Tour Descriptions
All tours are available on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the tour. Be sure to arrive early!
Architecture Tour
Tour Period A - West Campus: Friday, 11:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Tour Period B - East Campus:
Saturday, 10:30—11:30 a.m.
Enjoy the unique and beautiful architecture and landscape of Stanford. Learn about the history, recent projects and future of Stanford's design and growth. Tour Period A will explore new developments to the west of Palm Drive. Tour Period B will look at projects east of Palm Drive.
Each tour is limited to the first 40 people.
Campus Tour
Tour Period A: Friday, 11:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Tour Period B: Saturday, 10:30—11:30 a.m.
Tour Period C:
Saturday, 2:30—3:30 p.m.
Led by student guides who are well-versed in the University's history, academic offerings, and student life, these tours include the Main Quad, Memorial Church, and White Plaza. Sponsored by Visitor Information Services (VIS).
Each tour is limited to the first 75 people.
Cantor Arts Center Tour
Tour Period A: Friday, 11:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
The Cantor Arts Center boasts a proud and venerable history, as it was conceived of in tandem with the founding of Stanford University itself. The Stanford family, including Leland Jr., traveled the world collecting objects of art and cultural interest. The museum was originally created to make this collection available to students and the public. It has withstood natural disasters and periodic neglect, only to be resurrected, renewed, and expanded, with its collections stronger than ever, thanks to the passionate dedication of Stanford faculty and staff, and art lovers in the surrounding community. This introductory tour features objects from a variety of cultures and historic periods.
The tour is limited to the first 40 people.
Cantor Arts Center Rodin Sculpture Garden and Gallery Tour
Tour Period C: Saturday, 2:30—3:30 p.m.
The Cantor Art Center's collection of Rodin bronzes is the largest in the world outside Paris, second only to the Musee Rodin. More than 50 works by Rodin are on view inside the Center, mostly cast bronze, but also works in wax, plaster, and terra cotta. Twenty bronzes, including The Gates of Hell, on which Rodin worked for two decades to complete, are outside in the Sculpture Garden. The Burghers of Calais are nearby on campus.
The tour is limited to the first 40 people.
Hike the Dish
Tour Period B: Saturday, 10:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m.
Tour Period C:
Saturday, 2:30—4:30 p.m.
(2 hours, transportation will be provided between the Dish and Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center)
Join SPOT (Stanford Pre-Orientation Trip) leaders from Stanford Outdoor Education for a walk of the Dish, a popular outdoor activity on campus. The Dish, a landmark in the Palo Alto Hills, provides some great vistas of Silicon Valley on a clear day. Participate in wellness by getting some good outdoor activity! On the way, you can learn about Stanford's wilderness backpacking and sustainable farming. We strongly encourage each walker to have a full water bottle and comfortable and supportive closed-toed shoes and clothing. This 3.5 mile paved loop trail may take an hour and a half to complete, and includes rolling hills, flat stretches, as well as steep ups and downs. Note that there is little to no shade, and no water on the trail, so come equipped with sunscreen supplies!
Each tour is limited to the first 45 people.
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve Tour
Tour Period A: Friday, 11:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m.
Tour Period B:
Saturday, 10:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m.
Tour Period C:
Saturday, 2:30—4:30 p.m.
(2 hours, transportation provided by bus)
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve is just a short drive from campus in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Preserve encompasses remarkable geologic, topographic, and biotic diversity and provides a natural laboratory for researchers from all over the world, educational experiences for students and docent-led tours for visitors. Stanford students familiar with the natural history and research at Jasper Ridge will lead you on a tour of this remarkable field station. You will have a chance to see several distinct vegetation communities and learn about research that ranges from the Jasper Ridge Global Change Experiment to the invasion of Argentine ants. Those participating in this field trip must wear good, closed toed walking shoes, long pants, and long shirts. If it looks like rain, wear a raincoat, and be prepared with a hat, bottle of water, binoculars and/or camera. The tours will be on established trails but terrain is hilly and trails include uneven ground. The hike will start from the Leslie Sun Field Station, where water and bathrooms are available.
Each tour is limited to the first 45 people.
Natural Wonders Tour
Tour Period A: Friday, 11:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Tour Period B:
Saturday, 10:30—11:30 a.m.
Join the Natural Wonders Tour to learn about landscape and horticulture on Stanford campus.
Each tour is limited to the first 40 people.
The New Knight Management Center Tour
Tour Period A: Friday, 11:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
The Knight Management Center is designed to support and encourage collaboration—among individuals and groups within the business school community, between the school and the rest of the Stanford campus—and to encourage alumni and others to participate in the life of the school. The eight buildings spread over 12.5 acres on the east side of the Stanford campus. Come tour our beautiful new facilities and see how the artwork reflects the vision of the Graduate School of Business.
The tour is limited to the first 50 people.
Outdoor Sculpture Walk
Tour Period B:
Saturday, 10:30—11:30 a.m.
A guided tour of Stanford University's distinguished outdoor art collection includes important figurative and abstract works in a variety of media by artists of the late 19th century to the present. Among more than 40 sculptures are works by Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Josef Albers, Alexander Calder, and George Segal.
The tour is limited to the first 40 people.
The Science and Engineering Quad Tour
Tour Period A: Friday, 11:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Enabling Stanford scientists and engineers to collaborate on a daily basis means creating facilities that place them side by side. Stanford's Science and Engineering Quad (SEQ) services this purpose and provides cutting-edge environments for research and teaching, as well as being extremely environmentally sound. The SEQ is comprised of four buildings, of which three are currently open: the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Environment and Energy building (Y2E2), the Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center and the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology. Join us as we visit these facilities and showcase the environmental decisions that were made in the building process, student work spaces and key exhibits.
The tour is limited to the first 80 people.
Stanford Kitchen Confidential: Dorm Dining Today
Tour Period B: Saturday, 10:30—11:30 a.m.
Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the new Arrillaga Family Dining Commons, which has become a community center for faculty, staff, undergrads and graduate students. The dining hall is on the cutting edge of dining with its Performance Dining program, which serves dishes such as wild Taku River Salmon with Orange-Thyme Glaze. The hall is also notable for its sustainable garden, wellness room and gluten-free micro-kitchen. Brunch will be included.
The tour is limited to the first 30 people.
Stanford Libraries Tour
Tour Period A: Friday, 11:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Tour Period B:
Saturday, 10:30—11:30 a.m.
Tour Period C:
Saturday, 2:30—3:30 p.m.
The librarian-led tour of Stanford's libraries includes the renovated and celebrated Bing Wing as well as Academic Computing Services, supporting technology for students and faculty. Stanford University libraries have amassed collections of books, journals, scores and printed reference works numbering close to 9 million volumes. The e-resources continue to grow rapidly, with approximately 1.5 million e-books and over 1,000 databases available currently.
Each tour is limited to the first 50 people.
Stanford Stadium Tour
Tour Period A: Friday, 11:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Tour Period B:
Saturday, 10:30—11:30 a.m.
Tour Period C:
Saturday, 2:30—3:30 p.m.
Stanford Stadium, with its proximity to the field and improved sightlines, is unlike any other stadium in Northern California. The stadium opened in September of 2006, and is home to the Stanford Cardinal Football team. Led by Athletics staff, parents will get an in-depth viewing of the stadium, including the Skydeck and the Director's level of the Skybox. Your tour guide will also provide a discussion and "behind the scenes" details on the construction process. Stanford has won the Director's Cup eighteen of the nineteen times it has been awarded.
Each tour is limited to the first 30 people.
Stanford University and the 1906 Earthquake Tour
Tour Period B:
Saturday, 10:30—11:30 a.m.
The Great Earthquake of April 18, 1906 altered the course of Bay Area history, most dramatically in San Francisco, but also in surrounding areas. Stanford University and the 1906 Earthquake was created to commemorate the disaster on the occasion of its centennial. A walking tour takes visitors around the campus to see which buildings were affected and how, and to learn how the campus recovered and changed, and how Stanford has contributed to technological advances in seismology, seismic hazard engineering and earthquake preparedness and mitigation.
The tour is limited to the first 25 people.