Campus Attractions

It’s easy to spend a day – or week – at CSU! With several thousand events each year, self-guided tour options, and seasonal attractions there is something for everyone. You can even have a picnic next to the Lagoon with a beautiful view of the foothills. Take a look at our most popular attractions on campus:

Lory Student Center

The Lory Student Center (LSC) serves as a supportive, creative gathering place for exchanging ideas, socializing, challenging social and cultural norms, engaging in campus activities, eating, playing, shopping, relaxing, gathering, and learning…Your home away from home.

In essence, the LSC  is campus “connection central” – its heartbeat – where students, faculty, staff, and the world at large come to work, learn, play, and feel a part of the energy of Colorado State University’s community. The Lory Student Center contributes directly to the educational mission of Colorado State University by providing encouragement and opportunities for participation in educational, cultural, and recreational activities and provides services for the convenience of the campus community.LSC Theatre

The Lory Student Center dedicated to promoting a supportive, creative learning environment by developing campus community through a diversity of high quality, student-centered programs and services. The LSC is home to seven diversity offices:

The LSC features the more that 15 top-of-the line food venues as well as dining service options with views of the mountains.  Plus, the LSC is home to hands-on learning laboratories with the student-run full-service restaurant Aspen Grille and you can check out what students in the Fermentation Science & Technology are “brewing” up inside the Ramskeller.

Don’t forget to pop by Rocky Mountain Student Media to put in your song request with 90.5 FM KCSU as they live broadcast throughout the day on the 100 level of the LSC (just one level down the main staircase from the Food Court).

The latest ram gear can be found at the CSU Bookstore located on the 100 and 200 levels of the LSC. Here you will find the perfect apparel, décor, and gifts that show off your love of CSU and the CSU Rams.

The Lory Student Center family welcomes you to experience Colorado State Universities campus starting at the heart.

CSU Campus & Info | Colorado State University Fort Collins

Cheer on the Rams

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CSU Athletics is home to 16 Division I sports in the Mountain West Conference.  On campus you can visit Canvas Stadium, Moby Arena, multiple practice fields, and our Hall of Fame.

Visiting campus during a home football game? Be sure to check out our game day experience to enjoy pregame activities, tailgates, band and spirit performances, interactive kids zone, and the Ram Walk tradition celebrating the Rams arrival to the stadium. Be on the look out for CAM the Ram and don’t forget to take a picture with him for good luck!

Additionally you can cheer on our D1 softball and soccer teams on their respectful fields or head over to the intramural fields to cheer on students in their intramural or club leagues.

Facility - University Center for the Arts

Take in a Performance

1979734_10151988468195966_509006156_nThe University Center for the Arts features over 250 world-class music, theatre and dance performances and high-profile arts events each year. The world-class University Center for the Arts houses the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising, and select courses out of the Department of Art and Art History and the LEAP Institute for the Arts. The building is surrounded by the beautiful CSU Flower Trial Gardens. Dynamic performance spaces include the Griffin Concert Hall, University Theatre, University Dance Theatre, Organ Recital Hall, Studio (Black Box) Theatre in addition to practice rooms and classrooms.

The Lory Student Center Theatre has undergone an extensive renovation to become a state-of-the-art facility that hosts galas, concerts, theatre performances, lectures, and community gatherings each year.

Explore the ArtsUniversity Art Museum

  • University Center for the Arts
    • Gregory Allicar Museum of Art
      • Colorado State University Art Museum, located inside the University Center for the Arts, is the primary showcase  for the visual arts on campus.  Each year the museum exhibits 8-9 diverse exhibitions.  The museum’s permanent collection is comprised of about 3000 objects. The museum is open to the public Tuesday – Saturday and free.
    • Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising
      • Through exhibitions, courses, and public programs, the Avenir Museum fosters the telling of global stories of people and their textiles, dress, and interior furnishings — how they are made and used, and what they mean to us all. The Avenir Museum also features the Gustafson Gallery, The Lucile E. Hawks Gallery, and The Richard Blackwell Gallery. Avenir’s virtual gallery is a great way to visit the Avenir Museum from the comfort of your home.
  • Lory Student Center
    • Curfman Gallery
    • Duhesa Gallery – The Lory Student Center is the proud home to Duhesa Gallery. This on-campus gallery exclusively displays contemporary Native American art.
  • Hatton Gallery

Stroll through the Gardens2003-23-02

The Annual Flower Trial Gardens bloom May through October outside the University Center for the Arts.  This beautiful garden showcases over 1,000 different cultivated varieties of annuals. The outdoor display and test areas at the Annual Flower Trial Garden were established to allow students, researchers, industry representatives, homeowners and extension personnel to learn, teach and evaluate through horticultural research and demonstration projects conducted in the unique environmental conditions of the Rocky Mountain/High Plains region.  We recommend bringing a picnic lunch to enjoy. The gardens are free and open to the public.

The Heritage Arboretum at CSU has the largest collections of woody plants in the region with over 1,100 different taxa represented. Located west of Canvas Stadium, the Heritage Gardens showcase the agricultural heritage from six major regions in Colorado. The gardens can be viewed via a beautiful pathway and features several sitting areas, perfect for a picnic.

Center at Canvas Stadium

Take a Walk Down Memory Lane

Located on the northeast corner of Canvas Stadium, the Iris & Michael Smith Alumni Center pays tribute to all that makes us proud to be Colorado State University Rams. It is a place for alumni, students, family, and friends to gather and celebrate.

The Smith Alumni Center is approximately 20,000 square feet and is located at the northeast corner of Canvas Stadium. Mindock Hall features interactive storytelling about Colorado State University and its alumni, utilizing seven touch screens, a 9‐screen video wall, and vibrant graphics. Inside you will also find yearbooks, photos, memorabilia, and stories passed down through generations that share the history of CSU. The Alumni Center frequently hosts tours of Canvas Stadium (no cost) and is a great place to stop on game day. Don’t forget to see the ringing of the Old Main Bell 30-minutes prior to kick off!

  • SHARE YOUR STORY – The Ann Gill Storytelling booth provides an opportunity for alumni and guests to record their CSU memories on video and share those with family and friends via Web, e‐mail, Facebook, and Twitter. See what others are sharing here: https://csualumni.videobooth2.tv/.
  • CAM the Ram has a designated outdoor location on the east side of the Smith Alumni Center. This is where Rams fans will find CAM and the Ram Handlers on game day and for special events throughout the year.
  • A TRADITION RENEWED – The original Old Main Bell hangs in the Jim & Nadine Henry Family Tower at the north entrance of the Smith Alumni Center. After its mysterious return some ninety‐seven years after its disappearance, the Associated Students of Colorado State University (ASCSU) generously paid to have the bell refurbished and will work alongside the Alumni Association to bring back the tradition of the bell for Rams victories and to commemorate special University occasions.

Ram Pride: All about CSU traditions | Admissions | Colorado State University

Experience the Outdoors

Hike the “A”Colorado A&M becomes CSU – CSU Homecoming & Family Weekend

You may notice the large “A” on the foothills throughout Fort Collins. Did you know that the CSU Rams were once called the Aggies? The “A” on the foothills celebrates our Aggie roots and is even an iconic landmark on FAA flight maps. This landmark is also a popular hike for locals and visitors alike. The hike is only 4.1 miles round-trip and includes views of Horsetooth Reservoir, the Colorado State University Campus, and the town of Fort Collins. As you hike the “A” you’ll notice that the “A” is made up of white-painted boulders. Each fall, students hike the “A” to paid the boulders as part of our move-in week traditions and are lighted during the Homecoming Pep Rally.

CSU Mountain CampusAccommodation - CSU Mountain Campus

Nestled in a beautiful, secluded mountain valley at an elevation of 9,000 ft. (2,743m) lies Colorado State University’s 1,600-acre Mountain Campus. As a site for student learning, conferences, workshops, meetings, and retreats, the Mountain Campus offers a unique opportunity to leave the hectic pace of urban life behind and be immersed in the natural world of the Rocky Mountains.

The Mountain Campus exists to serve the Colorado State University community and the surrounding region for academic field studies, educationally focused conferences and mountain research. The campus is open from Mid-May to Mid-October.

Backbone of CSU: Meet the Mountain Campus - CSU Life

Featured on site for conferences and team development is the challenge course. The Mountain Campus challenge course is designed to enhance team building and personal growth through a high and a low element experience.  Risk taking, communication, group problem solving, and leadership skills also are common focal points.   There is a low course and high course both designed to feature different skills.

Bike Through Campus

Fort Collins is a bike friendly community with several bike paths throughout the campus that connect into larger trails like the Mason St. Trail, Spring Creek Trail and Poudre River Trail.

The biker's guide to Colorado State | Admissions | Colorado State University

Biking through campus is a great way to see our campus attractions and fun for the whole family. Don’t own a bike? Fort Collins has over 15 bike shops to purchase a bike, one local electric bike rental location, and located right at the north-side of the Lory Student Center very own Recycled Cycles location (bikes for rent $30 daily). Add time in your itinerary to have lunch or dinner right on campus to refuel before heading out to your next trail.

Explore Dining Centers – Housing & Dining Services

Dining on Campus

Colorado State University offers a variety of dining options that are open to the public.  There are three award winning dining centers, a student-run full-service restaurant, and a multiple quick-service food locations. Visit Dining Services for menu options, group reservations, and pricing.

  • Explore Dining Centers – Housing & Dining ServicesRam’s Horn Dining Center – located within Academic Village
  • Durrell Dining Center – located within Laurel Village
  • The Foundry – Located within Parmalee/Corbett Halls
  • Lory Student Center– The Lory Student Center is home to more than 15 top-of-the-line food venues, as well as dining service options, so the possibilities are truly endless. Not only do we provide variety, but getting food at your favorite spot is always easy.
  • Aspen Grille in the LSC is now openAspen Grille – Despite appearances, this is no ordinary restaurant. For students majoring in Hospitality Management, the Aspen Grille is a working classroom where they earn credits rather than paychecks. Four days a week (during fall and spring semesters), students work in the kitchen, serve customers, tend bar, and participate in virtually every aspect of the restaurant’s operations, including management.
  • Food Court: Bagel Place, Freddy’s, Garbanzo, Panda Express, Subway, Taco Bell, and That’s a Wrap.
  • Ramskeller teaching brewery taps first beer in time for CSU Homecoming - College of Health and Human SciencesRamskeller  – Established in 1968, the Ramskeller serves as a popular gathering place for the students, faculty, staff, and visitors of Colorado State University. Located on the 100 level of the Lory Student Center, the Ramskeller offers a relaxing pub atmosphere complete with pool tables, television, and music. The Ramskeller offers a traditional pub menu and pizza. Your favorite beer, on tap or in bottles, as well as a wide variety of non-alcoholic beverages make the Ramskeller a favorite campus destination. Late night programs and live music are featured throughout the academic year.
  • Fifty 30 – Located on the 100 level of the LSC. If you’re in the mood for fresh toasted sandwiches, small bites, or a scoop of ice cream this destination will hit the spot.
  • Coffee Shops

Resources for Visitors:Experience Colorado State University - Fort Collins in Virtual Reality

Explore Fort Collins

Fort Collins is a city of 150,000 located 60 miles north of Denver. “The Fort” seems to have something for just about everyone – several shopping malls, hundreds of restaurants, multiple movie complexes, a regional cultural center, natural areas, miles of bike trails, and cozy coffee houses – right here in town. And for outdoor enthusiasts, camping, hiking, snow boarding, downhill and cross-country skiing to rafting, fishing, and water skiing are all within a short drive.rocks