San Francisco Bay Area

The Stanford campus is renowned as an exceptionally pleasant and safe haven for scholarly work and this is particularly true during the summer. Affectionately called "the Farm" by generations of Stanford students, the campus is bounded by the city of Palo Alto and the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountain range. These mountains, which separate San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean, shelter the campus so that summer weather is warm during the day and cool at night. Stanford's beautiful and distinctive architecture—arched passageways and intimate courtyards—provide shaded rest and work areas.

An eclectic array of shops and restaurants in downtown Palo Alto offer plenty of options for evening and weekend diversions. The Stanford Shopping Center is located on the University campus and is easily accessible from the University's free Marguerite shuttle bus service that runs weekdays year-round.

Summer in the Bay Area provides the kind of entertainment opportunities you might expect in a large, metropolitan region. Cultural events such as plays, musicals, and concerts are just a short trip away on Caltrain public transportation. Nearby museums include the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Exploratorium, the Tech Museum of Innovation, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Hop up to the City to see the San Francisco Giants, or over to the Shoreline Amphitheatre for a large venue concert. Take the train to a free afternoon concert in San Jose or up to an art festival in San Francisco. Whichever way you slice it, there's a world of opportunity waiting for you by the Bay.

Some of the most popular excursions for parents visiting the area are the historic missions along the length of California and the scenic vineyards in the Sonoma and Napa Valleys. In addition, the awesome sights of the redwood forests are located just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, while the dramatic cliffs and white sands of the Pacific beaches are a forty-minute drive west through the Santa Cruz Mountains.