tours of unc chapel hill

Self-Guided Tour

We hope that you enjoy visiting the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Chartered in 1789 as the nation’s first public university, Carolina is at the heart of what’s next, preparing a diverse student body to become creators, explorers, innovators and leaders in North Carolina, throughout the nation and around the world.

UNC Visitors Center

Ackland Art Museum

Hanes Art Center

Franklin Street

Monument to Free Speech

Pettigrew Hall

Graham Memorial

Unsung Founders Memorial

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

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Coker Arboretum

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Caldwell Monument

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Davie Poplar Tree

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South Building

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Memorial Hall / Carolina Performing Arts

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Carolina Hall

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BeAM: Be A Maker / Murray Hall

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Wilson Library

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Davis Library

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Frank Porter Graham Student Union

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Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower

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Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History

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Carolina Inn

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FedEx Global Education Center

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Kenan Stadium / Kenan Football Center

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Carmichael Arena

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Jackson Hall / Undergraduate Admissions

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Center for Dramatic Art / Forest Theatre

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“Service” Mural / School of Government

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Carolina Basketball Museum

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North Carolina Botanical Garden

Ready to explore campus.

Chartered in 1789 as the nation’s first public university, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is at the heart of what’s next, preparing a diverse student body to become creators, explorers, innovators and leaders in North Carolina, throughout the nation and around the world. Explore Carolina to see what makes this campus and our students, faculty and staff so special.

Tour the Campus of UNC-Chapel Hill

You are invited to explore the heart of campus and feel the history, vibrancy and charm of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Along with its beauty, Carolina has a reputation as a place where science, research and the arts of all kinds thrive. Our history, a living, breathing presence on campus, connects our contemporary community to a legacy as old as the United States. Visit the website for details on tour stops.

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• Parking Information: Pay parking is available within close proximity

Overview-General

• Description: Visitor Center is open Mon thru Fri, 9 am - 5 pm

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Coker Arboretum

Plan your visit.

Serene walking paths take you past wildflowers and trees in this 5-acre gem on the UNC campus. Rest on one of several open lawns, or take a seat on a shady bench. Coker Arboretum changes with the seasons: from spring blooms to summer greenery and fall color to winter trees, there’s always something to see.

Coker Arboretum is open dawn to dusk, 365 days a year.

Leashed pets are welcome (please pick up after them).

Directions & Parking

Coker Arboretum is located on the corner of Cameron Avenue and Raleigh Street in Chapel Hill. Click here for Google Maps directions . Metered parking is available nearby and around downtown Chapel Hill.

Coker Arboretum paths are mostly flat and either smooth grit or brick. They are wheelchair accessible.

Arbor Renovation in Progress

Support the arboretum, arboretum guide.

Take a tour of Coker Arboretum!

$9 ($8 NCBG Members) Led by an experienced guide, this tour provides a relaxed, informative introduction to this jewel in the heart of Chapel Hill. This walking tour will explore the 5-acres that make up the Arboretum, allowing time for observation and discussion. Each tour differs as the gardens change through the seasons.

Carolina Virtual Information Session

During this virtual session for prospective students, connect with current Carolina students and a member of our Undergraduate Admissions team to learn more about the University and what it's like to be a student at Carolina You'll also be able to ask live questions through our chat.   

Admitted Student Experiences

Join the celebration and meet your new classmates!

Congratulations, new Tar Heels! Here are some special experiences designed just for you. These events help you connect with the Carolina community and meet other new Tar Heels.

Special Info Session and Campus Tours

Explore Carolina campus and get to know students that you'll live and study alongside.

Family Chats

Your family members are invited to join these live virtual events where they'll learn how they can best support you as you get ready for Carolina!

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Walking tours in Chapel Hill and Carrboro showcase unique history

Whether it is during the academic year with the buzz of students going to and from class, or the height of summer when there’s less foot traffic but the heat radiates from the bricked sidewalks, this campus holds many stories. And much of Chapel Hill's history — some of the most noteworthy and well-recorded memories — are available to the public through walking tours throughout town. 

Walking tours can fit the history and beauty of the campus and town in one day. These tours cater to different interests and are guided by local experts or students, or with the help of digital media — which is useful for solo tours. 

Many of these tours highlight distinct landmarks in Chapel Hill folklore like  Gimghoul Castle,   the Forest Theater —  which is rumored to be haunted —  The Carolina Inn and museums that cater to its unique history like the Ackland Art Museum , the Morehead Planetarium and The Carolina Basketball Museum . 

Campus tours

Whiz Iiames-Damutz , the manager of the UNC Visitors Center , said that the Center's tours, including the well-known Sense of Place tour, focus on the University's history, traditions, student experiences and the innovation that happens on campus. 

All its tours start at the Visitor's Center and go through campus. Tour guides talk about the student tradition of drinking from the Well  and visit South Building , one of the oldest buildings on campus. Every tour ends at Kenan Memorial Stadium . 

“We don’t go off campus, but we do talk a little bit about the relationship with the town,” Iiames-Damutz said . “With regard to great resources, we have the free fare bus system.”

The Sense of Place tour is typically 90 minutes and is offered for any incoming undergraduate student and their families. Iiames-Damutz said the Center can also organize shorter tours between 30 and 40 minutes, and they offer vehicle tours people can take on their own, accompanied by a map.

In addition to the undergraduate tour, they also offer one for graduate students that is about 75 minutes long. They still share the same things like the history of the University, but it is catered more to graduate student information. 

Participants do not have to be students to walk The Black and Carolina Blue self-guided tour, offered through UNC Libraries.

"It was a process of selection," Nicholas Graham , a University archivist who helped create the tour, said . "It was also a process of demonstrating responsible history." 

The Black and Carolina Blue tour focuses on African American history, taking people through important places on campus that demonstrate this history. For example, tourists go to the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery to learn about how notable Black and white University figures such as alumni and faculty members were buried in segregated plots. They also go to Carolina Hall, which was renamed in 2015 from Saunders Hall after 16 years of student protesting. South Building is another spot, which was built by 35 enslaved people and was the site of Civil Rights protesting in the 1960s. 

Graham  said any tour or exhibit that happens through Wilson Library’s resources are open to the public and accessible on their website.  

Recently, Graham has helped with a digital exhibit on Pauli Murray —  a queer Black   lawyer   with ties to the University — and an exhibit on women at UNC.

Off-campus tours

There are also various tours available off campus that focus on traditions, history and folklore. 

The Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau offers a self-guided walking tour of the murals and public art in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Their map is free and accessible on their website.

The map also has interactive features, like QR codes that lead to informational sites about the artists, pieces of history or the subject of the mural. Between Chapel Hill and Carrboro, there are nearly 50 murals.  

The Marian Cheek Jackson Center also offers a self-guided tour, Histories of Home: A Walk with Northside Neighbors , and is accompanied by a downloadable audio file and map. Community members narrate the tour as they tell stories, walk you through their struggles and share aspirations of their community — the Northside neighborhood .

While the audio file is free and accessible on their website, they encourage listeners to stop by the Center on West Rosemary Street to connect with staff. Physical copies of the audio and maps are also available at the Center.

Free Walking Tours of Chapel Hill is a 90-minute tour guided by Sally Smith . Groups start at Morehead Planetarium and  then explore historic buildings, the sites of 1960s protests, outdoor murals and hidden gems of UNC and Chapel Hill. The tours will resume at the start of August. 

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For a more mysterious and ambient, nighttime exploration of Chapel Hill, Triangle Walking Tours offers a Chapel Hill Ghost Walk and Chapel Hill True Crime tour. Triangle Walking Tours also offers a tour which explores the historic churches and architecture of Chapel Hill. All tours are $14 for an hour.

These tours are organized and occasionally led by Andrew Nason , a UNC alumnus. He said his process for developing tours starts with research and preparation. He then drafts a tour and will workshop them through a couple of actual tours to get community feedback. 

Nason said this workshopping process helps him figure out what stops and information he provides is important, or what could be taken out to save time and energy. 

“Kind of figuring it out from there,” Nason said . “What you believe would be the best potential experience to give someone a condensed view of the history and culture of a given town.”

The Heart of the Hill Tours is a project in collaboration with the Chapel Hill Historical Society and Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau. The program is organized by Missy Julian-Fox , the daughter of the original owner of the iconic men’s clothing store, Julian’s , on Franklin Street. 

Having grown up in Chapel Hill, Julian-Fox knew a lot about the town and the University's history, but as she got older she realized how many perspectives were missing from this history, she said . Since then, Julian-Fox has been dedicated to tours that provide diverse history. 

No tour is the same, Julian-Fox said , as other volunteers have different stories that mean something to them. 

“The beauty of the place, our traditions of the Old Well, what Franklin Street means to the community," she said . "All those are, I think, unique not just because we're a college town, but because of this history that we share and what we want to be about." 

@dthlifestyle | [email protected]

Free GoPass for UNC-Chapel Hill Riders

By Stephanie Berrier

Beginning July 1, 2024, the UNC-Chapel Hill community will be eligible for a free GoPass for GoTriangle bus routes. This includes all University faculty, staff, students and affiliates and UNC Hospital employees with an active UNC email. Previously, free GoPasses were limited to University riders who do not have an on-campus daytime parking permit and live outside the Chapel Hill Transit service area.

July Service

To get a free GoPass for the month of July, riders should download the Umo app and register an account. University and UNC Hospital riders must complete registration using a UNC (unc.edu) email address.

• Download and install the Umo app for iOS or Android.
• Select GoTriangle as your location.
• Create an account using your UNC (unc.edu) email.
• Check your email and click the email verification link.
• In the Umo app, go to main menu to “Redeem Benefit Code”.
• Enter code: GOT-Q7H3-W7BK.

To use your GoPass, select “Code” in the Umo app and scan the QR code as you board the bus. The Umo app also allows riders plan transit trips, track bus locations and pay fares on neighboring transit systems. To learn more using and installing the Umo app, visit the How to Use Umo webpage.

For users that do not have a smartphone or want a physical card, GoPass cards will be free for the months of June and July. Pick up a free card at the Regional Transit Center Pass Sales Office in Durham or call 919-485-RIDE (7433) to have a card mailed to you. Once you have your GoPass card, visit the Umo Passenger Portal and create a new account using your UNC email address. Note that you can use the app or a card, but not both.

One-Year Service

Registration for free one-year service is coming soon! By Aug. 1, all University riders will need to register to receive a new code that will provide a full year of free GoPass. Look for updates soon regarding availability and instructions.

Researchers work to combat rise in syphilis cases

A team led by Dr. Arlene Seña is cataloging samples of syphilis patients to help fight the disease.

In the U.S., syphilis is at its highest rate since 1950, with a nearly 80% increase since 2018 , while babies born with syphilis have surged 937% in the past decade.

Symptoms of the sexually transmitted infection can include painless ulcers and sores that progress to body rashes on the palms and soles, hair loss, muscle pain and fatigue. Untreated, syphilis can cause blindness, deafness, paralysis and damage to the heart and brain.

Syphilis is easy to cure in the early stages with antibiotics like benzathine penicillin and doxycycline, said Dr. Arlene Seña , a researcher with the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases. But better diagnostics and a vaccine are urgently needed.

“Despite many advances in infectious diseases, we’re still using serological tests developed in the early 1900s to determine infection and response to therapy,” she said. “We also need a syphilis vaccine that can effectively prevent infections in those at risk for infection.”

Seña is leading a $1.9 million National Institutes of Health contract to develop a specimen biorepository, collecting clinical data and different sample types to advance syphilis diagnostics from patients at domestic and international sites like UNC Project Malawi. She also led the clinical project for a multicenter NIH grant to collect specimens for genomic sequence analyses and to identify future vaccine candidates.

“These are critical steps in the development of a syphilis vaccine with global efficacy,” she said.

Persistence of syphilis

Seña says the persistent and chronic nature of syphilis — an infection that can hide from the immune system and affect other organ systems if not treated — is fascinating. She educates healthcare providers about syphilis throughout the U.S. and is a consultant for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s STI treatment guidelines on syphilis.

“Sir William Osler, the father of modern medicine, said that ‘those who understand syphilis understand medicine.’ This is a challenge for many clinicians that continues today,” she said.

Approximately 40% of babies born to women with untreated syphilis can be stillborn or die from the infection as a newborn. In 2012, there was only one case of congenital syphilis reported in North Carolina. In 2022, there were 55.

“Syphilis is one of the most difficult STIs to recognize and manage and can result in serious consequences in pregnant women if they are not screened properly,” Seña said.

Syphilis is caused by the Treponema pallidum bacterium, and research has been hindered because, until 2018, investigators were unable to successfully grow a long-lasting tissue culture of the bacterium . Testing is also complicated because the disease progresses into complex phases that can coexist with other STIs like genital herpes and HIV.

Currently, syphilis is diagnosed using a screening algorithm with serum antibody tests; however, these cannot reliably distinguish between current and past infections nor determine cure after antibiotics.

Those with an active UNC-Chapel Hill email can get a free July GoPass for GoTriangle bus routes.

UNC-Chapel Hill in top 5 of The Princeton Review’s best value colleges

Carolina is second among public universities for financial aid.

Carolina 7th in final Learfield Directors’ Cup standings

This is the Tar Heels' fifth-consecutive top-10 finish and their eighth top-10 effort in the past nine years.

Jessica Grant named interim director of Odum Institute

Grant will be the first woman to lead the institute in its 100-year history.

Eshelman ranked No. 1 in pharmacy research funding

The school earned the top spot from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy with more than $92 million in grants in FY23.

On-campus filming production will impact operations, traffic and parking July 5-12

Find information on road closures, parking changes and alterations to pedestrian routes.

Rhiannon Giddens connects history and music

The gifted musician reflects on her time as Carolina’s first Southern Futures Artist-in-Residence.

Pleiades are a flying disc dynasty

The Carolina women’s team won its fourth-straight national title in the sport also known as “ultimate Frisbee.”

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A Production Will Soon Film on UNC’s Campus. Here’s What You Need To Know

Posted by Emma Cooke | Jun 26, 2024 | Entertainment , Traffic , Transit , UNC

While the summer is often a slower time for the UNC community, the Chapel Hill campus will have a notable uptick in activity come July as a production is set to shoot for a few days.

The university announced a film production will set up operations from July 5 through July 12 around McCorkle Place — the area near some of UNC’s oldest buildings and the Old Well. The production, which is also seeking local background actors, is expected to shoot Saturday, July 8 through Monday, July 10 and will impact parking and traffic flow around that area of Chapel Hill.

Here is what has been shared about the event and production:

Extras Needed

Cherrix Casting announced in a casting call that they are looking for hundreds of paid extras for a television series filming on UNC’s Campus July 8-10.

Filming will take place outside of McCorkle Place and surrounding buildings, and extras should expect an early morning call time and should be available to work the entire day. The company is specifically seeking adult men and women of all diversities and ethnicities, and those selected will be paid $134 for 10 hours, and overtime for anything longer. 

To apply, email [email protected] with a recent photo, your first and last name, age, height, phone number and all clothing sizes. Format the subject line with the date you are applying for, like “Chapel Hill July 8; Chapel Hill July 9; Chapel Hill July 10.”

What’s The Production?

The name of the project, according to Cherrix Casting and UNC, is Strawberry Fields – but that is widely believed to be a working title to keep the real show name under wraps.

That could be because it is a popular show streaming on Amazon Prime. Laurie Paolicelli, the director of the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau let it slip earlier during a Chapel Hill Town Council meeting this month that the casting call is for a season 3 shoot for “The Summer I Turned Pretty” – a popular show based on a young-adult book series. Cherrix Casting has not responded to Chapelboro’s request for confirmation of Paolicelli’s comments.

If the shoot is for “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” it is no coincidence that UNC was an option for locations. The author of the series, Jennifer Han, is a Carolina graduate who was given a distinguished alumna award by UNC during University Day last fall. Han also acts as the show’s executive producer and co-showrunner. 

The coming-of-age series follows Isabel “Belly” Conklin as she navigates love, friendships, and growing up. The show stars Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, and Jackie Chung.

Several campus parking lots will be closed beginning July 5 and until July 11 or 12, weather dependent, in support of the film production and its crew.

UNC said the following parking lots will be closed in support of filming operations and will not be available for daytime, weeknight, or visitor parking:

• Caldwell and Bynum Circle parking lots
• Swain parking lot
• Old East parking lot
• Raleigh Street metered parking

Permit holders for the closed lots should park in Cobb Parking Deck and Nash Parking Lot and will receive an access pass by email. To see the specific closure days and times for each lot, visit UNC’s Transportation and Parking website .

Traffic Operations

In cooperation with the Town of Chapel Hill, the film production will also require temporary road closures on campus and the area surrounding McCorkle Place on the following days: 

Monday, July 8

• Drivers should anticipate closures along areas of East Franklin Street between Raleigh Street and South Columbia Street.
• Henderson Street will be closed between East Rosemary Street and East Franklin Street.
• South Columbia Street will be closed between West Franklin Street and South Road.
• East Cameron Avenue will be closed between Pittsboro Street and Raleigh Street.
• Raleigh Street will experience rolling closures between East Cameron Avenue and Raleigh Street.

Tuesday, July 9

• East Cameron Avenue will be closed between South Columbia Street and Raleigh Street.

UNC said traffic will be detoured, and drivers needing to enter driveways or parking lots along closed routes should be prepared to present their One Cards for traffic access. Visit UNC’s Transportation and Parking website for full details regarding specific road closures, transit impacts, and updates.

Bus and Pedestrian Routes

Chapel Hill Transit will also implement detours along impacted routes, and riders should plan for delays. Visit Chapel Hill Transit for information regarding detours and alternate stops. 

UNC advised pedestrians to avoid McCorkle Place and the surrounding area that will be blocked off for production and should plan for alternate routes across campus.

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UNC Basketball: Stock-Riser Reveals Dates of Trip to Chapel Hill

Matt giles | jun 25, 2024.

• North Carolina Tar Heels

Earlier this week, MADE Hoops national recruiting insider Colby Giacubeno reported that Gonzaga College High School (Washington, D.C.) rising senior and 2025 UNC basketball target Derek Dixon "will visit North Carolina this fall."

RELATED: Crafty Guard Reportedly Set to Visit Tar Heels

On Tuesday, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Dixon confirmed that plan to League Ready, announcing that he'll be in Chapel Hill for an official visit the weekend of Sept. 7.

2025 4⭐️ Derek Dixon tells @LeagueRDY he’s taking an official visit to North Carolina and Hubert Davis beginning September 6th. Dixon is a combo guard out of @GonzagaHoops . He’s taken official visits to Virginia, Pittsburgh and Syracuse so far. #62 in the ESPN100. pic.twitter.com/BgXHGCUtxR — 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) June 25, 2024

He landed his offer from fourth-year UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis back in late May.

Interestingly, as 24/7 High School Hoops noted, all three of Dixon's previous official visits were also to ACC schools: Virginia, Pitt, and Syracuse. Although his offer sheet has grown to include a handful of the ACC variety and roughly a dozen others, the UNC basketball staff remains his only bonafide blueblood suitor.

Dixon, a four-star guard who has climbed 27 spots since last June to No. 61 overall on the 247Sports 2025 Composite while recently putting his creative playmaking abilities on full display in grassroots action, isn't the only stock-rising guard on tap to check out the Tar Heels in September. No, Greenfield-Central School (Ind.) four-star Braylon Mullins plans to be on campus for his official visit the weekend after Dixon.

Derek Dixon led the way to a win for Team Takeover with 23 points. Really talented scorer and impressive shooter. Always plays under control. pic.twitter.com/a4pM3par1r — Penny Stock Prospects (@pstockprospects) May 25, 2024

They are two of the 15 names on the current UNC wishlist in the 2025 arena. Hubert Davis and his Tar Heels are still searching for their first commitment from those rising high school seniors.

ALSO READ: Several Tar Heel Recruits Heading to Istanbul This Week

Matt Giles is the editor and publisher of FanNation's Blue Devil Country and All Tar Heels, covering the Duke Blue Devils and UNC Tar Heels on SI.com.