Rice University
Rice University
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
512 reviews
Excellent
342
Very good
146
Average
22
Poor
2
Terrible
0
Bug4421
2 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
Made the trip from North Texas to visit the University. It’s an older campus with beautiful mature trees. That was the best thing about it. The student representative who gave the information session was poorly trained. As a top tier, highly competitive school where only 7% of the applicants are accepted, the speaker/presentation was a disappointment and extremely underwhelming. If the goal was to drive students away, they did a good job. The presentation did nothing for prospective students and their families. I personally did not want to hear where the best boba drink was or about water balloon fights. Definitely NOT the “Harvard of the South”
Written 6 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chrisinkingwood2
Houston, TX5,596 contributions
May 2022
We went to a concert at the Shepherd School of Music. It is a beautiful venue and the acoustics are excellent. Be sure to visit James Turrell's Twilight Epiphany Skyspace. It is especially beautiful at sunset when the sky is a pretty color.
Written 6 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bcsystems
Ann Arbor, MI5,144 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
Rice is a fairly small compact campus walkable in a few hours. Unfortunately, you cannot access most buildings. Really liked how there seems to be a consistent architectural theme to all the structures. The canopy trees everywhere on main roads and sidewalks gives it a southern charm.
Written 30 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hans Grane
Oslo, Norway50 contributions
Sept 2022
Ran through the park outside everyday for a week. But the nicest part of my daily runs was by far running through the gates and campus at Rice. It is such beautiful campus with a lot of interesting architecture and great vibe.
Written 25 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hsphoser36
Washington DC, DC952 contributions
Dec 2014 • Couples
We tried to visit their art museum, but it was closed without being properly marked until we got to the door, and there was no visitor parking that didn't require payment or a permit that we could find. We were unimpressed. Overall, decent campus, but not worth paying to park.
Written 11 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kit S
Atlanta, GA117 contributions
Nov 2014 • Solo
I recently took a trip down memory lane, spending two days in Houston, Texas. Having attended Rice University from 1977 to 1982, I wanted to revisit the city and compare my memories with the current reality. I found that Houston is still a brash, busy city, faded and tattered in some ways but sparkling and fresh in others. To my relief, I found that Rice campus remains a special place, well worth an hour or two of your time if you're in Houston for a visit.
I realize I'm biased, but I think Rice has one of the most beautiful college campuses in the US. The original campus plan remains intact, but in recent decades many handsome buildings have been added under the direction of noted architects and planners such as Cesar Pelli. Buildings old and new are unified by the use of warm, pinkish brick facades and colonnaded arcades to protect against sun and rain (both of which can be pretty brutal in Houston). I do worry about all the lovely oak trees, which are now more than 100 years old - I hope there's a plan in place to replace them systematically as needed.
As you would expect for a campus in an inner-city area, security is tight on campus. I visited on a Sunday morning and found most of the buildings accessible only by swipe-cards; access may be more open during class hours. Guest parking is available at designated lots on-campus; expect to pay a few dollars to visit for an hour or two.
If you have time to do some exploring, do check out the neighborhoods to the west and north of campus - they're some of the Houston's nicest areas to live. Enjoy!
I realize I'm biased, but I think Rice has one of the most beautiful college campuses in the US. The original campus plan remains intact, but in recent decades many handsome buildings have been added under the direction of noted architects and planners such as Cesar Pelli. Buildings old and new are unified by the use of warm, pinkish brick facades and colonnaded arcades to protect against sun and rain (both of which can be pretty brutal in Houston). I do worry about all the lovely oak trees, which are now more than 100 years old - I hope there's a plan in place to replace them systematically as needed.
As you would expect for a campus in an inner-city area, security is tight on campus. I visited on a Sunday morning and found most of the buildings accessible only by swipe-cards; access may be more open during class hours. Guest parking is available at designated lots on-campus; expect to pay a few dollars to visit for an hour or two.
If you have time to do some exploring, do check out the neighborhoods to the west and north of campus - they're some of the Houston's nicest areas to live. Enjoy!
Written 6 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glen_Arbor_Blues
Ada, MI725 contributions
Feb 2020 • Solo
I walk through here quite often to get to MD Anderson. It is a beautiful campus. There are nice walking and running trails throughout the area.
Written 9 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jerry z
Weston, FL16 contributions
Jan 2019 • Family
I have seen many college campuses and I would rate Rice University average. If your time is limited I would find another attraction.
Written 16 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul S
Rancho Santa Fe, United States4 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
Rice University's campus in Houston is directly adjacent to the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical center, and Rice Village, a cute, safe, collection of shops, restaurants, boutiques and stores where you can find just about anything. The campus itself if a beautiful array of old and new buildings, mostly brick, that are spread out over a fairly large area of Houston just south of the Museum District. A large air conditioned bus system gets you around the large campus on what they call "the inner loop". The athletic facilities are first rate and new. The dorms are set up on what they call the Residential College System, whereby each of the eleven colleges on campus has it's own residential dorm. The dorms are generally coed, spacious, and with very good security. In fact, the campus security is run by the Houston Police Dept. so your students will feel safe and so will you!
Written 23 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Harvey H
110 contributions
Nov 2019
Visiting this campus is a must do while in Houston. A stroll around the grounds will make you feel wiser, like their mascot, the Owl. Rice is consistently ranked in the top 20 universities in the USA and is the top academic university in Texas. There is an outer ring walkway that surrounds the entire campus, so that is a great place to start your tour. After that you can walk all over the inner campus and enjoy the gothic buildings and giant trees. Depending on the season, there are plenty of athletic events to enjoy as well. There is a cool bar on campus and many cafes in the student union area. Give yourself a few hours for this self walking tour and enjoy the gorgeous campus in the heart of the great city of Houston.
Written 31 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Usually you have to pay to park. Five dollars I believe. But the tennis matches are free to the public.
Written 4 October 2016
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