tools for free.”
In addition to these tucked-away facilities, other students said their favorite spots on campus were green spaces outside. Lexi Chelle ’25 added that one of her favorite places on campus is located right outside Richardson Hall, where she lived freshman year — and is a welcome respite from her too-many hours spent in front of a computer.
“There’s this little observatory behind Richardson [with] grass around it. Setting up a picnic blanket and camping out there is the best thing ever,” she said. “If I’m ever feeling like [I’m having] too much indoor time … eating any meal outside is a good way to fix that.”
The observatory — Shattuck Observatory — is the “oldest of the scientific buildings” on campus, according to Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, and is now maintained by the physics and astronomy department.
Some hidden gems, however, aren’t even on campus. There is much to admire in the great outdoors surrounding Dartmouth. Like many students here, Brandon Zhao ’26 gravitates toward natural scenery. Throughout his freshman fall, he made a habit of biking with friends, often crossing the Ledyard Bridge to Norwich, Vt.
“Right when you cross the bridge, if you turn north and bike up toward this [veterinarian clinic], behind it, there’s a huge cliff … off [Route] 91,” he said.
According to Zhao, it takes about 20 minutes to bike to the vet clinic. From there, he hikes up a winding route to the top of the cliff, which culminates in a “full view of the river and nearby hills.” However, he added “you [can only] get [this] view in stick season,” when the trees that otherwise obscure this view have lost their leaves.
As a freshman pursuing adventure, Zhao found the cliff by chance. In fact, as far as he knows, it is “not [labeled] on any map,” and he hasn’t heard other students talk about it.
Not only is the cliff located off the beaten path, but it’s a hidden gem in another sense, as it only reaches its full aesthetic potential at a certain time of the year.
Reid added that she discovered another outdoor gem on a “really fun” overnight trip this year — the Velvet Rocks Shelter on the Appalachian Trail, just past Burnham Field. She and a friend rented tents and sleeping bags from Dartmouth Outdoor Rentals and committed to the Velvet Rocks hike, which is around 3.6 miles round-trip.
Chelle — who is also a fan of running, hiking and other outdoor activities — stumbled across a hidden gem in the middle of a jog: the School Street “meditation garden.”
“You have to go all the way down School Street and past the stop sign,” she said. “Then you’ll [see] this little library thing … and to the right is [the] meditation garden.”
According to the Hanover Conservancy, the garden is officially named the Li Graben Meditation Garden, though it is unclear who created it. With a “gorgeous” view of the river, the meditation garden features stacked rock structures and a makeshift shelter featuring an assortment of journals.
“Tons of people have written in [the journals],” Chelle said. “Usually [they] just do initials, so it’s kind of anonymous. [They] write poems … or things that have been happening in their lives.”
Although the meditation garden is shrouded in seclusion, the journals provide an unusual opportunity for connection — spanning pages and lives to bring visitors together.
“It’s fascinating to [read] about people’s Dartmouth experience[s] but not necessarily know who those experiences are tied to,” Chelle said.
While some of Hanover’s unique spots are truly obscure, others are accessible, though overlooked and undervalued.
For instance, Reid said that she has taken trips to Dartmouth’s nearby Organic Farm. While the O-Farm is known for hosting events such as Brewhaha — which typically takes place over Green Key weekend — it also offers more frequent, hands-on opportunities, such as planting, soil-making and seeding, to students through its “work days.”
Students have a variety of favorite spots both on and off campus. Yet overall, the sentiment remains the same — these hidden gems represent a gradual peeling back of the College’s layers, digging beneath its surface to unearth those elusive diamonds in the rough.
“Hidden gems definitely do exist at Dartmouth,” Chelle said. “I feel like you’re just slowly introducing yourself to [them] during your time here, through people you meet and exploring campus on your own.”
