Best Places to Nap at Christopher Newport University

Sleep is a necessity for life. However with a busy college schedule full of classes, clubs, sports, and a social life, it can be hard for a student to catch a full night’s sleep in bed and function throughout the day. A solution to this problem is to catch quick (or long) naps throughout the day. It is hard to find a good spot, but fear not, I have traveled across the campus far and wide to find those sweet nap spots every CNU student needs. 

I will be ranking the spots by their comfort (obvi), openness (how visible it is to the public eye if you like to sleep without being watched), and location (is it convenient to walk to, is it located near an entrance, etc.). 

1. Pope’s Chapel Couches

Location: Located in Pope’s Chapel which is near the Torggler Art Center and the right side of the library, the couches are on the upper side of campus so it’s only accessible to those who travel in that area often. 

Rating: 5/10

Comfort: The couches are a bit harder than they look, but they’re not like crappy bricks. The material of the couches itself isn’t fuzzy and a bit scratchy.

Rating: 5/10 

Openness: The good thing about these couches, is that they’re located in the bridal suite of the chapel, which has a door you can close so you have little chance of having your nap interrupted. 

Rating: 9/10

2. Couches on 2nd floor DSU near Elevator

Location: The David Student Union (DSU) is a pretty central location and is arguably the most active building on campus since it has one of the dining halls, the mail room, and other facilities that students use. You will most likely interact with this building so this spot is a good place to take a quick nap on one of your endeavors. The downside though is that it has a higher chance of being taken.

Rating: 7/10

Comfort: The couches have a nice softness you can sink into. They are leather though, so if you want something softer, I’d suggest moving somewhere else. 

Rating: 8/10

Openness: It is pretty open, and people can get a good look at you after they pick up their mail. But the area is not as open and busy as the 1st floor.

Rating: 4/10

3. Couches right outside Elevator of Rosemary section of the Trible Library

Location: These couches are in the deep study section of the library. They’re good for a quick shut eye or to just crash as you’re doing an all-nighter. They are literally right in front of the elevator though so you have a decent chance of your nap getting interrupted by cleaning staff or random people who want to go to the 3rd floor for some reason.

Rating: 6/10

Comfort: The material is made of soft material and the mattress is solid but comfortable to rest in. If you want a couch to really sink into though, I’d suggest choosing elsewhere.

Rating: 7/10

Openness: Not a lot of people come to the third floor but since you’re in front of the elevator, you will get some people traffic. 

Rating: 6/10

4. Couches above Atrium in Luter School of Business Building 

Location: This is the nap spot with the best location. It is located in the Luter, which you will most likely have a class in and the building itself is in a pretty central location campus wise. 

Rating: 9/10

Comfort: The comfort level is giving baby bear because they have the perfect amount of comfort; not too soft, not too hard, just right. 

Rating: 10/10

Openness:  It is on the fourth floor which not a lot of people go to and the area isn’t very visible so you will rarely get disturbed. It is over the open area of the third floor atrium, so you may hear students when classes end and begin, but in between it can get really quiet.

Rating: 10/10

5. Couches on 2nd floor of Luter School of Business Building

Location: A really convenient spot to take a quick nap in-between classes or to completely zonk out after a huge exam because it is near the main entrance. It is located above the entrance of the first floor so it can get busy during class change. 

Rating: 8/10

Comfort: I like to go to these couches a lot because you feel like you sink into the cushions and it’s such a relief after sitting in hard chairs all day. The couches are also pretty long so I can lie down with my whole body on the cushions and not have anything dangling over (I am 5’5 btw).

Rating: 10/10

Openness: It is near one of the main hallways of the building and people can see you as they head upstairs to the second floor because the couches face the stairs. 

Rating: 2/10

6. Rest Area near the Mailroom (DSU)

Location: There are a lot of couches to rest on which is a plus. It’s also located in the DSU so it’s not too much of a walk from classes. There is almost always somebody on a couch, so it can be hard to nap alone in peace. 

Rating: 7/10

Comfort: Because there are a variety of couches, there are a variety of textures and levels of firmness of the furniture. Kudos for providing diversity in couches.

Rating: 9/10

Openness:  It’s tucked in a corner and hidden by the mailboxes but you may get a side eye from people walking past from the walkway behind the brick wall.

Rating: 6/10

7. Couches in Mcmurrran Academic Building

Location: This couch is located in the Arts and Humanities building, McMurran. The building itself doesn’t have a lot of good places to nap, so this couch is a gem. It’s also away from the main hallway so it has a good feeling of being isolated but not at the same time. 

Rating: 8/10

Comfort: The material of the couch is a weird plastic silky feeling, but the cushions are pretty comfortable. 

Rating: 7/10

Openness: The hallways aren’t completely open so people may be able to peep in, but only for a brief moment. 

Rating: 7.5/10

8. The Great Lawn

Location: Literally in the middle of campus. Because there are three big sections of the lawn, there’s a lot of space to choose to lay on. You can bring your own blanket to nap on and the grass feels pretty soft and comfy. However because it’s outside, the nap location does depend on the weather, and you have to factor in bugs. 

Rating: 8/10

Comfort: Grass isn’t that stiff and the ground is a good firm feeling so it’s good to lay on if you have back problems.

Rating: 9/10

Openness: This is literally the most open spot because the lawn is right smack dab in the center of all of the academic/important buildings. Would not recommend it for shy nappers.

Rating: 0/10

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