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Tours

1. Hidden Treasures Tour

   These tucked-away spaces, secret gardens and special art pieces offer respite, inspiration and a deeper connection to the campus community.

   Stops

   1. Edward Ball Nature Trail

      The Edward Ball Nature Trail is accessed behind Crosby Hall (Building 10) and Building 11. This half-mile boardwalk meanders through Thompson’s Bayou over a hardwood swamp that is home to mammals, birds, fish and reptiles, including an occasional American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). Only foot traffic may explore the preserve trail.

      Visit UWF Trail Maps to learn more about the trails on the Pensacola campus. Visit the UWF Photo Library for photo highlights of the Edward Ball Nature Trail.

   2. Sound Portal Sculpture

      The "Sound Portal" sculpture is located in the courtyard area of Building 11. The sculpture’s design consists of an interactive stringed instrument to be plucked and played by viewers. The stringed central element consists of guitar strings arranged in a geometric star-like pattern, held together at connection points with bolts. The wall structure is shaped like a bowl and made of sheet steel, which backs the interactive stringed form to provide resonance. Two chime-like elements, constructed using steel and piping on either side of the stringed instrument, act as wind-operated musical pieces. Lucas Abela’s Pinball Pianola was the students’ main inspiration for the sculpture.

      Visit the UWF Newsroom to learn more about the sculptures installed in the Spring 2019 semester as part of an advanced sculpture course.

      Visit the UWF Photo Library for photo highlights of the student campus sculptures.

   3. The Nerve Sculpture

      "The Nerve" in front of Building 41 is a five-foot tall, ceramic tile half-sphere sculpture by sculptor Marlo Bartels. The sculpture is an abstract depiction of a neuron in the brain.

      Visit the UWF Photo Library for photo highlights of the “The Nerve” sculpture.

   4. Camellia Garden

      The Camellia Garden is a collaboration between the University of West Florida, the Pensacola Camellia Club and the UWF Retired Employee Association to showcase Pensacola registered varieties along with camellias from around the world.

      Visit the UWF Photo Library for photo highlights of the Camellia Garden.

   5. The Heart of Our Sculpture

      “The Heart of Our” sculpture is a Spring 2024 reconstruction of the “Galene’s Waves” sculpture that was constructed in Spring 2019 located near Building 12. The sculpture is a 35 foot painted wood structure located near Building 12, made from yellow pine wood and steel. “The Heart of Our” project aims to find a balance between nature and architecture. The elements are constructed of wood and steel, featuring an asymmetrical composition that celebrates the diversity of nature on campus with abstracted native flowers. Visit the UWF Photo Library for photo highlights of the “The Heart of Our” sculpture.

      Prior to the “The Heart of Our” sculpture, the “Galene’s Waves” sculpture title comes from the story of Jason and the Argonauts where Jason encounters the goddess of calm seas, Galene, and she helps him prevail. Visit the UWF Newsroom to learn more about the sculptures installed in the Spring 2019 semester as part of an advanced sculpture course. Visit the UWF Photo Library for photo highlights of the student campus sculptures.

   6. Ascending Colors Sculpture

      The "Ascending Colors" sculpture is located on a sloping lawn south of Building 10 and east of Building 18. A diseased tree older than the University was removed in the area due to safety concerns cited by certified arborists. Students were inspired by the memory of the tree and considered the function of a tree in a semi-natural, semi-architectural space when developing their structure. Consequently, the sculpture, like trees, provides shade and adds to the established environment. The sculpture is fabricated out of steel and colored acrylic sheet. As light shines through the colored acrylic that makes up “canopies,” passersby are bathed in a variety of colors.

      Visit the UWF Newsroom to learn more about the sculptures installed in the Spring 2019 semester as part of an advanced sculpture course. Visit the UWF Photo Library for photo highlights of the student campus sculptures.

   7. Magnolia Walk

      The Magnolia Walk (formerly known as the President's Walk) is the walking paths through the magnolia trees between Buildings 10, 12, 18 and 21. The Magnolia Walk features the Hal Crosby Bench Dedication, Susan Leigh Morris Memorial, Connection Deck and Cantor al Sol archway.

      Visit the UWF Photo Library for highlights of the Magnolia Walk.

   8. Little Free Library - Connection Deck

      The University of West Florida 2022-23 LEAD: The Staff Version announced the launch of four Little Free Library locations on the Pensacola campus. Little Free Libraries are weather-protected, book-sharing boxes. Little Free Library boxes on the Pensacola campus are located adjacent to the Connection Deck, Pace Hall, the Educational Research Center for Child Development and the Community Garden.

   9. Cantor al Sol Archway

      The Cantor al Sol archway, also known as the campus arch, is a cherished landmark on the UWF Pensacola campus adjacent to Building 21. The archway serves as a central gathering spot for students and alumni, symbolizing the University's rich traditions and community spirit.

      The archway is a popular spot on campus for graduating students to take photos in their Commencement regalia during finals week.

      Interested in exploring the Cantor al Sol archway? Visit the UWF Photo Library to view a collection of images capturing its presence in UWF student life.

   10. Spirited Institutional Mural - University Commons

       Designed by University Marketing and Communications, a spirited institutional mural was installed right outside of the University Commons patio. Eniko Ujj ’13, local muralist, took the lead on the execution of the spirited mural. Alongside Argie and UWF’s Evolving Nautilus Shell, this mural highlights campus icons such as Annin’s Cannon, the “Arch” Cantor al Sol and beloved “Argodillo.” This wall was designed to become a place where students, faculty, staff and visitors can interact for years to come. Cheers to our #PrettyCampus.

        

   11. Moon Tree

       On June 20, 2024, the University of West Florida celebrated the planting of a “Moon Tree” seedling that flew around the moon on NASA’s Artemis 1 mission in 2022. UWF was selected from hundreds of organizations that applied to receive a seedling. UWF President Martha D. Saunders unveiled the loblolly pine during a ceremony at the north lawn of the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering (Building 4) on the UWF Pensacola campus. For more information, visit the UWF Newsroom.

       Visit the UWF Photo Library for highlights of the "Moon Tree" unveiling event.

   12. Interweaving Futures Sculpture

       “Interweaving Futures” by Hypersonic, a Brooklyn-based design studio, was installed in front of Building 4 in August 2019. It was inspired by Pensacola’s longleaf pine ecosystem and contemplates the conditions under which ideas are sparked, proliferate, take root and grow. From the pine cone’s complex geometry, the sculpture is inspired by a single golden spiral, along which two interweaving sculptural forms oscillate.

       Student-designed LED light displays have been installed to highlight the piece at night, paying tribute to the fire-adapted landscape and creating a calming and reflective “campfire” where students and faculty from all disciplines can meet and intermingle.

       Visit the UWF Newsroom to learn more. Visit the UWF Photo Library for photo highlights of the “Interweaving Futures” sculpture installation.

   13. Constellations Sculpture

       Artists from FUTUREFORMS, based out of San Francisco, designed “Constellations” and visited campus for its installation in front of the CFPA. The piece merges digital craft and cutting-edge fabrication with data visualizations of abstract phenomena found in nature at a variety of scales. It creates a visual marker that acts as a portal into an invisible world of dynamic visual poetry inspired by ideas of science, art and technology.

       Inspired by early studies and translations of animal locomotion using chronophotography and planetary motion simulations, “Constellations” uses geometry, light and shadow to create a meditative internal space that at night becomes a playful illuminated sculpture displaying constellations of motion.

       Visit the UWF Newsroom to learn more. Visit the UWF Photo Library for photo highlights of the “Constellations” sculpture installation.

   14. Building 86 Courtyard Sculptures

       UWF art and design students designed and installed a series of five sculptures for the Building 86 courtyard space in Spring 2022.

   15. Japanese Tea Room

       The Japan House is located in the International Center (Building 71) on the UWF Pensacola campus. It features an authentic tea room in the tradition of urasenke and an authentic Japanese “tatami” room built with materials brought from Japan. The mission of the Japan House is to provide opportunities for the community to experience and appreciate Japanese culture and history.

       The Japan House features displays of artifacts collected from Japan. Ongoing workshops and activities are held regularly for those who seek to enjoy Japanese culture and meet with others. These workshops and activities include “sado” (tea ceremony), origami, calligraphy, language, ikebana (flower arrangement), washoku (Japanese cuisine), Japan House tours and more.

       Visit the UWF Photo Library for photo highlights of the Japan House.

   16. Spirited Institutional Mural - Aquatic Center

       University Marketing and Communications partnered with alumna and local muralist Eniko Ujj ’13 to install the newest external mural featuring Argie. His helmet is the focus alongside several other institutional spirited elements including Argodillo, Sheldon the Turtle, Albie the Squirrel, Annin’s Cannon, the Cantor al Sol archway and more. The mural was completed just in time for the fall semester and the start of UWF’s football season. You can find this new mural just off of the tailgating area, between the Field House and Aquatic Center, where it is ready for photo ops.

   17. Community Garden

       The UWF Community Garden is an active service project of the Kugelman Honors Program. The garden is open to the public, and we welcome anyone who shares a passion for digging in the dirt and growing things. The garden helps to develop, cultivate, assess and sustain a network of mutually beneficial community partnerships by cultivating a large and growing network of community partners who are committed to food sustainability, nutrition and student development.

       Visit the UWF Photo Library for photo highlights of the Community Garden.

   18. Radio Torii Sculpture

       The "Radio Torii" sculpture was created by sculptural ceramist Peter King and sits inside the lobby of WUWF (Building 88) on the UWF Pensacola campus. In Japanese culture, the torii is a road-marker that lets you know you are approaching a temple.

       This visual interpretation of WUWF 88.1 FM by artist Peter King is dedicated to the memory of Thomas K. Perry, WUWF General Manager (1981-1992), whose vision and commitment to excellence was instrumental in bringing public radio to the citizens of Northwest Florida.

       Peter King, the man who proudly proclaims to be WUWF's very first listener, created the station’s signature art piece. "Wonderful” is how former WUWF Executive Director Pat Crawford described the torii, which was one of King’s first such creations. “He (King) said the torii is a road-marker in Japan that lets you know that you’re approaching a temple,” Crawford explained. “And, he said, ‘And, to me, public radio is like my temple.’” Credit: WUWF at 40: The Early Years

   19. Archaeology Museum

       The museum inside of the Margaret Jane Smith Archaeology Institute includes many artifacts unearthed by UWF archaeologists. Many of the most spectacular artifacts from all time periods — Prehistoric Native American, Colonial, Early American and Victorian — are on display in the institute located at the entrance to campus.

       Visit the UWF Photo Library for photo highlights of the Margaret Jane Smith Archaeology Institute.