Making the Most of your Visit to Purdue

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For the map above, zoom-in once to see the icons associated with Purdue landmarks.


In this blog post, we want to give you a couple of spots that you should visit on your trip to Purdue! Oftentimes, it can be hard to get an official tour with a student guide and so this blog post can act as a guide for students interested in learning more from the current student perspective. Included in this guide are some academic buildings, central landmarks, restaurants, and residential points of interest. The map allows you to see the locations of highlighted spots we talk about in this post.

Dudley and Lambertus Hall

Dudley and Lambertus Hall make up the Gateway Complex, Purdue’s newest addition to campus. The building holds the new location of the Women in Engineering Program (WiE Program) office as well as several other Purdue programs such as Engineering Projects and Community Service (EPICS), Global Engineering, and the Minority Engineering Program. Additionally, many of the First Year Engineering (FYE) classes are held here. The Gateway Complex also has a large amount of study rooms and has a to-go location for coffee and snacks.

Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC)

The Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) is a large centrally localized building that contains classrooms, a library, study spaces, and rooms available for reservation for meetings. The building is a common stop for tours as it showcases some of the medium-to-large sized lecture halls on Purdue’s campus. This building also contains an Au Bon Pain Café and Bakery that has coffee, salads, sandwiches, and snacks that are available for purchase. WALC is home to the Knowledge Lab which is a prototyping space in which Purdue students have access to materials, equipment, and software that can be used for projects for your classes. This space is a great location to get started on creating the prototypes for projects in your freshman year classes.

Purdue Memorial Union (PMU)

The Purdue Memorial Union (PMU) is another prominent historical building on campus that has an ornate wooden upstairs and an industrial style downstairs. The building was recently renovated to include a multitude of restaurants that have meals for purchase with meal swipes, and study spaces. Also downstairs is the Union Rack and Roll and the Boiler Game Mine which are fun spots to play some games to relax. The original building was completed in 1929 and has since undergone many remodels but still contains its elegance from when it was originally built. This building also has its own walking tours that those interested in learning more about its history can sign up for through the Purdue Memorial Union website.

The Purdue Bell Tower

The Purdue Bell Tower is an important landmark on Purdue’s campus that has a long history dating back to 1895 when the Heavilon Hall had its second bell tower completed. The Bell Tower that currently stands on campus today was completed in 1995 and still has the original bells from the original Heavilon tower. You may notice while observing the Bell Tower that students avoid walking directly underneath it. This is due to the myth that any student who walks under the Bell Tower will not graduate in 4 years. Whether or not this legend is true, to be safe you should avoid testing your luck. In an upcoming blog post, we will focus on the topic of “Purdue lore and legends”.

The Engineering Fountain

The Purdue Engineering Fountain, or technically the Purdue Mall Water Sculpture, is found central as the bridging location between the Engineering Mall and Memorial Mall. The fountain was designed and built in 1989 as a gift from the Class of 1939. Often events are held in tents set up around the fountain and there are frequently free goodies.

Local Restaurants

Popular local restaurants that you could enjoy on your visit include Triple X, Nine Irish Brothers, and Mad Mushroom. Triple X is an American-style diner that has been on Purdue’s campus since 1929 and is a classic visit for a good burger and a cold root beer. Nine Irish Brothers is a local Irish pub that is a great spot for a hearty meal in the winter and is Lafayette/Indianapolis specific restaurant. Mad Mushroom is well known at Purdue for their “Cheese Stixs” and late night hours. Should you not be able to make it for dinner, it is often open for a cheap, late night snack!

Discovery Park

Discovery Park is a bit further away from the main part of the academic side for Purdue engineers, located near the Agricultural campus. Near and within Discovery Park, there are some newer engineering buildings including the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Building (ABE) and the Biomedical Engineering Building (BME). Additionally, there are several laboratory and technical buildings in this area, though they are primarily occupied by graduate and PhD level researchers. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful area for a nice walk and features interesting sculptures such as the VOSS Model of our solar system.

The Purdue Corec

The France A. Cordova Recreational Sports Center or "Corec" is the gym that is accessible by students at Purdue. The multi-floor building contains a multitude of machines, equipment, dance studios, multi-purpose rooms, and courts for a variety of sports. There are also cooking and workout classes that students can sign up for.

Meredith South

Meredith South is located near Meredith and Earhart Residence Halls on the residential side of campus. Located in this building is the Women in Engineering Program Learning Community as well as several other non-engineering learning communities. This women-only dorm is one of the newest residence halls on campus and has study areas on each floor as well as a spacious lobby. On the main floor, there is also a Panera and Qdoba that are great campus food options.


We hope that this small guide has provided an idea of possible locations to visit when you come to Purdue! It is also possible to reach out to specific professors within your intended engineering major to see if they are available to meet to talk about the field or major you are interested in.


Christine Mayo (ChE '26) and Lily Brodzinski (ChE '25)

Recruitment Project Committee


Stay Connected With Purdue WiE Program!

Facebook: Purdue Women in Engineering

Instagram: @purduewiep

Blog: purduewiep.blogspot.com

Email: welink@purdue.edu

YouTube: Purdue Women in Engineering Program - YouTube



Use the hashtag #PurdueWiE on Facebook and Instagram!


Purdue Women in Engineering

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