Customized Visits
If you are bringing a group to UW–Madison, such as conference participants, an alumni group, prospective or new students, a foreign delegation or a civic group, we can help you design a visit that meets your needs. Below you’ll find a list of venues that accommodate tour groups.
Cost
Some campus visit options require a nominal fee per visitor – those venues have an asterisk (*) after the venue name.
Request a Visit
We invite you to request a customized visit through our Campus Visit Program.
Youth Visits: https://info.wisc.edu/campus-tours/youth/
Adult Visits: https://info.wisc.edu/campus-tours/adult/
One of the country’s leading university art museums, the Chazen houses a permanent collection of 16,000 works of art dating from 2300 B. C. to present day. Guided and self-guided tour options are available.
Hours: Closed on Mondays. Tuesday – Friday: 9:15am to 4:45pm and Saturday – Sunday: 11:15am to 4:45pm
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: 65 guests maximum; large groups will be divided into smaller groups with an individual docent.
Fee: None
Duration: 60 minutes
The Ruth Davis Design Gallery holds exhibitions that relate to the processes and results of design. We encourage research, education and outreach while featuring the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection as well as undergraduate and graduate pieces.
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 9am – 4pm, Sunday: Noon – 4pm
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: N/A
Fee: None
Duration: Any Duration
Enjoy an exciting guided tour of the 80,000-seat facility and hear about our favorite team, The Badgers!
Hours: Tours are offered at 9:30am, 11:00am, 1:00pm, and 2:30pm. No tours are given on football weekends.
Recommended Audience: 3rd grade and older
Group Size: 10 to 100 maximum; large groups will be divided into smaller groups with an individual guide
Fee: Varies by group size and type; see website for details
Duration: 60 minutes
Experience the home of men and women’s hockey and basketball at UW-Madison – from the arena to the beautiful Chihuly glass sculpture.
Hours: Tours are offered at 9:30am, 11:00am, 1:00pm, and 2:30pm.
Recommended Audience: 3rd grade and older
Group Size: 10 to 100 maximum; large groups will be divided into smaller groups with an individual guide
Fee: Varies by group size and type; see website for details
Duration: 60 minutes
Discover the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s new Alumni Park, a campus green space next to Memorial Union, with exhibits that feature 120 alumni, 150 years of UW history and innovations, campus traditions, and stories from across Wisconsin.
Hours: Monday-Friday 9:15 am – 4:45 pm. Saturday tours available April through November, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Recommended Audience: Alumni, prospective UW-Madison students and families, reunion groups, conference participants, international delegations, business and community groups.
Group Size: 50-75 guests maximum; large groups will be divided into smaller groups with an individual guide.
Fee: None
Duration: 30-45 minutes
Bus/Trolley/Van Tour
After renting your own vehicle, “step-on” tour guides are available and can customize the length and route to fit your interests and age level.
Hours: 9am – dusk; No tours are available on home football Saturdays
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: 25 guests per group
Fee: None
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Campus Walking Tour
Our knowledgeable, enthusiastic student tour guides can customize a tour to fit your interests and age level.
Hours: 9am – dusk; No tours are available on home football Saturdays
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: 25 guests per group
Fee: None
Duration: 45-120 minutes
UW-Madison First Nations Cultural Landscape Tour (Native American Effigy Mound and Cultural Tour)
Learn about the First Nations of Wisconsin through this award-winning, place-based walking tour that provides an introduction to the 12,000 years of human history along the shores of Waaksikhomik (Lake Mendota). On this tour, participants will visit UW-Madison campus buildings, historical markers, and archaeological sites to discuss historic—and contemporary—relationships with First Nations and the transformation of Teejop (Four Lakes) into Madison. Explore two Woodland Indian effigy mounds. One is a bird and the other is a two-tailed “water spirit.”
Sponsored by the School of Education. Provided by American Indian Curriculum Services, Teacher Education Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education.
Hours: Monday-Friday; varies by semester. Due to tour popularity, confirmation is based on staff availability.
Recommended Audience: 4th-12th grade students and adults
Group Size: 25 guests per group
Fee: None
Duration: 45-120 minutes
Self-Guided Campus Walking Tour
Our self-guided tour introduces you to the living and learning environment at UW–Madison. The mobile friendly website offers you a customizable experience that fits your interests and timeframe.
The On Wisconsin Route (75 minutes) starts at Stop A and features four campus areas: southwest campus, central campus, the Bascom Hill Historic District, and the East Campus Gateway.
The Badger Loop (45 minutes) starts at Stop D and features central campus, the Bascom Hill Historic District, and the East Campus Gateway.
Printable PDF (English) – https://info.wisc.edu/content/uploads/2019/08/Self-Guided-Tour_finalWEB.pdf
Printable PDF (Spanish) – https://info.wisc.edu/content/uploads/2019/10/Self-Guided-Tour-indd__Spanish_US__partial_ES_HR.pdf
Immerse yourself in nature at this 2.5 acre artful, living laboratory and outdoor classroom in the heart of campus. Self-guided and guided tours available.
Hours: dawn to dusk; No tours are available on home football Saturdays
Recommended Audience: 8th -12th grade students and adults
Group Size: 10 to 45 maximum
Fee: $5 per adult (over 18) for guided tour (free for garden, horticulture or university groups)
Duration: 60 minutes
Introduce your students to thousands of plant specimens, laid out over eight indoor greenhouse rooms and a beautiful outdoor learning space.
Hours: Monday – Friday: varies by semester
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: 15 guests per group
Fee: None
Duration: 60-120 minutes
Learn about how this 1500 square foot conservatory helps teach the art and science of using plants to improve indoor living and working space.
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8am- 4pm
Recommended Audience: 1st – 8th grade students
Group Size: 20 guests per group
Fee: None
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Trained naturalist-educators will guide your group through restored prairies, woodlands, and wetlands, pointing out seasonal highlights and describing the ecosystems, restoration, and stewardship of pre-settlement Wisconsin in the 1,260-acre natural space located one mile south of campus. Tours can be tailored to curricula and special interests.
Hours: Weekdays: 9:30am – 4pm, Weekends: 12:30pm – 4pm
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: All Sizes
Fee: Varies per group size/length of tour
Duration: 60-120 minutes
Learn about this environmentally controlled facility that houses a variety of animals for teaching and research on nutrition, reproduction and genetics.
Hours:
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: 20-25 max
Fee: $0.50/ person for disposable booties
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Explore one or more of the 14 crop and livestock units on this 2,000 acre complex, located 20 miles north of Madison.
Hours:
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: No limit on number of guests (within reason)
Fee: Currently no fee
Duration: 90 minutes
Guided Observations of the Babcock Hall Dairy Plant are not available after September 20, 2019 due to production shut-down for scheduled Dairy Plant construction. The shut-down is expected to last for 2 years, but ice cream and lunch will still be available in the Babcock Hall Dairy Store. The 2nd floor observation deck will stay open when the dairy store is open, and guests are able to look down on the dormant equipment and watch the video playing on the observation deck. Guided observations will resume after the renovation is complete.
Hours: Monday – Friday: 9am – 5:30pm, Saturdays: 11am – 4pm.
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: 25 guests per group
Fee: A prepackaged dish is $2.25.
Duration: N/A
Experience what it is like to work in a biotechnology lab, learn about DNA, think scientifically and test ideas like a scientist.
Hours: No workshops Thursdays 12:30pm-5:00pm
Recommended Audience: All ages welcomed; ideal for 6th-12th grades
Group Size: Max of 25 ideal
Fee: None
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Dairy Cattle Instruction and Research Center*
Discover the progressive dairy research that improves the quality of milk and its production around the world from leaders in supplying nutrition, genetics, lactation, reproduction, farm management, and milk quality expertise.
Hours: Monday-Friday: 9am – 3pm (9am-12pm ideal)
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: 25 maximum; prefers less than 20 for younger groups
Fee: $0.50/person for disposable booties
Duration: 60 minutes
Discovery Building – Town Center Tour
Explore the first floor Town Center at the Discovery Building, while learning about the building’s unique physical features, partnerships, research and ongoing programs. Hours: 9am – dusk; No tours are available on home football Saturdays
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: 25 guests per group
Fee: None
Duration: 30-45 minutes
Discovery Building Town Center Tour and Scavenger Hunt Tour
Enjoy a guided tour of the Discovery Building’s main Town Center with a scavenger hunt tailored to student age.
Hours: 9am – dusk; No tours are available on home football Saturdays
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: 25 guests per group
Fee: None
Duration: 30-45 minutes (tour), 45-60 minutes (tour + scavenger hunt)
Discovery Building – Field Trips
Schedule a field trip workshop geared for various grade levels from kindergarten through high school. Field trips to the Discovery Building serve as an exceptional destination for hands on scientific exploration.
Hours:
Fall: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and select Fridays
Spring: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Recommended Audience: K-12th grade
Group Size: Recommended 50 or less, 75 max
Fee: $4/student
Duration: Two 75-minute workshops (request visit online)
Wisconsin Insect Research Collection (WIRC) Entomology Museum*
Catch a glimpse of a live hissing cockroach while hearing about the University’s extensive Insect Research Collection that includes 2 million preserved insects.
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8am-5pm (hours vary during school year)
Recommended Audience: 1st-12th grade students
Group Size: 24 students max (+3-4 adults)
Fee: Donation of $1/student for classroom style presentation and/or $35 maximum for booth style presentation
Duration: 45 minutes
Schedule a guided tour to learn about rock and mineral specimens, Ice Age skeletons and more.
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:30am-4:30pm, Saturday: 9am-1pm
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: Max of 75 (split into 3 smaller groups)
Fee: $2/person or minimum charge of $16 (if group smaller than 8), $1.36/person for UW group
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Enjoy a “hands on” experience while docents lead your group through exhibits from a variety of physical concepts like optics, mechanics, magnetism and more. Self-guided exploration is available too.
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8am-4pm
Recommended Audience: 1st-12th grade students
Group Size: 30 (depends on availability of docents)
Fee: None
Duration: 60 minutes
Follow different breeds of poultry from embryo to hatching and beyond. Learn how science helps poultry farmers produce high quality meat and eggs while reducing pollution.
Hours: Varies by semester
Recommended Audience: K-8th grade students
Group Size: 25 maximum
Fee: $0.50/person for disposable booties
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Visit a family of common marmosets in the lobby. Learn about the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, its research and animal care programs through hands-on activities. See guidelines.
Hours: Varies by semester; closed Tuesdays mornings
Recommended Audience: All ages welcome
Group Size: 25 maximum
Fee: None
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Research Animal Resource Center
Schedule a workshop to learn more about the benefits of biomedical research, the ethics of using animals in research, the training required for employees working with research animals, and career opportunities in the laboratory animal field. Students will also participate in an interactive hands-on lab, which can be tailored to fit specific interests. Students may have contact with live animals if animals are available during their visit and at the discretion of the chaperones and students.
Hours: 9am-4pm
Recommended Audience: 5th-12th grade students
Group Size: 20 maximum
Fee: None
Duration: 60-90 minutes
Space Science and Engineering Center
Learn about the atmospheric sciences by touring the facility and seeing the weather instruments on the top of the roof.
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8am-5pm
Recommended Audience: 6th-12th grade students
Group Size: 15-20 ideal, 30 max
Fee: None
Duration: 45-60 minutes
View real stem cells under the microscope, practice lab techniques for growing stem cells, and discover the many ways stem cells are changing the fields of biology and medicine. A partnership between the Biotechnology Center and the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, this lab is hosted in Rm 1340 at the Genetics/Biotechnology Center.
Hours: Varies by semester
Recommended Audience: 4th-12th grade students
Group Size: 25 maximum
Fee: None
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Learn about astronomy and space science during a classroom style workshop including a project for each student to take home.
Hours: Open only during scheduled events and by appointment
Recommended Audience: K- 8th grade students
Group Size: 10-50 maximum
Fee: $3/student
Duration: 60 minutes for young students, 90 minutes for older students