Miami University is what Oxford is built around, and the campus is worth exploring even if you have no connection to the place. Nearly every building is red brick Georgian Revival, the result of strict architectural standards maintained since the 19th century. The effect is unusually harmonious — a coherent landscape rather than a collection of buildings from different eras.
Elliott Hall, dating to 1825, is the oldest surviving building. The original quad area near Upham Arch is the heart of the campus and the best place to start a walk. Follow it east toward the natural areas, where Miami's forest preserves provide 17 miles of trails through mature hardwood and riparian habitat — a resource that most university towns would envy.
Miami is also known as the "Mother of Fraternities" — five national fraternities were founded here — and the "Cradle of Coaches," given the extraordinary number of NFL coaches (Weeb Ewbank, John Harbaugh, Sean McVay) who played or trained here.