Princeton University

Princeton was founded in 1746 and Nassau Hall, finished in 1756, was for a while the largest stone building in the colonies; it served as barracks for both armies during the revolution, took cannon fire, and housed the Continental Congress for several months in 1783, which made Princeton briefly the seat of government. The rest of the campus is largely Collegiate Gothic from the decades around 1900, with the modern Lewis Center added at the edge. The university art museum has been rebuilt and holds a serious collection. The Institute for Advanced Study, where Einstein worked from 1933 until his death, is a separate body a short walk away with woods and a pond open to the public.

What you actually see

• Nassau Hall of 1756 - shot at in the revolution, briefly the seat of Congress.
• Collegiate Gothic quads - most of the campus, around 1900.
• The university art museum - rebuilt, free to enter.
• The Institute for Advanced Study - Einstein's, with public woods.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Buildings are working university and mostly closed. The town is small and expensive. Reunions weekend in late spring fills everything. The Institute is a research body, not a museum - only the grounds are public.

Nearby

Princeton town is around the campus; Delaware and Raritan Canal is west.