Prairie Acre was officially established in 1932 on the hillside south of Blake and Twente halls. It is the last native prairie remnant on the Lawrence campus. The plot, actually .35 of an acre, lost many of its native plants over the ensuing decades, and it is being restored with more than 100 different native plant species.

An area established by some of KU's earliest students and faculty, the grove provides 10 acres of mature trees and grounds, which students use as a study and picnic spot. In the late 1870s, Chancellor James Marvin declared a university holiday and led groups of faculty and students on a tree-planting excursion on a rocky campus hillside known as North Hollow. This followed another, smaller tree-planting outing organized by Marvin a year earlier. Additional trees were planted over the years, and the area was renamed Marvin Grove in 1906.

Potter Lake is the setting for many picturesque photos taken by KU students who study or relax on its banks. In 1910, the Kansas Board of Regents decided to construct a reservoir on the north side of campus to be used as a water source in case of fire. The two-acre lake was named Potter Lake for state Sen. T.M. Potter, and until 1927, when Lawrence built a public pool, it served as a swimming hole.