6 Best Sights in Stanford, The Bay Area

Few streets in the Bay Area can match the dramatic scenery of Stanford’s entrance from downtown Palo Alto. For about ⅔ mile, palm trees line the street, which runs in a direct straight line towards Memorial Church. The Santa Cruz Mountains emerge on the horizon, and it all looks as if it was framed intentionally for postcards. Palm Drive runs into a giant grass area called the Oval, named for its distinct shape, which revolves around flower plantings shaped as an "S" for Stanford. On sunny days, Stanford students are always out in force studying on the grass or playing Frisbee. It can appear like a university admissions brochure in real life.

The heart of the Stanford University campus is its distinct Richardsonian Romanesque quad. Stanford’s signature look revolves around red-tiled roofs and palm trees. The focal point of the quad is Memorial Church, a striking memorial built by Jane Stanford to her late husband Leland. The interior boasts stunning mosaics and stained-glass windows. There was originally a bell and clock tower, but that was destroyed by the powerful 1906 earthquake, just three years after the church completed construction. Docent-led tours of the church are held Friday mornings at 11.

Modern, post–World War II art shines at the neighbor to the Cantor Arts Center, where the impressive collection from Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson and Mary Patricia Anderson Pence is displayed. Marquee mid-century artists including Richard Diebenkorn, Jackson Pollock, and Ellsworth Kelly are showcased in a gleaming concrete and glass-heavy building that smartly reflects the contemporary ethos of the artwork inside.

Stanford’s main art museum is a wonderful indoor-outdoor mix, where it’s easy to linger for two or three hours. Outside is the acclaimed Rodin Sculpture Garden, home to the one of the largest collections of the legendary French sculptor’s works in the U.S. Inside, beyond the ornate opening steps and grand entry hall are two levels of galleries that mix modern works with rotating exhibitions, indigenous American art, and classical European and American paintings.

It’s hard to miss Stanford’s iconic building named for the 31st president of the United States and class of 1895 alum, Herbert Hoover. At 285-feet tall, it’s the closest thing the Peninsula has to a skyscraper. The domed red-tile roof with a Belgian carillon underneath it can be seen for miles. Visitors of Stanford-affiliated individuals can take the elevator up to the top for a panoramic view from San Francisco to the bay and East Bay Hills, and to the Santa Cruz Mountains. Unfortunately, the general public can only visit the exhibition galleries at the base of the tower.

Known by locals as The Dish, this radio telescope has served many purposes over the years, including some for the government; it's run by a local research institute, not the university itself. The main reason that everyone comes to The Dish is because of its series of hiking and jogging trails that wind their way around the classic Northern California landscape full of oak trees, poppy flowers, and local wildlife, rewarding each workout with stellar views.