Clemson is a small city in South Carolina, and is widely recognized as a college town. The students and affiliates of the University here make up the majority of the town’s population. The city is quite walkable in most areas, and the University has a large network of “CATbuses” that cover quite a few areas for transportation, but not all. The outskirts of the town have a rural United States feel to them, while the heart of town is on College Avenue. This is the main street which leads to Clemson University and cuts directly through the downtown area. Here is where many restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and businesses reside, and you’ll become very familiar with it if and when you join us at Clemson University. Running perpendicular to College Avenue is Tiger Boulevard, where many more restaurants and places for quick food stops are located. Below, we share many options for getting the most out of your time while living in Clemson, as well as some day to day resources for making life adjustment a bit easier. As you settle in, we highly recommend socialization and recreation!
Things to do in and around Clemson:
Community
- PandA GSO social events: game nights, movie nights, holiday parties, international food potlucks, tailgate, etc.
- Clemson hosts many International Student Organizations that offer opportunities for finding community and attending events
- Intramural sports teams
- Big sports school, which means lots of games to attend!
Things to do in Town
- Downtown Clemson
- Nick’s and Backstreets are popular bars amongst the graduate students (members of the physics department, including students and faculty, are well known at Nick’s!)
- There are many other bars, coffee shops, and restaurants in downtown
- Downtowns of Anderson and Greenville are about a 30 minute drive, as well as Downtown Atlanta and Charlotte which are about 2 hours drive
- Charleston and Savannah make great weekend city/beach trips from Clemson
- Movie theaters in Seneca and Anderson, bowling in Seneca and Anderson, good thrift stores in Seneca and Anderson mostly, and some in Clemson (great for affordable and lasting furniture, clothing, and household goods)
Coffee Shops
What is graduate school life without a good cup of coffee! Here is the coffee shop recommendation list by our graduate students around the Clemson area.
- Downtown Clemson
- Summer Moon – Coffee is good but not a good place to study.
- Grace Coffee Company – Cozy atmosphere but can be pretty packed and might be hard to study.
- All In – Larger and great place to study but can be pretty packed. The food and drinks are great!
- Clemson
- Moe Joe Coffee – Medium sized but great for studying.
- Central
- Jitters – Larger and great for studying! Fun seasonal drinks everyday and Jitters has beer and ciders too!
- Pendleton
- Freehand Coffee – Medium sized but nice vibes. The best part is Village bakery is close by so you can grab a pastry there and go to the coffee shop!
- Greenville
- Village Grind – Has great coffee and good study spots. BUT THE BAKERY NEXT DOOR IS THE BEST BAKERY EVER! Grab a pastry at Rise bakery and go study with coffee at the Village Grind and you will not be disappointed.
Outdoors/Fitness
- Lake Hartwell, Lake Keowee, and Lake Jocassee are popular places around Clemson for boating and hiking
- Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Complex, commonly known here as Y-beach, offers multiple sporting fields, a beach, and canoes/kayaks/paddleboards for students to use on Lake Hartwell
- Graduate students have free access to the gyms on campus, which are Fike Recreation Center and Douthit Fitness Center. The gyms also offer many free (and some paid) classes and activities
- The South Carolina Botanical Garden, located directly next to Clemson University, has options for shorter hikes and walks, picnic tables, 2 ponds, a geology museum and art museum, gift shop, and endless opportunities for viewing local wildlife
- The Great Smoky Mountains are a 2 hour drive with many hiking and camping options
- Chattahoochee-Oconee, Nantahala, and Sumter National Forests are all within a short drive of Clemson and are popular amongst are graduate students for hiking and camping