Many people mention their school in response, so I will have to also--Cornell's campus is beautiful--the hills, gorges, ivy covered buildings.
For spectacular setting, also must mention Pepperdine, right on the cliffs of Malibu--amazing. If I had gone there, may still be in college!

UVA or Ohio University.

This is hard to answer since I have visited so few campuses (campi?). My choices:

For setting: Pepperdine on the ocean bluffs at Malibu.

For beauty of campus: Univ of Virginia at Charlottesville.

My favorite campus: Utah State Univ at Logan (since I could be out my front door and on a trout stream in Logan Canyon in five minutes flat!).

BTW: My alma mater: Chapman University in Orange County, Calif - a good school but UU (Urban Ugly).

Out of the 30+ campuses I've visted, Miami University (Ohio) and Washington & Lee had the best-looking campuses. Ball State U. was the worst.

Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Even though the campus is in the city it is very beautiful with trees, courtyards, and old buildings. It used to calm me before class to walk across the campus, looking at the beauty around me.

The college has an outstanding reputation for medicine. If your daughter is looking into medical school, I highly recommend Emory. The CDC is next door which is an outstanding resource. In addition, there is a nice museum on campus (we had Ramses but we just had to send him back). There are some very interesting communities/villages in the area which add so much life and culture to the college.

I appreciated the comment that scaryrooster made about liking his brother pre-Emory. My sister went to Georgia Tech and I liked her much better pre-tech! Anyway, college there changed my life. It was tough, I don't deny but the culture and outstanding acedemics have definately enriched my life.

Only one major problem about the college.........it's VERY EXPENSIVE!!!

Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego, on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. It's so beautiful they host weddings there!

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA-CHAPEL HILL
The campus is spectacular and Franklin Street on the edge is part of the entire experience. Ask those Duke Devils and NCStaters who can't seem to stay away.

In New York State- NO contest- Oswego State on the shores of Lake Ontario. Sunsets are the best. The winters will "mold" ones character- And Oswego is the Harvard of the SUNY schools.

Furman University in the upstate of South Carolina is like a dream.

If you're looking for small schools and academically challenging, where the seasons change (none of the harsh NE weather), I would suggest my alma maters: Mary Washington College (in Fredericksburg, VA) and the College of William & Mary (in Williamsburg, VA).

Both have excellent reputations. Mary Washington is smaller by comparison with about 3300 students. William and Mary, I believe, has about 6000 students. I visited Mary Washington in the fall and was sold. I had to go there. William & Mary also has a very pretty campus and is directly adjacent to all the colonial stuff downtown.

I'm a transplanted midwesterner who went to a big, sprawling, ugly red brick big 10 school. Wouldn't have changed a minute of my experience. BUT if I wanted to go somewhere "pretty" my husband's alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill is hard to beat, and UVA in Charlottesville is also lovely (I enjoy the whole surrounding area, too.) When my son was looking at smaller schools, we thought Elon's campus was really gorgeous. St Mary's College (a Maryland State school) is a gem in historic St Mary's city in St Mary's county. It is noted as one of the best "public ivies."

Ducks, reading what you say about your daughter--that she's academically strong, more scholarly than extracurricular; wants a smaller school with close student-faculty relationships, but likes cities; and prefers a climate less frigid than the Northeast or Midwest in winter--I think she might want to consider the "Swarthmore of the West," Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Not a middle of the road sort of place, not for everyone, but from your description, possibly excellent for her. She should visit, and read both administration and student publications. In terms of beauty: a campus centered on century-old Gothic buildings behind a huge lawn; a small densely wooded canyon and lake that's a nature reserve; and the opportunity to see both a postmodern city skyline and snow-capped mountains from campus.

Washington University in St. Louis is another one to check out. Academically challenging, beautiful campus, change of seasons, and plenty of people from all over the country (lots of Northerners too so your daughter won't be in culture shock). Has a similar reputation to Emory with a prettier campus but in a less active city center.

The University of Oklahoma campus in Norman. I'm convinced it's part of the reason National Merit Scholars choose OU. Full of foliage, with red and white flower beds on the elegant ovals. Nicely placed art (check out the view from the intersection of University and Boyd; you'll see what I mean) give nooks special meaning. Redbrick and stone arches and buildings are in what Frank Lloyd Wright called Cherokee Gothic architecture. Better than most, OU's campus has this prevailing motif and sticks to it.

Make one visit during the summer, fall, or spring, and you'll find yourself immediately attached.

UC Santa Barbara

I just want to add a few thoughts to the college location debate. Although my husband and I both attended a city college in Boston with virtually no campus atmosphere, we are appreciative of beautiful campuses that we have visited during our travels. We especially like Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The town itself is small, but fairly sophisticated. The buildings are brick and typical of the early 1900's, but gorgeous. It has an excellent academic reputation and is close enough to the beautiful Berkshire Mountains, as well
as being right on the Vermont border, making the Green Mountains, Woodstock, and Manchester, VT within an easy drive.
It is also close enough to Amherst College, U. Of Massachusetts, Mt. Holyoke, etc.
for socialization and recreation. The Fall is, of course, spectacular. It is probably a two-hour drive to the Boston area, as well. If I could redo my undergraduate experience, I would most certainly consider Williams.

There are so many wonderful colleges and universities in America - we are blessed.

I'd suggested two for your consideration - the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Yup, I'm biased; graduated from WI in 1974 and received a graduate degree from Florida in 1976.

Good luck in your search!

Furham University - Greenville, SC
William & Mary - Willamsburg, VA
University of FL - Gainesville, FL

designmr, when we were kids in the 60's, my parents would drive us from OKC to Norman just to go to the campus. He loved the flower gardens in what I believe at the time was the South Oval. I remember the snapdragons specifically--all pink and white. OU is a beautiful campus. LSU (near where I live now) is beautiful in terms of the old oaks and lakes, but OU does have striking architecture. I'm glad you pointed it out.

colonial homes did a great photo spread on washington and lee a few years ago. the photos were stunning