We are excited to announce our summer tour series ‘Tour Tuesdays’ each Tuesday from June 14 through August 16.  “Tour Tuesdays” is a series in which we offer tours that highlight various areas of campus to our CSU on campus community and campus partners. There is no cost to attend a tour but registration is required as tour group sizes are limited. Learn more about our tour offerings below and don’t forget to register via the links provided (tours are listed in alphabetical order).

– Registration Now Open –

Backstage: University Center of the Arts

Go backstage at CSU’s world-class University Center for the Arts with a behind-the-scenes look at our music, theatre, and dance programs by touring performance spaces and production shops. Located in the former Fort Collins High School, the UCA is also home to two museums: the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, the Avenir Museum of Design & Merchandising.

Duration: 45 minutes
Dates:

• August 2 – 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
• August 9 – 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
• August 16 – 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Behind the Cure: Veterinary Teaching Hospital – Tours at capacity

Dogs, cats, reptiles, fish, birds, cows, llamas, elephants, giraffes, rams…you never know what animals our CSU veterinarians and students are caring for. Get a behind the scenes look at what it takes to care over 42,000 patients per year with a team of 79 veterinarians. Did you know that much of human medicine translate into veterinary medicine? Dialogue with specialists as they discuss the future of veterinary medicine. The VTH offers comprehensive services, leading technologies and expert care – all under one roof!

Duration: 1 hour
Dates:

• August 2 – 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Bugging out at the CP Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity

The CP Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity in an on-campus treasure that is part of the Department of Agricultural Biology. We are the 16^th largest insect collection in the nation and we house about 4.7 million specimens. Our holdings include many important agricultural pests and represent much of the vast diversity along the Rocky Mountain regions. Our museum is a very active research collection that is committed to the three pillars of our land grant mission; research, teaching, and outreach/extension.

Duration: 1 hour
Dates:

• August 2 – 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

CSU Weather Station

Take a guided tour of one of the longest operating weather stations in the western United States.  Weather observations for research, teaching and public information have been conducted on the CSU campus since the early 1870’s.  This tour will showcase the instruments that are used to measure temperature, humidity, precipitation, evaporation, winds, solar radiation and more.  Many of the instruments date back to the 1950’s and are still operational today!  Learn how the data are used and how you can access the data for yourself as well. 

Duration: 45 minutes
Dates:

• Stay tuned for future fall dates.

Designing & Building the Future Together: Nancy Richardson Design Center (RDC)

The Nancy Richardson Design Center (RDC) is a hub for innovation, designed as a dynamic space to invite curiosity and inspire collaboration. It houses flexible classrooms, gallery and exhibition spaces, and offices and labs of both the RDC and Design and Merchandising departments. The RDC Fabrication Labs (Prototype, Wood, Metal, Imaging, and Ideation) are open to all CSU students, faculty, and staff. We also host regional community events and workshops highlighting Design Thinking, interdisciplinary learning, and creativity. Our IDEA courses are open to Lifelong Learners (ages 55+) and all CSU students.  We also offer full-service design and small-batch production runs. Join the tour to see our fabrication labs in action, including virtual and augmented reality; vinyl, textile, and UV printing; laser cutting and etching; digital modeling; 3D printing and scanning; wood working; metal fabrication; fabric assembly; and screen-printing equipment. 

Duration: 45 minutes

Dates:

• August 2 – 1 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
• August 9 – 2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
• August 16 – 1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

From Game Day to Student Success: Canvas Stadium

Canvas Stadium opened in the summer of 2017 and brought Rams football games back to campus for the first time in 50 years, providing countless new engagement opportunities for the entire university. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the Football Hall of Fame, Orthopedic Center of the Rockies Field Club, club level seating, venue spaces, locker room, training center, players lounge, New Belgium Porch, and you’ll be able to step onto the field just like our athletes do on game day.  This impressive 727,000 sq. ft. facility is also home to the Iris & Michael Smith Alumni Center, general classroom space and the Collaborative for Student Achievement.

Duration: 1 hour
Dates:

• August 2 – 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• August 9 – 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• August 16 – 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

General Campus Tour

Whether you are new to campus or are interested in learning more about our beautiful campus, our campus tour provides a look back at our humble beginnings. We’ll explore the historic oval, delve into the academic spine of campus, learn about the day in the life of a student, step into newly renovated facilities, and discover programs on campus that staff & faculty can enjoy. We’ll feature trivia and fun facts about CSU all along this 1-hour tour route.

Please note: The General Campus Tour is not a Prospective Student Tour or Transfer Student Tour. Please visit our Admissions website for more information about Prospective & Transfer Student Tours.

Duration: 1 hour
Dates:

• August 9 – 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Going Green: CSU Solar Panel Field (Foothills Campus)

Join Stacey, CSU Campus Energy Coordinator on a walking tour of the Chrisman Field Solar Plant. This 5,300 kW solar plant is located on the CSU Foothills Campus. Covering 30 acres, this solar plant generates about 30% of the electricity used on the entire Foothills Campus. One of the largest solar arrays located on a university campus and a big piece of CSU’s renewable electricity portfolio.

Duration: 1 hour
Dates:

• Stay tuned for future fall tours.

Into the Vault: Gregory Allicar Museum of Art – Tours at Capacity

Step inside the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art With a growing and diverse collection of more than 5,000 works of art and dynamic programing, the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art is a cornerstone of Colorado State University’s arts initiatives and a link to alumni, Fort Collins, and our region. The museum is dedicated to educational vitality, embracing all audiences, and to honoring a diversity of art making across time periods, geographies, and cultures. Unique to this tour is the opportunity to go inside the vault which is not open to the public!

Duration: 45 minutes
Dates:

• August 2 – 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Mystery of CSU History – Tours at Capacity

What are the mysteries of CSU’s history? Join us as we learn the history of how CSU began. Tour inside some of the oldest buildings on campus and discover what our historic buildings have been home to over the years. Find out which buildings have ghost stories, myths and legends – maybe you have stories of your own to share. Learn some of the theories as to why CSU’s oldest building burned down in 1870 and where the remains have been placed. Discover the mysteries that have attributed to CSU’s history on this 1.5 hour tour.

Duration: 1 hour
Dates:

• August 16 – 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Pinpointing Disease & Protecting Health: CSU’s Veterinary Diagnostics Lab – Tours at Capacity

The Veterinary Diagnostics Lab (D-Lab) plays a major role in a statewide, national and global animal and zoonotic disease surveillance system that seeks to protect the health of livestock, companion animals, and the general public. Equipped with a biosafety level 3 laboratory, the D-Lab is one of the only approved labs by the U.S.D.A and CDC to hand and test for select agents; infectious microorganisms deemed to pose a severe threat to public, animal or plant health. Additionally, the lab is one of the 12 core laboratories of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network. The network enhances the nation’s early detection of, response to, and recovery from animal-health emergencies that threaten the nation’s food supply and public health: including bioterrorist events, newly emerging diseases, and foreign animal diseases.  In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the lab stepped in quickly to proves COVID-19 tests.

Duration: 30 minutes
Dates:

• Aug. 2 – 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Powerhouse Energy Campus

Completed in 2014, the CSU Powerhouse Energy Campus is located near the heart of Old Town and serves as the headquarters of the Energy Institute. The Powerhouse Energy Campus is an incredible facility that conducts research and development across a wide-range of disciplines on a host of energy and climate solution topics. The facility also is home to the Engines and Energy Conversion lab (with large engines that are quite impressive), cookstove research, large-scale thermal energy labs, hydrogen fueling and electric vehicle labs, a rapid prototyping lab and so much more!

Duration: 1.5 hours
Dates:

• August 2 – 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Sustainability in Plain Sight – Tour at Capacity

Join Stacey, the CSU Campus Energy Coordinator on a green walking tour of Main Campus. Let’s walk and talk and explore a few of the things that enable and support sustainability action and practices here at CSU. Sustainability at CSU is a team sport. We’ll explore and discuss the things you may or may not see that help CSU achieve its sustainability goals; the role students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends play. Every one of us makes a difference!

Duration: 75-90 minutes
Dates:

• Stay tuned for fall tour information.

The Biggest Walk-In Closet in the Rockies: Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising – Tours at Capacity

The Avenir Museum tells stories of dress and textiles that inspire respectful curiosity and connection across peoples, places, and cultures. Come visit the home of CSU’s renowned collection of historic clothing and textiles, with an impressive facility at the University Center for the Arts-East that serves as a tremendous research and teaching resource for CSU students and scholars.  The galleries feature changing exhibitions that are free and open to the public. And, lucky you — this tour includes a guided glimpse into that 5,000 sq. ft. ‘closet’ that is otherwise not accessible to visitors!

Duration: 45 minutes
Dates:

• August 2 – 1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Temple Grandin Equine Center

Please join us for a tour of the Temple Grandin Equine Center (TGEC) at Colorado State University.  The TGEC is CSU’s initiative that focuses on integrating research and education in Equine-Assisted Services (EAS).  EAS utilizes horses and the horse environment to provide activities and therapies for the benefits of humans.  During a visit to the TGEC at the Foothills Campus, you will tour the new TGEC complex, watch an EAS appointment, where an individual with special needs will be working with their therapist, some volunteers, and of course the horses, and be able to spend some time interacting with a few of the horses.

Duration: 1 hour
Dates:

• August 2 – 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
• August 9 – 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

The Equine Connection: Equine Teaching and Research Center

The Equine Teaching and Research Center seated next to the beautiful foothills in Fort Collins, Colorado is home to the world-first equine sciences undergraduate program.  Come explore our state-of-the-art facilities and learn about advancements in equine research, training, management and welfare. We are also home to the newly opened Temple Grandin Equine Center, which provides premiere opportunities in programming, education and research in equine-assisted services. Come learn how you can get involved in this amazing industry.

Duration: 1 hour
Dates:

• Stay tuned for fall tour information.

What’s So Special About It: Rare and Unique Materials at the Morgan Library 

Where can you find a poem written on palm leaves, Babylonian cuneiform tablets, wax reproductions of extinct apples, paintings on the foredge of a book, and every CSU yearbook ever printed? At the Morgan Library! Get a tour of the CSU Libraries’ secure storage area to see these treasures and more. Employees from the Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections will share materials and insights from our collections that spotlight: campus history, faculty research, CSU Extension and Engagement, the Peace Corps, Colorado River Compact author Delph Carpenter, and Colorado agriculture and western water resources. Bring your CSU history questions!

Duration: 45 minutes
Dates:

• Stay tuned for fall tour information.

CSU in Bloom – Annual Flower Trial Gardens

Colorado State University blooms from late May through early October at the Annual Flower Trial Gardens. Located west of the University Center for the Arts, the Annual Flower Trial Gardens’ outdoor display and test areas were established to allow students, researchers, industry representatives, homeowner and extension personnel to learn, teach and evaluate through horticulture research and demonstration projects conducted in the unique environmental conditions of the Rocky Mountain/High Plains region. You’ll find everything from common favorites like roses and petunias, to exotic plants and flowers, to names like “Brocade Cherry Night”, “Lucious Royale Cosmo”, “Hot Waterblue” and “Margarita Orange Flair”. Keep your eyes peeled for award winners and best in show for ideas for your home gardens.
Note: The Annual Flower Trial Gardens are open to the public and no tour is needed to experience the beauty of the gardens. Pack a picnic and enjoy your meal garden-side.