Day 1 You'll See:
- San Francisco State University Tour
- University of San Francisco
- Pier 39
- 7D Experience
Day 2 You'll See:
- Silicon Valley
- Intel Museum
Day 3 You'll See:
- University of California, Berkeley
- Lawrence Hall of Science
- Red & White Fleet Golden Gate Bay Cruise
This exciting three-day adventure introduces your students to an array of excellent educational possibilities and gets them out on the town to explore historic San Francisco landmarks and hotspots. It’s a tantalizing melding of “work” and play, just the ticket to getting them fired up and on the fast track to planning for a shining academic future in this vibrantly diverse and beautiful City by the Bay!
1
San Francisco State University Tour
San Francisco State University - a recognized leader in addressing issues both global and close to home - typically enrolls the largest number of international students in the United States and ranks second among U.S. universities for the number of students who study abroad for an academic year. This dynamic and diverse urban institution - renowned for its commitment to excellent teaching - consistently ranks in the top 20 nationwide in awarding undergraduate degrees to minorities. A variety of excellent tour options let you and your group explore the beautiful 142-acre campus at your own pace, with or without a trained guide.
University of San Francisco
Many say there is no better place to study than San Francisco, and no university connects students with the heart of the city like USF. Daily tours let you and your students take a firsthand look at everything the University of San Francisco has to offer; you’ll explore the wonderful gathering places, classrooms, and green spaces that make up its scenic hilltop campus situated in the very center of the city, just a stone’s throw from the fabulous art, diverse culture, fresh adventure, and supreme natural beauty of the City by the Bay.
Pier 39 at Fisherman’s Wharf
Every San Francisco getaway should include a stop by Pier 39, a 45-acre landmark attraction serving up the sweet nostalgia of an old-fashioned amusement park against an artist’s dream backdrop featuring spectacular views of the 300-berth marina by the bay, the Bay Bridge, Golden Gate and Alcatraz, and a front-row seat to the antics of herds of wriggling sea lions stationed on K-Dock. Full-service restaurants, charming cafes and quaint snack shacks tender a fine sampling of “so fresh it was swimming this morning” local seafood and other tasty treats, and plenty of unique activities and attractions help work off those inevitable splurges! Stomp out a tune on the musical stairs, get lost in a magical mirror maze, dive into the mystique of Aquarium of the Bay, catch a show at the Bay Theatre, or recharge your inner child with a turn on the hand-painted San Francisco Carousel; the lilting calliope tunes mesmerize and thousands of twinkling lights uniquely frame the whirling view of the bustling promenade as you sit astride your painted pony – or panda. An eclectic array of specialty stores and gift shops tempt even “no souvenir” types to enter and browse.
7D Experience
This utterly awesome Pier 39 attraction – the one and only 7D Experience - treats your group to the indescribable thrill of a rollercoaster ride and the frenzied excitement of a state-of-the-art laser blasting game - simultaneously! 7D’s 20 seat theater featuring a gargantuan movie screen and the hottest, freshest 3D technology will trip your fun trigger and leave your senses reeling as you ride and blast your way through hordes of killer zombies, defeat a den of dastardly pirates or annihilate a gang of menacing robot cowboys!
2
Silicon Valley
Long before Steve Jobs visualized his Apple empire, eight pioneering young men defected from the Shockley Semiconductor Company in order to start their own transistor business. The trailblazer was 29-year-old Robert Noyce, a brilliant physicist who would co-invent the microchip – and the rest, as they say, is history. Today, this old railroad town in the Northern part of Santa Clara county – the nucleus of modern computing - is home to many of the world's largest high tech corporations, as well as thousands of tech startup companies. You and your students will have the opportunity to explore an array of pertinent landmarks and attractions on this fun foray into the “Valley of the Hearts' Delight”, including the HP garage – “the Birthplace of Silicon Valley”, and Apple’s Company Store and Headquarters. See the home of the hard drive, cruise by the Winchester Mystery House, and check out kitschy-cool “Buck’s of Woodside” – the preferred meeting place for Silicon Valley venture capitalists and entrepreneurs; Hotmail and Tesla were incorporated right here! Power lunch, anyone?
Intel Museum
No tour of the Silicon Valley would be complete without a stop by The Intel Museum, located in the Robert Noyce Building at Intel's headquarters in Santa Clara. The Museum opened to the public in 1992, gets visitors behind the scenes where more than 10,000 square feet of innovative and fun interactive exhibits exploring Intel's fascinating culture and manufacturing process await their eager hands and minds! Meet Artie the Robot, experience the magic of Digital Rain, discover how your favorite computing devices work, learn “techie” lingo, create and send a digital postcard and more!
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University of California, Berkeley
Rise and shine! You and your students are off to tour UC Berkeley, the world's premier public university and venerable wellspring of innovation. The University of California was chartered in 1868 and Berkeley - opened in 1869 with 10 faculty members and several dozen students - was envisioned as a "City of Learning" overlooking the Bay; today, its progressive academic community forges ahead in its tradition of key contributions to the economic and social well-being of the Bay Area, California, and the nation. Visitors encounter exciting new state-of-the-art facilities — the Jean Gray Hargrove Music Library, the green-certified Crossroads student-dining commons, and the C.V. Starr East Asian Library, to cite just three - as they traverse the lively 1232 acre campus.
Lawrence Hall of Science
Next stop on your exciting San Francisco educational itinerary: the Lawrence Hall of Science - a popular public learning center nestled in the scenic hills above the University of California, Berkeley Campus. Lawrence Hall features a captivating array of interactive permanent and temporary exhibits, live science demonstrations, the William Knox Holt Planetarium, and a never-ending stream of special events certain to engage the inquiring minds in your group! Explore Science on a Sphere and Forces that Shape the Bay, conduct Animal Investigations at the Insect Zoo, handle exotic species in the Animal Discovery Room, observe the path of the sun across the sky from season to season, witness a seismograph at work measuring the World’s earthquakes as they occur – and more!
Red and White Fleet Golden Gate Bay Cruise
You and your students are in for a thrill with this popular Red and White Fleet cruise tradition that gets you out onto the glorious Bay waters and in full view of prominent San Francisco landmarks and points of interest. You’ll enjoy the bracing sea air as you take in unsurpassed views of the city skyline, North Beach, Aquatic Park, the Hyde Street Pier vessels, the San Francisco Maritime National Park, the Marina District and more on this sensational one-hour tour! You’ll travel past the wildlife reserves of the Marin Headlands and the legendary town of Sausalito, once home to the flower generation of the ‘60s, sweep past Angel Island State Park and cruise around the notorious rock island of Alcatraz. On your way back to Fisherman’s Wharf, watch for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and see if you can’t spot Coit Tower in the distance. Note: Keep your cameras at the ready, for this incredible outing includes plenty of native wildlife spotting and the granddaddy of Bay Area photo ops as you pass right beneath the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge!