Great Places to Visit at Rutgers
The fall is always an exciting time to be back on campus. To celebrate the start of another school year, we are sharing a list of some favorite and forgotten spots and some new sites at the university to visit as we reconnect with our friends and our community.
What to See at Rutgers-New Brunswick
Take a Walk Across the Kissing Bridge
Ravine Bridge, also called the “Kissing Bridge,” across the scenic ravine near the Mason Gross Performing Arts Center, is a suspension bridge on the Douglass campus that was engineered by the same firm that built the Brooklyn and George Washington Bridges.
Visit Rutgers Gardens
Rutgers Gardens is a 180-acre public garden off Ryders Lane that includes a rhododendron and azalea display garden, an ornamental tree collection, bamboo forest, a student farm and farmer's market. It’s an ideal spot to escape to for a peaceful walk and some breathtaking views.
Enjoy the Rutgers Farm
Rutgers Farm is a 150-acre teaching, research, and production farm where you can take a break and watch horses, cattle, goats and sheep grazing and pigs getting comfortable in the mud. Depending on the time of year, you may also spot some piglets and other baby animals. The Rutgers Farm Store, open 1-4 p.m. on Fridays, offers eggs and goat milk soap among its farm-fresh products. You can also sign up for an official tour to learn more about the farm and animals.
Discover the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center
The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC), towering over the downtown arts district on Livingston Avenue, features two performance spaces—the 463-seat Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater and the 252-seat Arthur Laurents Theater—that provide expanded venues for Mason Gross student and faculty artists to showcase film, dance, theater, and music. Mason Gross is a member company at NBPAC, along with George Street Playhouse and the Tony-winning Crossroads Theatre Company, both founded by Rutgers alumni, and American Repertory Ballet.
Visit Sites Dedicated to Paul Robeson's Legacy
The legacy of activist and actor Paul Robeson is highlighted prominently around the university. In 2019, as part of a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Robeson’s graduation, Rutgers dedicated a plaza named in his honor that features eight black granite panels detailing the story of his life, which stands next to the Voorhees Mall on the College Avenue campus. There are several buildings named for Robeson around the university including the Paul Robeson Library at Rutgers University-Camden, the Paul Robeson Campus Center at Rutgers University-Newark and the Paul Robeson Cultural Center at Rutgers-New Brunswick. Just last fall, a mural by alumnus Alonzo Adams depicting the many facets of Robeson’s life, was unveiled at SHI Stadium on the wall behind student seating for all to see during home Big Ten football games.
Stop by The Yard on College Avenue
Located in the heart of the College Avenue campus, The Yard is the ultimate meet up spot. Catch a game or watch a television show on the large outdoor video screen, grab a bite to eat, meet up with friends or start your Sunday mornings off with a free outdoor Yoga class. Follow The Yard on Facebook and Instagram throughout the year to stay up-to-date on community events.
Take an Art Walk on Busch Campus
Busch campus in Piscataway is a hub of research and innovation as well as home to the School of Engineering and the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy. It also showcases works by renowned artists.
Sculptures, many of them in an abstract style and some created by former Rutgers professors, dot the campus grounds. Their backgrounds are as varied, too: Installed as early as 1973 and as recently as 2017, some of these works were publicly funded while others were gifted or privately funded.
Take a nearly 2-mile walking tour (less than an hour) of many artworks, starting at the grassy space between the Busch Faculty Dining Hall and the Busch Engineering, Science and Technology Hall at the intersection of Bartholomew and Bevier roads.
Check Out the New Student Life Photo Gallery
Visit the new historical photo gallery depicting student life at the university over the decades, located inside the Rutgers Academic Building. Unveiled over the summer, the exhibit was the brainchild of Daniel Dias and Emily Schneider as a senior project to give back to the university.
The duo worked with Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries and pored over thousands of photos and documents from the late 1700s to the early 2000s, selecting 150 items before settling on the final 45. Among them are the Rutgers Bicycle Club from 1883 with a penny-farthing bicycle, a snowball fight in the 1920s, a milk-drinking contest in 1950, football games from the 1980s and students eating at a dining hall in the 2000s. “We wanted this gallery to give an insight of what it has looked like to be a Scarlet Knight throughout the years to make a connection between past, current and future students,” Dias said.
Stop by Kirkpatrick Chapel
After graduation, you might find yourself coming back to Kirkpatrick Chapel, a popular wedding venue for alumni. The chapel, located on the historic Old Queens campus, was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, the great-great-grandson of Rutgers’ first president, before he went on to design New York City’s iconic Plaza Hotel as well as the Dakota Apartments on Central Park West. Some notable visitors to the chapel include Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Robert Frost and Academy Award-winning actor and activist Geena Davis.
Take a Walk Around Passion Puddle
Visit the spot that has been recognized as one of the top 25 most romantic spots on an American college campus. Situated between the Cook and Douglass campuses off Red Oak Lane, the small pond is surrounded by trees and benches and is a favorite campus location for young lovebirds. According to a long-standing legend, if a male student from Cook College and a Douglass College woman held hands and walked around the pond three times, they would be married and live happily ever after. But Passion Puddle isn’t only for strolling lovers. It’s also a favorite spot for those studying or enjoying nature between classes.
See the Mastodon at Rutgers Geology Museum
Visitors can check out the fluorescent mineral collection, a mastodon skeleton from Salem County discovered in 1869, a dinosaur trackway discovered in Towaco and a 2,400-year-old Ptolemaic era Egyptian mummy brought to Rutgers by a missionary of the Dutch Reformed Church that was the inspiration for an episode of The Cake Boss. The museum is located on the historic Old Queens campus in Geology Hall, which is listed on both the state and national registers of historic places.
Visit the Zimmerli
Did you know Rutgers is home to one of the largest university art museums in the country? The Zimmerli Art Museum has one of the largest collections of underground artists from the Soviet era in addition to other notable collections including art of the Americas, Asian art, European art, and original illustrations from children's literature.
Experience Big Ten Sports
Watch the Scarlet Knights compete against Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, USC and more in the Big Ten, the nation’s premier athletic and academic conference. Undergrads can claim a free student ticket for football, men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling, men’s lacrosse and volleyball games. Mark your calendar for our nationally televised game on FOX: the Blackout game vs. Iowa on Friday, Sept. 19. Be sure to sign up young Scarlet Knights fans for the Sir Henry’s Kids Club. Admission for Rutgers’ other intercollegiate teams is free, so check the schedule and bring along a friend!
Join the Fun @ the Rutgers Boardwalk
Check out the Rutgers Boardwalk presented by Visit New Jersey before every Rutgers home football game outside of SHI Stadium. The Rutgers Boardwalk is free for everyone and opens four hours before kickoff. Don’t miss the best food trucks in New Jersey, plus free rides, mini golf, petting zoos, pony rides, prizes and live entertainment. Get to The Rutgers Boardwalk early for the pregame parade and pep rally, three hours before kickoff, featuring the Marching Scarlet Knights, Spirit Team, our mascot Sir Henry, the Scarlet Knight horse Excalibur with the Knight and the football team arrival.
Learn About Rutgers History
Check out some of the historical markers around New Brunswick. Stand at the site of the first college football game in 1869, located outside the College Avenue Gymnasium. See where Alexander Hamilton and his artillerymen delayed the advance of General Cornwallis in 1776 at the marker atop the bluffs beside Kirkpatrick Chapel. Walk Will’s Way from Old Queens to the Voorhees Mall named for an enslaved man who laid the foundation of the historic administration building in 1808 and visit some of the other historical markers placed around campus as part of the Scarlet and Black Project that confronts the university's ties to slavery.
What to See at Rutgers-Newark
Check Out Express Newark
Located in the historic Hahne building in the heart of the city's cultural district, Express Newark is a socially engaged art and design center that produces nationally acclaimed exhibitions — like "Picturing Black Girlhood" — which featured nearly 200 works by Black women and genderqueer photographers. It includes space for Rutgers-Newark Arts, Culture and Media classes and hosts renowned visiting artists from the city and beyond. A community resource, it serves as a partner and platform for Newark creatives, city organizations, and residents dedicated to creating change.
Visit the Institute of Jazz Studies
Did you know the Institute of Jazz Studies, located on the fourth floor of the John Cotton Dana Library at Rutgers-Newark, is the world's foremost jazz archives and research library? Founded in 1952 by jazz scholar Marshall Stearns (1908–1966), the institute has been a pioneering institution in the preservation of and access to jazz heritage and it’s where you can see Louis Armstrong’s autobiography manuscript in his own handwriting and a Martin C trumpet that was owned by Miles Davis. Book an appointment for your visit.
Walk Along the Global Piazza
The Global Piazza is a public courtyard within Rutgers-Newark’s Honors Living-Learning Community. How many words do you recognize among the large-scale signs in different languages that translate portions of the building’s name?
Honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The building at 15 Washington St., a 17-story neoclassical icon of the Newark skyline, was renamed Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall to honor the renowned and trailblazing jurist whose lifelong pursuit for equal rights and justice began as a faculty member at Rutgers Law School in Newark, where she taught from 1963 to 1972. Take a picture under the new building sign that bears her name and check out the monthly jazz concerts held inside at Clement's Place.
What to See at Rutgers-Camden
Watch a Rising Star at the Walter K. Gordon Theater
Take in the sights and sounds of the performing arts at Rutgers-Camden’s Walter K. Gordon Theater. This 650-seat space has raised the curtain for well-known theatrical works, concerts, and a variety of events in Rutgers–Camden’s Year of the Arts celebration. Ten-time Grammy-winning trumpeter Arturo Sandoval will take the Gordon Theater stage as part of Year of the Arts on Sept. 27.
Take a Break at the Campus Quad
Stop by the Rutgers-Camden Campus Quad, the tree-covered, park-like gathering spot between the Campus Center, the Paul Robeson Library, and the Fine Arts Building. Take a moment to connect and enjoy this relaxing environment where students can be found studying, participating in community service initiatives, and getting involved with campus clubs and organizations.
Catch a Game
Cheer on your NCAA Division III Rutgers–Camden Scarlet Raptors as they battle it out on the field and the court. Whether you visit the Camden Athletic Complex, which was named one of the 11 Best Backdrops in College Baseball by NCAA.com, or take in a game at the Athletic and Fitness Center, you will witness the talents of student-athletes who excel in competition and in the classroom. Seventy-five Scarlet Raptor student-athletes were named to New Jersey Athletic Conference All-Academic teams last year.
