Etiquette on open houses

[Badger123]

So when invited to attend open houses for PhD programs, what is the etiquette on bringing one's significant other? My girlfriend and I plan to go together wherever I end up accepting admission to, so it would be good for her to be able to check the places out too. Would it be unprofessional to bring her with to the open house? I assume that we would have to cover the travel cost without reimbursement, which is fine. 

[TakeruK]

Discuss this with the program ahead of your visit. For one school I visited for PhD programs, it was within driving distance, so my spouse was able to visit with me. I checked with the school ahead of time and they were okay with it since the only extra cost to them was that I would not be sharing a hotel room with another student. However, since there was no flight, they were happy to cover that instead. I did offer to pay for everything that would normally be extra for my spouse to visit though, but in the end, it did not cost us anything extra out of pocket.

The school was very welcoming and accommodating. They completely agreed that this was a decision for the both of us. My spouse was included for all of the social events (meals and a tour of nearby wineries). They had a desk set up for my spouse in case she wanted to do work while I was interviewing/talking with professors. They gave her a campus map and offered to provide tours or have her explore on her own. During social events, other students with spouses also chatted with us about life in the town etc. 

I've seen some other visits where a student brings a significant other and it's really awkward. I don't want to get into too many specifics, but one significant other just followed the prospective student around all day and was in all the meetings but said nothing. No one knew ahead of time this was happening either. 

So, my advice is that you should let them know that your girlfriend would like to visit and you can also emphasize that this is a joint decision. Although I was already accepted when I visited, everywhere I went, I made it clear that moving to a PhD program was a 50/50 decision made equally by both of us. For some schools, they even helped to find work for my spouse (where possible). And when the visit happens, it will be way less weird if each of you had your own things to do! I'm sure this was what you had in mind anyways, but just saying