On your list, we visited several with my S21 and/or D23. We know Agnes Scott, and my S21 applied to Beloit (but didn’t visit), so I think I’m understanding the kind of place your D is looking for.
Based on our visits to Wooster, Dickinson, and Wheaton (MA) with S21, I think all would fit in terms of student vibe.
They all had nice campuses (I personally liked Wooster’s the most).
S21 had lower test scores that your D (and he submitted them), average-ish? (not high) rigor, reasonably good ECs. I also presume that some of his scholarship amounts were driven by institutional priorities (geographic diversity, male applicant to small LAC)
As @cormac05 described, there is a town/main street area nearby Wooster. My son demonstrated a ton of interest and got $36K merit. He did not apply separately for their top scholarship which I think can get you a few thousand more.
Dickinson - the town of Carlisle is right next to campus and has coffee shops and restaurants that students frequent. Beyond that, it’s pretty rural (but close to the highway). This was personally my least favorite campus of the 3 - the quad itself is really nice. There is a road splitting the campus that gets a lot of loud trucks (we’ve been to the campus 3 times now and had the same experience each time). My son got $25K merit.
Wheaton (MA) - the campus was nicer than we’d expected based on virtual visits. It does not have much of a town strip nearby, and I’m thinking that is likely a dealbreaker for your D. There is a place students walk to (about a 10-20 minute walk depending on which side of campus they are coming from) that has great bagels, bagel sandwiches, coffee drinks, etc. They can also walk to a few other places, but it’s not a cute Main Street kind of strip. It’s definitely nothing like Downtown Decatur (Agnes Scott). However, when they want to get off campus, it’s not hard to do. Public transportation is helpful. Students can go to other stores and restaurants in neighboring towns, go easily to Providence, RI (my kid has been twice so far this semester), concerts at Xfinity Center (outdoor amphitheatre which is a major concert venue in MA and probably 10 minutes from campus, if that). Boston and beaches are possible, too. Wheaton gave my son $37K merit.
Based on our visits to Mount Holyoke and Vassar with D23, I think both would fit in terms of student vibe.
Vassar - lovely, but as others have mentioned, only need based aid.
Mount Holyoke is rural, but right across the street from campus there was a coffee shop, a bookstore, some restaurants (we ate at a great Japanese place). It was basically a nice outdoor strip mall kind of development that offered a number of options. To get off campus would probably involve taking the bus that takes students to the other 5 college campuses? She could get to Northampton (Smith) that way for more things to do. But I’d agree that getting good merit at MHC is probably tough without a lot of rigor and ECs.
I like the Clark recommendation. We visited with S21. They gave $20K merit but were one of his more expensive options. Beloit gave him $36K merit, and Willamette gave him $23K merit. I also like the Kalamazoo recommendation - vibe seems to fit, and there seems to be stuff to walk to and do off campus. They gave S21 $34K in merit. If you look at the 3.0-3.4 thread for the high school class of 2021, you’ll find parents of 2 students who chose Kalamazoo and may be able to give you an update on what it’s been like.
We also tried to find colleges with this vibe in the Southeast (you mentioned being in the Nashville area) but ultimately didn’t find anything my kids felt was a strong enough match for them…neither one had/has a college closer than a 10 hour drive from Atlanta on their lists.