Fodor's Expert Review The University of Texas at Austin

The nearly 450-acre campus breeds Texas Longhorns, as passionate about football (and other sports) as they are about academics (UT has one of the country's top research libraries). The university is the largest employer in Austin (even more than the state government), employing more than 80,000 people. The number of students here is staggering, too: 39,500 undergraduates and more than 51,000 university-wide. Come to the grounds any time to stroll on your own, visit one of the museums or libraries (the Harry Ransom Center, for example, is the repository for the Watergate papers), or attend a fun annual event like Explore UT, Gone to Texas, or commencement, which includes fireworks.