Group Tours

We will accommodate groups of up to 75 students and chaperones during the school year and up to 40 students and chaperones during summer break (May through July).

Prior to your visit, you will receive an itinerary for the day. Please arrive on time. If you are running more than 15 minutes late, we will be unable to accommodate your group, as our Student Tour Guides are available in relation to class times, and are not available outside of the scheduled window.

If you find it necessary to cancel your visit, please provide appropriate notification of this cancellation to the Visitor Center Administrative Associate before the day of the scheduled visit.

The UK Visitor Center requires one chaperone for every 10 students and/or guests. Chaperones must accompany the group on the 60-minute walking campus tour and are expected to monitor the behavior of each guest during the entire campus visit. Should a group arrive without adequate chaperones, some activities (including the campus tour) will be cancelled.

The campus visit will include a substantial amount of walking. Please encourage each student and/or guest to dress appropriately (comfortable clothing and shoes) and with the weather in mind. The walking tours continue, despite rain or snow, and each guest is expected to bring any weather gear they deem necessary--umbrellas, jackets, etc..

If your group would like to dine in one of our on-campus dining locations as part of the visit experience, please complete this form.  The Office of Dining Services can be reached at 859-257-6161 or contactukdining@lsv.uky.edu. The Visitor Center does not coordinate dining.

Please ensure your organization’s participants show respect to the university, its faculty, staff, and students during the campus visit. Failure to do so may result in early conclusion of the visit. The Visitor Center also reserves the right to restrict any future visits by an organization, should conduct be an issue. 

Students and/or guests are permitted to photograph the buildings and grounds of the university as part of the campus visit; however, permission must be gained from the Visitor Center Administrative Associate, as well as the individual guide, before photos may be taken of the group tour guide or any staff members of the Visitor Center.  Videotaping of the UK Visitor Center tour guide, any portion of the tour, or the campus is strictly prohibited during the group visit. No exceptions will be made.

Small vehicles (cars, trucks, and small passenger vans) may use the South Limestone Garage (409 South Limestone Street) for the duration of the visit and parking tickets will be validated at the Visitor Center. Keep in mind that the height clearance for this structure is 8’2”. For large school or travel buses, parking is available at the Glenn’s Freedom Dodge Purple Lot, near Kroger Field. Students may be dropped off and picked up by the bus driver outside of Main Building (as the Visitor Center is located in the neighboring Gatton Student Center beginning August 8, 2018) and bus driving directions and maps were included in your UK Group Tour Details email. Print out the parking directions included in that email before you travel to campus.

Please note: the Purple Lot is a 25-30 minute walk from the Visitor Center at the Gatton Student Center, so groups should not include the bus driver(s) as chaperones when planning the campus visit.