From Suddenly Solitude

From December 22 to January 2, Stanford University's 8,000-plus acres become a lush escape in the southern Peninsula foothills. A good place to start your explorations is the Cantor Arts Center's relaxed outdoor sculpture garden; then head north through the eucalyptus-scented air to the rare cacti garden. Loop back down Palm Drive to the Main Quad and poke your head into the Memorial Church; there's more than $100,000 worth of gold laid into the walls (see if you can spot the spelling error in the inscriptions). The best stroll on campus is named after the school's eye-catching radio telescope: "the Dish." This 3-mile loop on a partially paved trail through the southern foothills takes you up into the area's freshest air, past the radio telescope and a small observatory, not to mention more than a few cows. The trail-top views of the campus and the southern bay give new meaning to the term higher learning.

The Cantor Arts Center is located on Museum Way, off Palm Ave. The Center's sculpture and cactus gardens are always open, and the Memorial Church is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The trail to the Dish is open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. throughout the winter. Park on Stanford Ave., right before the intersection with Junipero Serra. Enjoy the giant "Makin' Hay" sculptures by artist Tom Otterness on your way up.

Click here to see a map.