offering tours, museums and concerts to non-students

You really don’t have to be a student to enjoy walking around Southland colleges and universities.

You can stroll through botanical gardens, look at painting exhibits put together by experts, purchase souvenir T-shirts, peer through a telescope and inspect the most current textbooks on subjects from computers to soil management. Then you can relax in a campus restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean or just munch a slice of pizza in a tree-shaded patio.

You can meander at your own pace or join a free planned tour. Larger universities offer free maps and have permanent exhibits.

Books, gifts, art supplies, clothing and souvenirs at campus bookstores are often low-cost, and cafeterias and restaurants are priced for student budgets; however, expect a parking fee.

Universities and colleges also print free monthly newsletters listing events, exhibits, plays and concerts, and your name can be placed on a mailing list.

Here are 10 campuses that can provide a pleasant visit:

Cal Poly Pomona, southwest of the junction of Interstates 10 and 210 and California 57, (714) 869-7659. Arabian horse shows the first Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. (through June) feature tricks by pleasure and working horses. Cost is $1.50 for adults, 50 cents for children 11 and under, $1 for seniors 65 or older. Free parking at Kellogg Center. Campus also has horses, cattle, sheep, goats and swine. Visitors may browse at the new two-story bookstore and select fast food or complete meals offered by the University Union Center, Campus Center or the Los Olivos Commons.

Cal State Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., (213) 498-4111. Monumental sculpture collection, created on campus, is on exhibit outdoors, and an art museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays 1-5 p.m. Phone for appointment for docent-guided tours of campus art. Appointments needed to visit hands-on exhibits in natural science museum featuring live sea animals. A computer shop is in the bookstore. Food is offered from 7 a.m to 10 p.m. weekdays at various outlets. Visitor parking lots on edges of campus charge 75 cents an hour.

Cal State Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., (818) 885-1200. Anthropology museum will exhibit Lithuanian folk art until January; open weekdays 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Three campus art galleries house other exhibits, while the library sponsors shows of unusual books, photographs and historic items. The bookstore has antique sales twice a year. Theater, opera and lectures are offered throughout the year. Visitors may eat at the student union cafeteria, the Sierra Roof facility and the bookstore. Campus parking is $1 weekdays; free on weekends. Metered parking in some areas.

El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, (213) 532-3670. Admittance to 8 p.m. Friday planetarium programs is $1.50 for adults, $1 for children. Free Anthropology Museum with rotating exhibits is open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday with docent tours. The Art Gallery also has rotating exhibits of professional artists. Gallery open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday and 6-9 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays. Cafeteria open weekdays 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Free campus parking.

Moorpark College, end of California 118 between cities of Simi Valley and Moorpark, (805) 529-2321. Exotic-animal show Sundays at 3 p.m. is $2 for adults, $1 for children 12 and under. Weekdays visitors may walk around the campus to see animals while students learn animal care. Campus parking 75 cents. Bookstore and cafeteria open weekdays only.

Pepperdine University, 24255 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, (213) 456-4000. Visitors enjoy spectacular views from Mediterranean-style buildings. Visitors enter off Malibu Canyon Road on Seaver Drive and stop at booth for free parking pass. Telephone to arrange campus tours. Pepperdine Art Gallery in Payson Library will reopen by year’s end. Smothers Theatre offers professional and student productions. A snack bar and cafeteria overlook the Pacific Ocean and are open at mealtimes daily.

Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills, (818) 347-0551. Phone for free reservations to two-hour walking farm tours scheduled Saturdays at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. for families and individuals. Group tours Tuesdays and Thursdays. The arboretum is always open. Bookstore is open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays. Farm store, open weekdays noon-6 p.m., sells crops and potted plants. Cafeteria is open weekdays 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Campus parking free, but weekday visitors should stop at visitors’ entrance off Winnetka Avenue for parking pass.

Santa Monica College, 1900 Pico Blvd., (213) 450-5150. A free art gallery for professional, faculty and student artists is open weekdays 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Planetarium show at 7 p.m. Admission $2, and visitors can look through the telescope starting at 6 p.m. Cafeteria and bookstore open weekdays 8 a.m.-8 p.m., except Fridays, closing at 3 p.m.

UCLA, 405 Hilgard Ave., West Los Angeles, (213) 825-4321. Many exhibits are available at this huge campus, and it has a visitors’ center in Ueberroth Building near corner of Le Conte and Gayley avenues, open weekdays 8 a.m.-5 p.m., with free maps, booklets and guided-tour schedules. Tours of medical center, athletic areas and Japanese Garden upon phone request. Information kiosks with maps at all campus auto entrances. Attractions include Museum of Cultural History and Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden. Nearby, Wight Art Gallery and Art Council gift shop are open afternoons except Mondays. An eight-acre botanical garden is open weekdays 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and weekends 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The student store carries UCLA emblematic wear (“Bearwear”) and books of general interest as well as texts. Nine restaurants offer a wide range of food from hamburgers to gourmet entrees. Eating facilities in the student union generally are open from 7 a.m. until midnight. Parking is $3.

USC, visitor gates on Exposition Boulevard just east of Vermont Avenue, or on South Figueroa Street north of Exposition Boulevard; attendants will point out $3.50 visitor parking lots. Phone (213) 743-2311 for general information or (213) 743-2983 to reserve space on free one-hour campus tours (weekdays 10 a.m.-2 p.m.) that include Widney Alumni House, plus architecturally significant buildings, Doheny Memorial Library and the athletic trophy collection in Heritage Hall. The Cinema Complex tour, Fridays at 2:30 p.m., includes film and television sound stages. Art galleries and museums are open varying times and feature art from the 15th Century to the present, architectural displays and contemporary fine art. Restaurant on top floor of student union is open weekdays 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and light meals are served in cafeterias, grills and coffee shops. Cafe-84, built for the Olympics, is open weekdays 11 a.m.-8 p.m.