<p>Hey guys, I'm going to visit Duke soon and I'd like to know what things I should look at while on campus. I'm also looking for some inspiration on my Duke Supplement. Oh yeah, can visitors tour CIS?? I also plan to major in Biology if that helps...</p>
<p>There are tons of places you can visit, and taking the appropriate tours will take care of most of that stuff. For everything else, I’d suggest taking a stroll around East campus because that’s where you’ll be spending most of your freshman year, French Sci and Bio Sci because that’s where your classes will be, and Cameron and Duke Gardens because those are two things you just shouldn’t miss while you’re here.</p>
<p>this was a link posted on the 2013 fb page :)</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Virtual Tour: Perkins Library, Duke University](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbECkTKY5-s]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbECkTKY5-s)</p>
<p>definitely check out perkins library - IT’S GORGEOUS OMGGG.</p>
<p>and yeah i agree with HiWei. duke gardens and cameron are a must. the french science center is state of the art and really nice, and as a science kiddo you’ll spend a lot of time there. i’m pretty sure the tour will take you to the bryan center to see where a lot of admin/student stuff goes on.</p>
<p>Also, the chapel. Whether you would be worshipping there or not, it’s worth a look inside.</p>
<p>Take a walk in the forest, it’s pretty nice (that is if you admire nature like me). But really it is a peaceful place. But definitely go see the Sarah P. Duke Garden.</p>
<p>Within the Chapel, the crypt is really cool. Some of Duke’s previous presidents are buried there.</p>
<p>The Gardens are a must. Inside Perkins, check out the Rare Book room, where they have pages from a Gutenberg Bible. </p>
<p>The Fitzpatrick Center (Engineering) is a pretty cool building as well.</p>
<p>It goes without saying, but Cameron Indoor is great.</p>
<p>I actually suggest you take the walk from East Campus to Central and West so you understand the distance between the campuses. You’ll be surprise how separated it is if you compared to other colleges.
But yeah, take a walk from East Campus to Central and West Campus.</p>
<p>^^^and then take the bus so you understand why it is not a big deal (I don’t think many people walk it, unless for exercise, because there is a bus every few minutes).</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, you can take an elevator to the top of the Chapel for a bird’s eye view of the West campus.</p>
<p>“you can take an elevator to the top of the Chapel”</p>
<p>Yea, I’m pretty sure there’s no elevator that goes up to the chapel. I’ve been up there twice and both times we’ve had to climb the entire way up. Don’t get me wrong… definitely worth it. </p>
<p>Also they only let people go up there a few times a year, so don’t get your hopes up.
Not to sound like a downer or any anything…</p>
<p>“take a walk from East Campus to Central and West Campus”
Just so people know, this is a good 25-35 minute walk - obviously longer if you’re stopping and looking around. I personally would not recommend this on a really hot day as you’ll get tired out and won’t have the energy to do more important stuff. Speaking from only personal experience, there is no reason a student would ever need to walk from East to West. The C-1 is the most efficient and frequent bus on campus to the point where if a C-1 is pulling away from either campus, another one is probably already there. I would also recommend investing in a bike, but that’s off topic for this thread.</p>
<p>Yeah, no elevator in chapel, just a spiral staircase. Nice view, but realistically the only chances you’ll get to go up there is during orientation week and at the end of senior year and maybe a few isolated instances in between. You’d probably have an easier time convincing a doctor to let you in their office on the 9th floor of the North Pavilion in the Med Center (which by the way, also has a splendid view). </p>
<p>As for walking East to West, probably a waste of time, especially in the summer. Investing in a bike is not a bad idea, but just know that Duke also rents out bikes to students for free, make sure you’ll get enough use out of a bike before plunking down money for it. </p>
<p>Another nice place to visit is the lemur center and maybe a stroll through the Duke forest. You might need to schedule something in advance, but if you can make it out there it’s pretty cool. The website says to call and that tours are often booked 2 weeks in advance during the summer.</p>
<p>[DLC:</a> Tours and Gifts](<a href=“http://lemur.duke.edu/tours/]DLC:”>Overview: Tours and Educational Programs - Duke Lemur Center)</p>
<p>i would never walk LOL. the bus (C-1) takes no more than a few minutes and it’s painless.</p>
<p>It’s also worth pointing out cdz15 isn’t a current Duke student, but rather just someone who likes to post on a lot on various forums and appear knowledgeable about stuff at tons of colleges. Just check out his/her past posts…</p>
<p>Re the elevator in Duke Chapel, I can tell you to a certainty that there used to be one, at least when I attended in the late 70s, because I used it a few times. It was small and was staffed by an attendant for certain periods during the week. It took you almost to the top, where you got out, walked across a catwalk from which you could see the carillon bells and then you went up a small staircase to the top. It was great. I haven’t been back to Duke in many years, so perhaps the Chapel elevator no longer exists.</p>
<p>My memory is correct. From Wikepedia:</p>
<p>Bell Tower
The bell tower of Duke Chapel is modeled after the Bell Harry Tower of Canterbury Cathedral. It is 210 feet (64 m) tall and 38 feet (12 m) square at its base. Like the rest of the edifice, its main body is constructed of stone from the Duke Quarry near Hillsborough, North Carolina, while its upper trimmings are of limestone from Bedford, Indiana. Housed in the tower is a 50-bell carillon, a gift from The Duke Endowment. The heaviest bell, G-natural, weighs 11,200 pounds, while the lightest bell weighs just 10.5 pounds.</p>
<p>Although a service elevator and a winding staircase provide access to the top, the bell tower is closed to the public and restricted for Duke University students to special times during Orientation and Graduation.</p>
<p>What a shame access is now restricted. The view from the top is spectacular.</p>
<p>Well if that elevator is still in use (probably because it would be hard to maintain the bells with only a staircase), it’s not for student use. I’ve never heard of anyone using one to get up there.</p>
<p>Marketplace/East Campus
Duke Garden
Chapel
Perkins Library
Cameron</p>
<p>then maybe</p>
<p>French Science/Biology/Physics buildings
Fitzpatrick Engineering building
Nasher</p>
<p>Wow guys, thanks for all of the responses! I’m hoping all of these places will be open and accesible when i visit</p>
<p>All of those places should be open most of the time. For CIEMAS if the door is locked on the weekend, just knock and someone will usually let you in. Good luck.</p>
<p>Let us know what you think.</p>