A campus landmark at the east of the Main Quad, the 285ft-high Hoover Tower offers superb views. The tower houses a university library, offices and part of the conservative Hoover Institution on War, Revolution & Peace (where Donald Rumsfeld caused a university-wide stir by accepting a position after he resigned as Secretary of Defense).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Main Quad

0.18 MILES

Auguste Rodin’s Burghers of Calais bronze sculpture marks the entrance to Stanford University's Main Quad, an open plaza where the original 12 campus…

2. Cantor Arts Center

0.42 MILES

The Cantor Center for Visual Arts is a beautiful large museum originally dating from 1894. Its collection spans works from ancient civilizations to…

3. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

2.13 MILES

Nobel Prize–winning scientific discoveries have been made at this 2-mile-long linear accelerator – the world's longest – built in the mid-1960s…

4. Googleplex

4.57 MILES

Though there are no official tours of the Googleplex, visitors can stroll the campus and gawk at the public art on the leafy grounds, where scads of…

5. Computer History Museum

5.01 MILES

Touted as the largest computer-history exhibition in the world, this museum has rotating exhibits drawn from its 100,000-item collection. Artifacts range…

6. Sam McDonald County Park

10.53 MILES

Stretch your legs in the redwoods in this park, 2 miles south of La Honda. It has several forested hiking trails and a secluded hike-to cabin available…

7. Apple Park Visitor Center

10.98 MILES

Definitely the most interesting tech visitor center in the area. You'll be met by an army of Geniuses in red shirts offering information from how to use…

8. Intel Museum

11.54 MILES

At Intel's headquarters, this museum has displays on the birth and growth of the computer industry with special emphasis, not surprisingly, on microchips…