Notre Dame Campus Tour

Free Notre Dame Campus Tour with Roamee Pro

Roamee Pro offers a free Notre Dame campus tour with audio narration. Explore Golden Dome, Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Touchdown Jesus, plus hidden spots like The Grotto and Cedar Grove Cemetery, at your own pace without booking a group tour.

• •Golden Dome — The Main Building, rebuilt in just seventeen months after the 1879 fire under Father Sorin's direction, rises 187 feet and is crowned with a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary sculpted by Giovanni Meli. The dome was covered in gold leaf in 1886 and has been re-gilded several times since (most recently in 2005, using 3,500 sheets of 23.9-karat gold leaf). Inside, the Main Building houses administrative offices and the university's original museum collections. At night, the illuminated dome is visible for miles across the Indiana plains.
• •Basilica of the Sacred Heart — This French Gothic basilica, completed in 1888 and elevated to minor basilica status by Pope Francis in 2013, is one of the finest collegiate churches in North America. Its 44 stained glass windows were crafted by the Carmel du Mans workshop in Le Mans, France, and shipped to South Bend. The 230-foot spire is the tallest structure on campus, and the interior features hand-painted murals by Luigi Gregori, a Vatican-trained artist whom Father Sorin personally recruited from Rome in 1874.
• •Touchdown Jesus — Officially titled 'The Word of Life,' this 134-by-68-foot stone mural on the south facade of the Hesburgh Library was completed in 1964 by artist Millard Sheets. It depicts Christ as teacher with arms raised, surrounded by figures representing scholars and saints. Because the mural is directly visible from inside Notre Dame Stadium, with Christ's raised arms appearing to signal a touchdown, it earned its famous nickname. The Hesburgh Library itself houses over four million volumes.
• •Notre Dame Stadium — Originally built in 1930 and designed by the Osborn Engineering Company with input from legendary coach Knute Rockne, this 77,622-seat stadium has hosted every Notre Dame home football game since its opening. The 2017 Campus Crossroads expansion added three buildings onto the stadium's exterior, integrating academic, student life, and media spaces. On game days, the tunnel walk, the marching band's pregame concert, and the 'Play Like a Champion Today' sign create one of college football's most iconic traditions.

• •Basilica of the Sacred Heart — Gothic Revival church completed in 1888; its spire rises about 218 feet. Its stained-glass windows were produced in Le Mans, France.
• •Main Building (Golden Dome) — The 1879 administration building, rebuilt after a fire; topped by a gold-leafed dome bearing a statue of the Virgin Mary. The dome has been regilded multiple times.
• •Hesburgh Library — Opened in 1963, 14 stories tall. Its south face carries the 'Word of Life' granite mural (1964) by Millard Sheets, popularly called 'Touchdown Jesus' because it overlooks the football stadium.
• •Notre Dame Stadium — Opened in 1930, designed by Osborn Engineering; current capacity about 77,600 after a 1997 expansion and the 2017 Campus Crossroads project, which added surrounding academic buildings.

• •The Grotto — Officially the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, this one-seventh scale replica of the French original was built in 1896 using boulders from local farms. Nestled into a hillside beside St. Mary's Lake, it is the spiritual heart of campus life — students light candles here before exams, after losses, and at moments of personal crisis. The Grotto holds hundreds of votive candles, and on game-day mornings, long lines form at dawn. It is quietly moving regardless of one's faith.
• •Cedar Grove Cemetery — The campus cemetery along St. Mary's Road, dating to 1843, is the final resting place of legendary football coach Knute Rockne, university president Father Theodore Hesburgh, and hundreds of Holy Cross priests and brothers who built the university. Rockne's grave, marked by a simple headstone, is frequently visited by fans who leave small footballs and game tickets. The cemetery is peaceful and shaded by mature trees, offering a contemplative walk away from the busier campus.

• •LaFortune Student Center food court on campus
• •Legends of Notre Dame, the on-campus restaurant and pub near the stadium
• •Rohr's at the Morris Inn, the campus hotel's sit-down restaurant
• •Brothers Bar & Grill and other spots in Eddy Street Commons, a retail district just south of campus
• •South Bend Chocolate Cafe and downtown South Bend restaurants, about a 10-minute drive away

Did you know? The famous 'Touchdown Jesus' mural was not designed as a football joke. The 'Word of Life' mural was completed in 1964 and depicts Christ with arms raised; only after the library opened did fans notice that, from inside the stadium, the figure appears to be signaling a touchdown.

The Eck Visitors Center near the campus entrance is the starting point for visits. Student-led campus walking tours and admissions information sessions are offered through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and require advance registration on the admissions website. Self-guided walking is permitted year-round, and the Basilica and Grotto are open to the public. Paid visitor parking is available in signed visitor lots; football game days have separate paid lots and heavy traffic, so arrive early.