The U of A campus is coherently organized, with large grass fields forming a line up through the middle of the campus (as shown above, with the historic Old Main in the middle of campus). In planning my visit, I simply made mental notes of whether a particular building was to the right or left of the grass strip.
The Student Union, a modern, multi-building complex with a spectacular bookstore, is just off the grass strip, near Old Main.
Across the grass from the Student Union is another impressive modern structure, the new Chemistry building.
The area adjacent to the main campus entrance, known as Main Gate Square, has a lot of typical college-town amenities, such as restaurants and stores selling school clothing. The above photo looks down University Ave., as one moves away from the campus entrance at University and Park Ave.
There's another nice bookstore just off campus (shown in foreground to the right, with the campus off to the left), selling all the U of A Wildcat paraphernalia you could want, as well as textbooks. The off-campus store is located in yet another modern facility, the Marshall Building.
Unless you love scorching temperatures, I would suggest you visit the U of A in winter (and even then it was fairly warm, reaching 80 degrees during my visit).
