Visiting Stanford: Stanford University Facts

Visitor Information Services

The Visitor Information Services (VIS) center is located in Memorial Auditorium. Visitors may obtain maps and information at this location. VIS provides one-hour campus walking tours free to the public each day at 11 a.m. and 3:15 p.m.—except during the winter break and on some holidays—starting at Memorial Auditorium. Private walking tours for groups of 10 or more may be arranged by calling (650) 725-3335 at least two weeks in advance. VIS also offers golf-cart tours each day at 1 p.m., except during finals, the first week of class and academic breaks. These tours are $5 per person, and reservations are required. Call VIS for tour and parking information and driving directions at (650) 723-2560. Visitors interested in information about undergraduate admission or tours for prospective students are encouraged to contact the Office of Undergraduate Admission at (650) 723-2091.

Points of Interest

Arizona Garden

The Arizona Garden, located near the Mausoleum in the Arboretum, was planted in the 1880s by the Stanfords, adjacent to the site of their proposed residence at the Palo Alto Stock Farm. The home was never built, and the garden was abandoned during World War II. Its recent restoration was recognized in 2008 by the California Preservation Foundation. The 17,000-square-foot garden, filled with cacti and succulents, is open daily at no charge. Volunteers are welcome to help with restoration the third Saturday of each month. Call (650) 723-7459 for information.

Cantor Arts Center

The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University presents art in 24 galleries plus sculpture gardens, terraces and courtyards. The center’s diverse collections span 4,000 years and the world’s cultures and number some 27,000 objects, including the largest collection of Rodin bronzes outside Paris. Presenting a wide range of changing exhibitions, docent tours, lectures, gallery talks, symposia and classes, the Cantor Arts Center is a cultural hub for the community and a teaching resource for Stanford. The Halperin Family Wing, added in 1999, includes large galleries, an auditorium, café and bookstore. Admission is free. Call (650) 723-4177.

Campus Sculpture

[Photo: Stone River by Andy Goldsworthy]

Stanford has an extensive collection of outdoor art throughout the campus. Among more than 70 sculptures are works by Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Josef Albers, Alexander Calder, George Segal and Joan Miró. Stone River by Andy Goldsworthy, Miwok by Mark di Suvero and Three Sentinels by Beverly Pepper are among the newest sculptures on campus. The Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden features the carving methods, cultural traditions and mythological heritage of the Kwoma and Iatmul people of Papua New Guinea. The B. Gerald Cantor Rodin Sculpture Garden contains 20 works by Auguste Rodin, including The Gates of Hell. Call (650) 723-4177.

Thomas Welton Stanford Art Gallery

The Thomas Welton Stanford Art Gallery, part of the Department of Art and Art History, houses studio art classrooms and offers a rotating exhibit program. During exhibitions, it is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends, 1 to 5 p.m. Call (650) 723-2842.

Hoover Tower

This 285-foot landmark, dedicated in 1941, offers views of campus, the foothills and the Santa Clara Valley. The Lou Henry and Herbert Hoover rooms contain documents and memorabilia from the Hoovers’ lives and travels. The observation deck is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed during finals, the first week of class, some holidays and academic breaks. The observation deck houses a carillon of 48 bells, the largest weighing 2.5 tons. The observation deck charge is $2 for general admission and $1 for seniors and children. Stanford faculty, students and staff are admitted free with a Stanford ID, along with their family members. Call (650) 723-2053.

Herbert Hoover Memorial Exhibit Pavilion

The Pavilion, located next to Hoover Tower, has changing exhibits. Posters, photos and videos from the Hoover Institution Archives document aspects of modern history. The Pavilion is open free to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., except during exhibit installation and holidays. Call (650) 723-3563.

Stanford Memorial Church

The dominant architectural feature of the Main Quadrangle, Memorial Church was dedicated in 1903 in memory of Leland Stanford and has been non-sectarian since its inception. One especially striking feature of the church is the brilliant mosaic covering the interior walls and depicting scenes from the Hebrew Bible. The stained glass windows depict scenes from the New Testament. The church features some 20,000 shades of color in the tile mosaics, 34 shades of pink alone in the cheeks of the four angels in the dome. Memorial Church features four organs, including the Fisk-Nanney organ, which has 73 ranks and 4,332 pipes. The church is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Docent tours are offered every Friday at 2 p.m. and the last Sunday of each month at 11:15 a.m. Special tours can be set up for groups. Call (650) 723-3469.

Hanna House

Docent-led tours of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hanna House can be scheduled by calling (650) 725-8352. Tours are held on the first and third Sundays of the month and the second and fourth Thursdays. Reservations are required. Admission is $10 per person. Pets and children under 12 are not permitted, and visitors must wear softsoled shoes. Disabled access is limited. Visit http://hannahousetours.stanford.edu.

The Dish

The 150-foot diameter radio telescope, located in the academic reserve in the Stanford foothills, is a popular destination for about 500,000 hikers annually. Known simply as “the Dish,” it was constructed in the 1960s to probe the scattering properties of the Earth’s ionosphere. It weighs 300,000 pounds and is owned and maintained by SRI International. Access to the four miles of service roads for public recreation is limited to daylight hours, and dogs are prohibited.

Rosenberg Athletic Hall of Fame Room

The Sydney and Theodore Rosenberg Athletic Hall of Fame Room in the Arrillaga Family Sports Center honors Stanford’s athletes. Trophies, pictures and memorabilia dating from the university’s founding are on display. The Hall of Fame Room is open weekdays and before home football games. Admission is free.

Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve

Docent-led tours are given at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. Priority is given to groups aligned with the preserve’s mission “to contribute to the understanding of the Earth’s natural systems.” The preserve, located near the Stanford campus, is a 1,189-acre natural laboratory. Children under 14 are not permitted. Two-hour walking tours must be scheduled by calling (650) 851-6813.

Stanford Facts: Visiting Stanford

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