There’s so much to see at your local UC campuses.

Ever wonder about the science of roller coasters? Visit UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science Scream Machines exhibit to satisfy your curiosity – explore the physics of roller coasters and the physiology and psychology of thrill-seeking. But be prepared for a head-spinning, stomach-churning experience!

Maybe the 87-foot-long blue whale skeleton – the world’s largest – at UC Santa Cruz’s Seymour Center is more your speed! Seymour Marine Discovery Center at Long Marine Laboratory’s vast 43-acre site is a stunning spot to learn about marine life in Monterey Bay and the Pacific. Aquaria and other exhibits, including the whale skeleton, promise hours of enthrallment. Tours offer a look into research projects involving bottle-nosed dolphins, California sea lions, elephant seals and harbor seals.

Summer is the perfect time to take advantage of all that your public universities have to offer. The University of California system boasts a number of attractions in the realm of arts and culture. From Davis to San Diego and every campus in between, you’ll find a premiere destination to visit.

Carve out some time to sightsee at your local campus and make plans to visit a campus a bit farther away. No matter which campus you visit, a world-class place of interest awaits you at the UC.

Local Attractions

UC Berkeley

The Pacific Film Archive (PFA) is just the ticket. The Akira Kurosawa Centennial is going on right now. Francis Ford Coppola called Kurosawa “one of the greatest directors ever to work in the cinema,” and directors such as Sergio Leone, George Lucas and Martin Scorsese have credited Kurosawa as an artistic influence and spiritual godfather.

You can also search the Film Collection online. There are 11,000+ records describing cataloged holdings in PFA’s permanent film and video collection.

UC Davis

UC Davis’ SummerMusic ’10 Series is a must. On Friday, August 27, catch the free concert on the quad at 7:30 p.m. Tune in for the sounds of Grammy nominee Nortec Collective, featuring Bostich+Fussible. Coming out of the budding Tijuana electronic scene with a style of music they invented—Nortec, which is a fusion of Norteño (“from the North”) textures and the electronic beats of Techno—Nortec Collective will have you on your feet!

UC Santa Cruz

Gorgeous flora from around the globe await you at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum. Hailing from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Chile, these flora are flourishing in all their glory.

More than 40 years in the making, the Arboretum’s unparalleled collection will leave you awe-struck. There’s no doubt you’ll discover something new in the largest collection of Australian and South African plants outside of their native countries, the multitude of eucalyptus and their relatives, an unmatched collection of conifers and other trees, and extensive New Zealand and native California flowers – or in the rock garden!

UC San Francisco

The UC San Francisco library is home to the largest group of health-related Japanese woodblock prints in the United States. Most of the 400 prints date back to the mid-19th century and focus on foreigners and disease, women’s health, contagious disease and religion and health and include drug advertisements. Catch a unique and intriguing glimpse into Japanese attitudes towards health and illness.

The prints are housed in the library’s Archives and Special Collections on the Parnassus campus, or they can be viewed online.

Systemwide Attractions

Read more about what’s hot this summer at UC campuses.

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