My 7- and 5-year old sons want to visit Stanford University ... what is the best way to spend ~2 hours on the campus this summer to get them "excited" (or whatever!) about Stanford and make sure they are not "underwhelmed" by the visit?

If they like any kind of scientific inquiry in a range of fields (as do so many who get into Stanford), check at http://www.wonderfest.org for this year's scheduled events, but for many years there has been a public day of science talks/debates featuring Stanford and Berkeley professors discussing cutting edge events in their fields presented for laymen and younger students (although mostly for middle/high school and up, so they might be too young). It's been part of a joint Cal/Stanford weekend in early November, with one day at each campus. There's also been the Wondercup challenge, where high school teams compete for MacBooks for the winning team and a Klein bottle hand made by Cliff Stoll. Between talks there are science art and science comedy and tables for organizations like the Planetary Society and the Bay Area Skeptics. There's a nice long lunch break which is ideal for roaming a little afield on campus. It's on a weekend, so parking is easy but regular classes aren't in session. High schoolers looking at universities can sign up for info sessions and tours aimed at potential applicants, but I don't think they have the "Doogie Howser" tours for middle schools yet! There are also a variety of musical performances sponsored by the school, so if there's a group they'd be interested in, that's a great excuse to be on campus and spend some additional time looking around. If they're only really interested in the baseball program, you might call the athletic department and see if there are any games or facility tours they might come to see. But very few actually go to Stanford for the baseball AFAIK. It's a great school for undergrads once you actually get in, but since they're only admitting about 10% of academically qualified applicants currently, perhaps eventually a baseball scholarship would be your golden ticket? Making contacts in the athletic department if you have some athletic prodigies couldn't hurt, but 7 and 5 is just a teensy bit early for forming lasting impressions! So mostly look for an event that's kid friendly, maybe the student center would be able to point you to some family events coming up. They'll remember it a lot more if they actually come to DO something they enjoy, rather than sight-seeing around the campus.

Two hours is enough for three awesome stops. In no particular order: Hoover Tower: One of the most impressive sights ever. GSB Paper Fountain: My younger siblings watched this for an hour. New Arrillaga Rock Climbing Center: Your kids may be too small, but rock climbing is quite fun. There are also some cool sights at the Cantor Arts Center. Getting some Frozen Yogurt at Tressider Union is also great for kids. You might also want to let them pickup a souvenir at the Stanford Bookstore. The Oval and Memorial Church are awesome sights as well, but might not be as entertaining for young kids. Hopefully I've given you some ideas!