Who would imagine that a college with 2100 students would exist on the world’s largest campus. That’s 14 acres to every student.
Berry College outside of Rome, Georgia, sits upon 27,000 acres — that’s two times larger than Manhattan. The Christian school also contains the largest mill wheel (circa 1930) at 42 feet in diameter and still used to grind corn on special occasions. There are also 88 miles of trails, including the three-mile Viking Trail that’s popular with hikers and bikers.
The campus includes several beautiful chapels, the Gunby Equine College, a working farm, the WinShape Retreat Centre and the Roosevelt Cabin named for President Theodore Roosevelt who dined there in 1910. Travel + Leisure named it one of America’s Most Beautiful College Campuses and on the day we visited, we spotted a bald eagle in the tree canopy. The natural landscape is the reason why “Remember the Titans,” “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Dutch” were filmed here.
The liberal arts school was founded by Martha McChesney Berry in 1902 to educate children in the rural South who might not otherwise get an education. She enlisted the support of American celebrities of her time, including Henry and Clara Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Charles Dana and Thomas Edison. Visitors can tour the Martha Berry Museum and gardens, also located on campus.
For more information on touring the campus, or in attending Berry College as a student, visit https://www.berry.edu.
Weird, Wacky & Wild South is written by travel journalist Cheré Dastugue Coen, who also writes Southern-based novels under the pen name of Cherie Claire.