A field guide to Ohio State’s greatest campus tours
Whether you love bells, comics, gardens or football, there’s a route here with your name on it and a few surprises, too.
Ohio Stadium
What you see: The hidden spots a football ticket alone won’t take you
Tour type: Guided—by Redcoats, super-knowledgeable ’Shoe experts
Did you know? Special tours include “Ultimate VIP” (play on the field!) and “Hot Cocoa” this winter.
Orton Hall Bell Tower
What you see: The bell tower of one of our oldest buildings. You can even get special permission to ring the bells.
Tour type: Guided—Ohio Staters (Self-guided tours of the whole building exist, too. Learn more on this webpage.)
Did you know? The heads ringing the tower are grotesques, not gargoyles, because they don’t funnel water.
Center for Automotive Research
What you see: Buckeyes exploring the next frontier of auto tech and systems
Tour type: Guided—by a CAR rep or researcher
Did you know? Based at CAR, the Buckeye Bullet student team holds the electric vehicle land speed record.
Knowlton School of Architecture
What you see: An academic building with rooftop garden and spaces that surprise and delight
Tour type: Self-led with a new guide, available online and in print
Did you know? You can hear people talking four stories away via an oculus that stretches from the rooftop garden to the ground.
Secrest Arboretum, CFAES Wooster
What you see: Among the horticultural wonders: tree and bird walks
Tour type: Guided—by whom depends on the tour
Did you know? Trees planted by the founder in 1904 (an experiment to see what best helped soil in Ohio) still grow here.
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
What you see: The history of the world-record comic collection and current exhibitions
Tour type: You can self-guide or tour with a museum expert.
Did you know? It’s truly a library: In the reading room, you can check out and even touch rare collection items.
Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center
What you see: The research, the polar rock repository, field equipment and, if you’re lucky, the ice core freezer. Brr
Tour type: Guided by one of their experts
Did you know? Ohio State’s cold-region research all started with an Army contract for work in Greenland just after WWII.
