Our Favorite Places
Find our favorite places on this searchable map
The Anderson Collection
Stanford University is the home to the core of the Anderson Collection, one of the world’s most outstanding private assemblies of modern and contemporary American art.
Arboretum
In the vast arboretum, you’ll find Angel of Grief (1900-01) carved by the Bernieri Brother of Tuscany and Beverly Pepper’s The Stanford Columns (2022), standing among the California oaks across Lomita Drive from the Anderson Collection.
Cactus Garden
The garden was designed for Jane and Leland Stanford by landscape architect Rudolf Ulrich between 1881 and 1883. During the early years of the university, the Cactus Garden became the meeting place for many courting Stanford students.
Cantor Arts Center
The Cantor Arts Center’s diverse collections span continents, cultures, and 4,000 years of art history and include the largest gathering of Rodin bronzes outside Paris. Come see a wide range of changing exhibitions and take advantage of docent tours, lectures, gallery talks, symposia, classes, and special events.
David Rumsey Map Center
A collections-based resource designed to provide access to cartographic information in all of its forms, from paper to digital.
Denning House
Denning House, a gorgeous timber-framed facility overlooking Lake Lagunita on the Stanford campus, is the convening space for Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University. Built in 2018 specifically to house Knight-Hennessy Scholars, it provides an inspiring venue for scholars, staff and visitors, and a magnificent setting for art. A gift from Roberta Bowman Denning, '75, MBA '78, and Steve Denning, MBA '78, made the building possible. Monthly 30-minute tours can be booked at the link above.
Frost Amphitheater & Stanford Live
Stanford Live presents a wide range of the finest performances from around the world fostering a vibrant learning community and providing distinctive experiences through the performing arts.
Hoover Tower
Enjoy a panoramic view of the Stanford campus and the surrounding Bay Area from the Hoover Tower observation platform.
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
Jasper Ridge offers public educational hiking tours designed to introduce visitors to the natural history of the Santa Cruz Mountains and ongoing research and stewardship projects.The 1,189 acre preserve provides a natural laboratory for researchers from all over the world, educational experiences to students and docent-led visitors, and refuge to native plants and animals.
Lake Lagunita
Lake Lagunita is a beloved space that contains little water these days, but has a long history in the Stanford community for recreation and conservation efforts. Lagunita’s circumference remains a favorite running path for members of the Stanford community. Occasionally, after heavy rains, the bottom of the former reservoir fills.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute Tours
Building upon the achievements of Stanford University's Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project, the King Institute supports a broad range of educational activities illuminating Dr. King's life and the movements he inspired.
Memorial Church
Explore Memorial Church and its fascinating history, including stories of its endurance through two damaging earthquakes.
O’Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm
The educational farm is Stanford's home for hands-on learning in sustainable agriculture.
Papua New Guinea Sculpture Walk
Created on-site at Stanford by artists from Papua New Guinea, the garden contains wood and stone carvings of people, animals, and magical beings that illustrate clan stories and creation myths.
Public Art
Stanford’s campus features more than 85 works of outdoor public art, accessible to the public 365 days a year.
Rodin Sculpture Garden
The Rodin Sculpture Garden is open all hours, with lighting for night time viewing.
Science and Engineering Quad: “Pars pro Toto” art installation
Stanford commissioned international artist Alicja Kwade to create a site-specific work, titled Pars pro Toto, as a surprising and provocative addition to the Science and Engineering Quad. The work is composed of twelve dazzling stone spheres sourced from eight countries, ranging in size from a diminutive 16 inches to a colossal 98 inches. Visit the Quad in person or explore the space virtually in this video introducing the installation.
Self-Guiding Podcast Tours of Plants, Animals, and Science Art on the Stanford Campus
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
SLAC offers an interactive, self-paced virtual tour or an on-site tour of SLAC (including an educational tour option). The tour destinations are designed to give you the most exciting and informative views of the lab.
Stanford Art Gallery
Stanford Art Gallery visiting dates and hours vary by exhibition. Public access is only available when exhibitions are on display. The 1,900-square-feet exhibition space is an integral part of the programs, research, and curricula of the Department of Art & Art History. Constructed in 1917, the Thomas Welton Stanford Art Gallery was the first building to anchor a planned library quadrangle just east of the University’s center. High-quality exhibitions are presented by the department to engage the university and wider community in stimulating dialogue facilitated by historical and contemporary visual language and culture.
Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI)
Discover the transformative story of one of the world’s most energy efficient systems. This must-see facility is a powerful example of resourcefulness, human ingenuity, and climate resilience. A visit to SESI offers an opportunity for anyone seeking to bring sustainability innovation to life.
Stanford Libraries
Even though the libraries primarily serve the Stanford community, visitors without a Stanford ID can still access library collections for research through a variety of options.