Our goal is to promote an understanding of plants and the role they play in our daily lives; to nurture the wonder in a child's imagination and curiosity; and to provide a place of enrichment and delight for children of all ages.

The Planetarium offers group shows. During weekday business hours, the cost is $3/person with a $60 minimum charge. After hours, the cost is $5/person with a $100 minimum charge. To learn more or book a show, please call or email using the contact information listed below.

The Talbert and Leota Abrams Planetarium, located on the beautiful Michigan State University campus, serves as an astronomy and space science education resource center for central Michigan. The planetarium is an outreach unit of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and as such, we support astronomy teaching on campus as well as offer a variety of planetarium shows to the public--preschool through senior citizens.

The Beaumont Tower is a great place to visit! Located one block south of Grand River Avenue and one block north of the Red Cedar bicycle trail in the center of "old campus," the tower is an icon of the beauty and history of MSU's campus. The tower has a carillon, a musical instrument consisting of at least two octaves of bells arranged in chromatic series and played from a keyboard that permits control of expression through variation of touch. There are only 170 carillons in the United States, 12 of them in Michigan. The MSU carillon has 49 bells and is capable of playing the full range of literature composed for the instrument. 

Recommended audience: Ages 10 and up. Adults responsible for visitors who are under 18 must provide the signed minor permission form below. The tour route is handicap-accessible and safe for those with medical implants.

If you are curious about what happens in a rare isotope facility and why, a tour is the best way to discover more. Our laboratory offers tours of the research spaces by appointment for interested groups. Public tours generally include demonstrations, an introduction to the goals and methods of nuclear science, and a walk-through of vaults where nuclei are accelerated, filtered and/or studied.

Visit one of Michigan’s best kept secrets, Hidden Lake Gardens, located near Tipton approximately 71 miles from MSU’s campus. The garden covers 755 acres of meadows and oak-hickory woodlands filled with an abundance of native flora and fauna. The Garden includes such features such as: indoor and outdoor displays, picnic area, marked hiking trails, guided tours, and educational classes and programs.

Our grounds and trails are open for visitors Tuesday through Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm. Walking, hiking, biking, and driving through are permitted.

Address: 6214 W. Monroe Road (Hwy M-50), Tipton, MI 49287

While the Manor House is currently closed to tours, the estate grounds remain open for self-guided walking tours from dawn to dusk. You are welcome to pick up a historical walking tour guide from our brochure rack on the office doors at the Manor House or download a PDF version of our Historical Walking Tour. When enjoying the estate, please wear a mask, remain 6 feet away from other visitors, bring your own water, pack out any garbage, and note that there are no open public restrooms available at this time.

Take a stroll through the colorful floral displays of the Horticultural Gardens, located on MSU’s campus south of the Plant and Soil Sciences building. The Gardens include an official All-American Annual Trial Garden, the Landscape Arboretum, the Perennial Garden, the Rose Garden, the Foyer Garden, the 4-H Children’s Garden, and various walkways and plazas. Admission is free.

Visit the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary located at the beautiful MSU Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) in Hickory Corners, Michigan (approximately 65 miles from MSU’s campus). The park-like setting is one of North America’s pioneer wildlife conservation centers. Families and individuals will find the walking paths an enjoyable place to spend time watching wildlife. Guided tours and non-formal workshops are led by MSU experts and volunteers year-round.

For a fun place to grab a quick bite on your way to class or camp, visit the Dairy Store at MSU. The Dairy Store now has two locations: Anthony Hall (517-355-8466) and the MSU Union (517-353-9988). The MSU Dairy offers campus-made ice cream, yogurts, and cheeses.

Any individual who is a Michigan resident (18 years or older) is eligible for community library cards for the Michigan State University Libraries. The Libraries’ collections include more than 4 million volumes, 28,000 serial subscriptions (in print and electronic form), 5 million items in microfilm and microfiche, 200,000 maps, and 40,000 sound recordings. The Libraries include extensive holdings in history, the social sciences, languages and literature, area studies, medicine, agriculture, and general sciences, as well as several specialized, interest-specific collections.

To verify the library is open, please check the website below.

Note: All students, staff and faculty must scan their MSU ID to access the MSU Library building between 10 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. on Thursdays-Sundays.

As Michigan's largest public science and culture museum, MSU Museum is steward for 1 million objects and specimens from around the world. The Museum offers something for every group through changing exhibitions, hands-on activities, traveling exhibitions, varied collections, field- and collections-based research, educational programs, and community events. The main exhibition building features three floors with 15 galleries and exhibit spaces with collections and research, new and recent acquisitions, MSU faculty work and experimental student projects, and traveling exhibits. The MSU Museum is the state's first Smithsonian Institution affiliate.

If we can't meet in person, we'll bring the tour to you! Geared toward ninth- to 11th-grade students, these programs include an overview of MSU and the admissions process by an admissions counselor, followed by a student-led virtual tour of MSU's legendary 160+ year-old campus.

Visitors are welcome to visit the many field laboratories on the south side of MSU’s campus between Mt. Hope and Jolly Roads. MSU is home to many animals including sheep, cows, horses, swine, cattle, and chickens. Milking procedures can be observed every afternoon. MSU's animal field laboratories are open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

If you're an animal lover, come to the MSU Pavilion to experience many fun animal events. MSU’s Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education sponsors numerous year-round animal shows spotlighting horses, cattle, sheep, rabbits, and dogs. These shows are educational and fun!

Visit the beautiful W. J. Beal Botanical Gardens, an outdoor laboratory display garden located on MSU’s campus near the Main Library. This garden is the oldest, continuously operated, university botanical garden of its kind in the United States, with more than 5,000 different kinds of plants. The Garden is open to the general public at all times throughout the year. Admission is free.