25 Best Places to Retire

Your post-work years are a time to improve your golf game, take up a new hobby, or just enjoy a well-deserved break. In these great college towns, you can expand your intellectual horizons too.

As a matter of fact, Iowa is not flat.

Gently rolling hills surround Ames, where residents of all ages spend leisure time in its 36 parks, -- which are connected by nearly 60 miles of recreational paths and bike trails -- in the new $10.4 million aquatic center or in the charming downtown, which is a hub of shops and restaurants. Of course, grandchildren may be more drawn to the hipper "Campustown" near the Iowa State University campus.

While they're exploring there, seniors can find campus courses covering everything from Copernicus to Mediterranean cooking. For a more artsy education, head to the Octagon Center for the Arts for adult classes ranging from salsa dancing and creative writing to painting and stained glass. 

See complete data and interactive map for Ames

NEXT: Beaufort, SC