Educational tours

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory offers free educational tours (transportation not included). Tours last approximately 90 minutes, and tour locations may vary according to site availability and group interests.

Educational tours are offered Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., according to site availability and by registration only. Please read the following guidelines before requesting a tour, and fill out your request form at least a month in advance. Only one group will be accommodated per tour date; please reach out as early as possible to secure your spot.

We will use the email address provided on your request form to contact you if we are able to host your group. We apologize if we cannot accommodate your tour—we receive a high volume of visit requests and unfortunately are not able to host them all.

Educational tour request form

Educational tour guidelines

General:

• Tours are offered to groups of 10-25 students affiliated with schools and higher education institutions.
• SLAC tours are free and may only be used for education and public outreach purposes. They may not be offered by a third party as prizes or to make any profit.
• Bus transportation is not included. Each school group is responsible for securing their own bus transportation to SLAC. 
• Groups are required to arrive in buses, rather than in private cars. Tour guides will be assigned to each bus while on site.
• Tours are open to visitors 12 years of age and above. Children 12-17 years of age must be accompanied by an appropriate number of adults, and registration is required for all visitors.
• During registration, visitors should review and agree to assume certain risks of participating in the tour, which are specified in a waiver for your signature. Waivers for children under 18 years old must be signed by a parent or guardian.
• SLAC research is unclassified and photography is permitted; tripods, however, are not allowed on tours.
• Tours involve walking and climbing stairs. If anyone in your group requires assistance or has accessibility concerns, please contact us in advance at tours@slac.stanford.edu.
• In rare cases, SLAC may need to cancel your tour. You will be notified of the cancellation as soon as possible using the email address you provided on your request form.

Safety:

• All visitors must wear closed-toe shoes.
• SLAC is an active research laboratory. Please stay with the guide at all times and do not touch any scientific equipment unless instructed to do so by your guide.

Transportation and directions:

• Directions to the main gate can be found here.
• All tour participants 18 or older must have valid government-issued photo IDs. When arriving at the main gate, please let security know you are here for a tour and show them your ID.
• Security will direct you to the visitor parking. Tours leave from the Orientation Theater in Building 53, Room 1010, to the right of the building entrance and past the elevators.

Educational tour request form

For questions, see our FAQ, or email us at tours@slac.stanford.edu.