Founded in 1701, Yale University was the third college in the United States, and quickly established itself as a rival to its more venerable northern neighbor Harvard, a tradition of one-upsmanship that continues to this day. Unlike Harvard’s red brick, however, many of Yale’s buildings are done in a striking Gothic style, making a tour of the campus a genuine visual treat.

Tours start at the Mead Visitor Center (149 Elm St., 203/432-2300, www.yale.edu/visitor, 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mon.–Fri.; 1:30 p.m. Sat., free) and include visits to several of Yale’s libraries, including the rare book library, which holds a copy of the Gutenberg Bible.

In addition to its impressive collection of British art, Yale also has several other outstanding museums. The Yale University Art Gallery (1111 Chapel St., 203/432.0600, http://artgallery.yale.edu, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tues.–Sat., open until 8 p.m. Thurs., closed Sept.–June, free) holds art from all over the world, with a strong collection of Medieval European paintings and several fine canvases by American modernist Edward Hopper.

The Yale Collection of Musical Instruments (15 Hillhouse Ave., 203/432-0822, www.yale.edu/musicalinstruments, 1–4 p.m. Tues.–Fri., 1–5 p.m. Sun., Sept.–June, free) includes instruments from all over the globe, starting with a 1,000-year-old Incan conch trumpet. A “sound gallery” plays highlights from Yale concerts.

The Peabody Museum of Natural History (170 Whitney Ave., 203/432-5050 or 203/432-8987, www.yale.edu/peabody, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Sat.; noon–5 p.m. Sun., $7 adults, $6 seniors, $5 students and children 3–18, free to all 2–5 p.m. Thurs.) has exhibits drawn from Yale expeditions, including a fascinating study of the history of evolution. The centerpiece, however, remains the famous dinosaur skeletons—stegosaurus, triceratops, and brontosaurus—collected by C.O. Marsh, the museum’s first director and one of the founding fathers of paleontology.