We will relaunch “Tour Tuesdays” in summer 2023. “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).

– Stay tuned for summer 2023 registration and tour offerings. –

Agriculture Lives Here: Nutrien Building

For more than 150 years, the future of agriculture has been cultivated at CSU and after nearly three years of construction, the College of Agricultural Sciences is now home in the state-of-the-art research, innovation and collaboration spaces within the Nutrien Building. Get an inside look at the Bernard Rollin Knowledge Well – a 160 capacity classroom in the round -, the Trading and Simulation room that lets students use real-time market data and trading analysis to learn about commodities, economic returns and risk management and the Ed Pexton Student Success Suite. As the tour reaches the third floor, science is on full display throughout the three teaching labs that host soil science, plant pathology and entomology. The story of agriculture and inclusions is woven throughout the entire building as you learn about food safety, food security, wellness and economic prosperity through the sustainable use of natural resources.

Duration: 1 hour
Dates: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

Backstage: University Center for 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: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

Biology Teaching Collection

Visit the teaching collections of the Department of Biology to see the amazing animal materials we use to teach the “ology” courses and learn about evolutionary adaptations throughout the tree of life! Get an up close look at their collection of over 13,000 mammals and birds, one of the largest collections in the U.S.

Duration: 1 hour
Dates: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

Brew Kitchen and Innovation Lab

Working closely with industry leaders like New Belgium Brewing Company, Odell Brewing Co., MolsonCoors and Anheuser-Busch, the Fermentation Science and Technology Program is the first of its kind in the country. The Gifford Building is home to one of two brewhouses on campus – like a fine Bière de Garde or mature cheddar the facilities are aged to perfection and offer a delicious pairing of insight into the program and a behind the scenes look at the facilities that give students hands-on experience into what it takes to brew some of the nation’s most delectable brews.

Duration: 1 hour
Dates: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

Business in a Hybrid World

Join us at for a tour of the Rockwell Buildings where technology and business meet in the new hybrid world. The tour will include the first of its kind, Mosaic classroom: 27 monitors 4 robotic cameras and a full live broadcast studio come together to bring students and guests from all across the world into the classroom. We’ll tour the state-of-the-art Gary B. Halley financial lab that features 30 workstations, 16 Bloomberg terminals and sophisticated analysis software that puts you right on the New York Stock Exchange Floor.

Duration: 45 minutes
Dates: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

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 more future tour 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: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

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: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

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 more future tour dates.

Into the Vault: Gregory Allicar Museum of Art

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: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

Mystery of CSU History

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: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

Pinpointing Disease & Protecting Health: CSU’s Veterinary Diagnostics Lab

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: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

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: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

Ramskeller Brewhouse – Tour at Capacity

Go behind the scenes at the Ramskeller Brewhouse production and teaching brewery to get a glimpse at how student brew up innovative beer flavors. This world-class, one-of-a-kind facility empowers students to craft beer with locally sourced raw materials while learning how to conduct microbiological and analytical checks throughout the brewing process. Students pride themselves on serving only the highest quality brews to the CSU community – yes, that means the Ramskeller features three brews on tap from the brewhouse: CAM’s Orange, FoCo BoHo Pilsner and Belgian Peche (a peach saison) which are available to purchase for those 21+ after the tour.

Duration: 1 hour
Dates: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

Rocky Mountain Student Media

Students at Rocky Mountain Student Media operate a radio station, a TV station, a magazine, a newspaper, a daily news website, a documentary film unit, an advertising and marketing agency, and a whole lot more.  About 250 students from all areas of campus work for or volunteer with us each year to learn the necessary media and management skills needed to have a successful career. Come explore CSU’s independent student media operation and learn about the unique programs that have been keeping students informed and documenting CSU life since 1891.

Duration: 45 minutes
Dates: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

Sustainability in Plain Sight

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 more future tour dates.

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: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

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

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: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

Translational Medicine Institute

Colorado State University’s C. Wayne McIlwraith Translational Medicine Institute (TMI) is a high-tech innovation hub, bringing together scholars, creators, and entrepreneurs to work in collaborative spaces where innovation will thrive. The TMI’s goal is to discover and deliver solutions that utilize the body’s healing capacity and improves the lives of animals and the humans that care for them.

Duration: 1 hour
Dates: Stay tuned for more future tour dates.

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 more future tour dates.

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.