Tours & Open Houses

Check back often as events will be added to the website frequently — right up until Homecoming weekend!

Doe and Moffitt Libraries and Gardner Stacks Open House

Doe Library
10/18/19 8 a.m.–5 p.m.  
10/19/19 9 a.m.–5 p.m.  
10/20/19 1 p.m.–5 p.m.  

Explore these libraries that have served the campus for more than 100 years. Be awed by grand spaces like the North and Heyns reading rooms and delve into the exhibits of the Bernice Layne Brown Gallery and Moffitt exhibit cases. Plus, get special access to the 52 miles of shelves in the Main (Gardner) Stacks, which link Doe and Moffitt libraries.

Simply show your Homecoming badge at the entrance for access.

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Power and People: the U.S. Census and Who Counts

Bernice Layne Brown Gallery, Doe Library
10/18/19 8 a.m.–9 p.m.  
10/19/19 9 a.m.–5 p.m.  
10/20/19 1 p.m.–9 p.m.  

Census 2020, like every decennial census since 1790, will have a tremendous impact on the political, social, and economic aspects of our lives. It is the largest information-gathering effort in the U.S. and provides the most detailed demographic information available for all geographic areas. This exhibit showcases both the historic and current censuses, and examines some of the controversies and challenges in determining who counts.

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There There: You Are on Indian Land

Moffitt Library, Third Floor
10/18/19 8 a.m.–5 p.m.  
10/19/19 9 a.m.–5 p.m.  
10/20/19 1 p.m.–5 p.m.  

On the Same Page, the campus’s common reading program, has selected There There, the critically acclaimed and award-winning first novel by Oakland’s Tommy Orange, as this year’s reading. Moffitt Library is hosting a companion exhibit showcasing library materials from the Native American studies collection within the Ethnic Studies Library, the Bancroft Library, and Main (Gardner) Stacks that document the vibrant Native American community of the San Francisco Bay Area in which the novel is set.

Simply show your badge at the Moffitt Library entrance to view. 

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University and Jepson Herbaria Open House and Tours

1001 Valley Life Sciences Building
10/18/19 8 a.m.–12 p.m.  
10/18/19 1 p.m.–5 p.m.  

With more than 2.2 million specimens representing all plant groups from around the world, the herbaria hold the largest collection of their kind at a U.S. public university. Visit on your own time to see these delicately preserved specimens, from marine algae to California flowers, or join a guided tour at 1 or 3 p.m.

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Cal Café

Alumni House
10/18/19 9 a.m.–5 p.m.  
10/19/19 8 a.m.–12:30 p.m.  

The Cal Alumni Association invites you to celebrate Homecoming with complimentary refreshments and light snacks. Stop by on Friday or before the football game kickoff on Saturday to receive special-edition Cal souvenirs and learn more about CAA’s extensive programming and services for alumni and students.

Visit alumni.berkeley.edu for more information.

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Environmental Design Library Open House

210 Wurster Hall
10/18/19 9 a.m.–5 p.m.  
10/19/19 11 a.m.–5 p.m.  
10/20/19 11 a.m.–10 p.m.  

The Environmental Design Library has the largest collection west of the Mississippi for architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning. The library will have an exhibition of The Life and Career of Kaneji Domoto, exploring the complex story behind the only Japanese American architect and landscape architect at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian community.

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SkyDeck Open House

SkyDeck, 2150 Shattuck Ave, Penthouse
10/18/19 9 a.m.–1 p.m.  

Located in the penthouse of downtown Berkeley’s tallest building, Berkeley SkyDeck Accelerator is currently home to more than 120 startup companies! SkyDeck’s startups receive funding, mentorship from seasoned advisors, and free office space to work so they can more easily build innovative technologies. SkyDeck also aims to support UC Berkeley with the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund donating back half of its investment profits to campus. If you’re an aspiring or current entrepreneur or are fascinated by cutting-edge technology, this tour is for you.

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Campanile Open House

Campanile (Sather Tower)
10/18/19 10 a.m.–3:45 p.m.  
10/19/19 10 a.m.–4:45 p.m.  
10/20/19 10 a.m.–1:30 p.m.  
10/20/19 3 p.m.–4:45 p.m.  

Get a spectacular, sprawling view of the Bay Area from the observation platform of Sather Tower, also known as the Campanile. One of UC Berkeley’s most beloved and well-known symbols, the Campanile is the third tallest clock and bell tower in the world, visible for miles at a height of 307 feet.

Enjoy carillon concerts on Friday at 7:50 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m.; Saturday at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m., and an extended concert on Sunday at 2 p.m. Visitor Services has waived admission for Homecoming guests — simply show your badge at the entrance.

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Campus Walking Tour

Homecoming Headquarters Tour Tent
10/18/19 10 a.m.–11:30 a.m.  
10/18/19 1 p.m.–2:30 p.m.  
10/19/19 9 a.m.–10:30 a.m.  
10/19/19 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.  
10/20/19 10 a.m.–11:30 a.m.  

Learn about campus architecture, history, and university life during a 90-minute walking tour led by a knowledgeable campus ambassador.

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Lawrence Hall of Science Open House

Lawrence Hall of Science
10/18/19 10 a.m.–5 p.m.  
10/19/19 10 a.m.–5 p.m.  
10/20/19 10 a.m.–5 p.m.  

Visit UC Berkeley’s public science center, where ever-changing interactive STEM exhibits encourage visitors of all ages to investigate, discover, and invent. Plot the stars in the planetarium, experience science on the big screen in the National Geographic 3D Theater, design and test your own inventions, and explore the Animal Discovery Room.

Admission for Homecoming guests is included in the Class Pass this weekend — simply show your Homecoming name tag at the entrance. Be sure to stop by the Discovery Corner Store for 10 percent off. We strongly recommend visiting on Friday or Sunday since access on Saturday can be severely limited due to football road closures.

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Object Lessons: the Egyptian Collections of UC Berkeley

Bancroft Gallery, Bancroft Library
10/18/19 10 a.m.–4 p.m.  
10/19/19 10 a.m.–4 p.m.  

This exhibition offers a journey through the fascinating collections of ancient Egyptian objects held at the Bancroft Library and the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology. It invites audiences to explore the everyday lives of ancient Egyptians by considering the history of these collections and how they came to exist at Berkeley.

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Rec Sports Facility Open House

Recreational Sports Facility
10/18/19 10 a.m.–4 p.m.  
10/19/19 10 a.m.–4 p.m.  

Take a tour of Berkeley’s largest, most complete fitness and wellness center, boasting an Olympic-sized swimming pool, weight rooms, multiple sport courts, functional fitness studio, cardio machines, fitness classes, and more.

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Feed the Bears Tour

Homecoming Headquarters Tour Tent
10/18/19 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.  

Philanthropy has had a tremendous impact on the UC Berkeley campus, changing the physical silhouette with new buildings, making the student experience possible through scholarships, and much more. Take a tour focused on the university’s philanthropic history, highlighting the programs and buildings made possible by private giving.

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Botanical Garden Tour

UC Botanical Garden
10/18/19 11 a.m.–12 p.m.  
10/18/19 12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.  
10/18/19 1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.  
10/19/19 11 a.m.–12 p.m.  
10/19/19 12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.  
10/19/19 1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.  
10/20/19 11 a.m.–12 p.m.  
10/20/19 12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.  
10/20/19 1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.  

Explore the incredible diversity of plant habitats from six continents — redwood forests, deserts, tropical forests, wetlands — at the UC Botanical Garden. Feast your senses on collections of orchids and carnivorous plants, the Garden of Old Roses, and spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge. You can take a docent-led tour or visit during open hours for a self-guided stroll.

Admission for Homecoming guests is included in the Class Pass this weekend — simply show your name tag at the entrance. We strongly recommend visiting on Friday or Sunday since access on Saturday can be severely limited due to football road closures.

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Hearst Museum of Anthropology Open House

102 Kroeber Hall
10/18/19 11 a.m.–5 p.m.  
10/19/19 11 a.m.–5 p.m.  
10/20/19 11 a.m.–5 p.m.  

Enjoy free admission to the Hearst Museum all weekend and explore our exciting current exhibit — Pleasure, Poison, Prescription, Prayer: The Worlds of Mind-Altering Substances, which considers the complex social and economic dynamics behind 10 mind-altering drugs. Drawing from the Hearst’s permanent collection, this exhibit highlights the incredible range of tools people have made to process, consume, and transport mind-altering substances such as early 20th-century opium pipes, peyote-inspired yarn-paintings, ancient Egyptian beer cups, and more.

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