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Tours

1. Campus Vehicle Tour

   Welcome to Carolina! We hope you enjoy touring our campus from the comfort of your vehicle, and please refrain from stopping to avoid traffic backups.

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   1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

      Welcome to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Chartered in 1789, Carolina is the nation’s first public university and is the only public university to award degrees in the 18th century. From the comfort of your vehicle, you will see locations that exemplify the University’s history as well as the exciting innovation that takes place on our beautiful campus. Carolina is a very special place, and we are excited to share it with you.

   2. Forest Theatre, Koch Memorial

      300 S. Boundary St.
      Chapel Hill, NC 27514

      The Forest Theatre is a stone amphitheater built into the hillside on the eastern edge of the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, contiguous with Battle Park. Outdoor drama was first performed on this site in 1916 to celebrate the tercentenary of Shakespeare’s death. The location was chosen by William C. Coker, a botany professor and founder of the Coker Arboretum (which is now also under the Garden’s care). A few years later, Professor Frederick Koch, founder of the Carolina Playmakers, developed the site into a permanent theater.

      With funding from the New Deal’s Works Progress Administration, the stone stage backdrop and terraced seating were rebuilt in 1940 and further improved in 1948. In 1953, the University dedicated the theater to Koch, calling it “an open air palace of light and sound, haunt of birds and breezes and human voices, home of natural beauty, poetry and drama, set upon the warm earth, in enduring stone, to commemorate an ardent genius.”

      Surrounded by Battle Park’s 93 acres of mostly primordial forest, the Forest Theatre has hosted folk dramas written by renowned Carolina alumni Thomas Wolfe and Paul Green, and it continues to be used for performances to this day.

      Visit the North Carolina Botanical GardenBattle Park and Forest Theatre   page for more information

   3. Old East Residence Hall

      Old East Residence Hall
      203 E. Cameron Ave.
      Chapel Hill, NC 27514

      Building Number: 114

      Old East is the first public university building in the nation. The cornerstone was laid on Oct. 12, 1793, which is marked as the University's birthday. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It was originally a multipurpose building with dormitory rooms and classrooms. The University’s first student to enroll, Hinton James, moved into Old East in January 1795. Today, a renovated Old East houses students as a residence hall.

      Hall Details:

      • Year Built: 1795
      • Hall Population: 67
      • Elevator: Yes
      • Fire Safety: Smoke detectors, alarms and sprinkler system
      • Resident Advisors: 2
      • Amenities: study rooms, kitchen and ice machine, laundry, TV room, lounges, vending machines

      Room Details:

      • Average Room Measurements: 12' x 14'
      • Window Measurements: First Floor: 84" x 44", Second Floor: 64" X 44", Third Floor: 56" X 44"
      • Window Coverings: Horizontal blinds
      • Air-Conditioning: Central A/C in all rooms
      • Furniture: Movable dressers, desks and study chairs. Movable beds may be bunked or lofted; no self-built lofts permitted.
      • Closet: Closet with door
      • Mattress Size: 80" long, 36" wide, 6" deep

      Building Features:

      • Gender Neutral Restroom (Limited Access): Floor: 01, Room: 125, Near Lounge, Accessible Toilet

   4. Old Well

      The Old Well, at the heart of campus, is the iconic visual symbol for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The scene of wedding proposals, graduation photos and treasured Carolina traditions, the Old Well sits on the site of the primary water source for the University’s first 100 years.

      In 1897, the well was given its present decorative form at the direction of President Erwin A. Alderman, who described his beautification project as largely derived from the Temple of Love in the Garden of Versailles.

      In 1954 the well was given added beauty with brick walks, plantings, and benches. Students have a Carolina tradition to drink from the Old Well on the first day of classes to bring good luck — and good grades.

   5. Memorial Hall

      Carolina Performing Arts - Memorial Hall
      140 E. Cameron Avenue
      Chapel Hill, NC 27514

      Building Number: 027

      Year Built: 1931

      At UNC-Chapel Hill, the arts are for everyone. The University supports the arts' fundamental role in the University's culture and campus life through the Arts Everywhere initiative. Memorial Hall, one of the University’s premier artistic venues, is home to Carolina Performing Arts (CPA). CPA offers world-class performances of music, dance, and theater, innovative cultural and artistic expression, and lectures by some of today’s most influential speakers.

      Originally built in 1885 as a gothic structure, Memorial Hall was replaced in 1931 with a Colonial Revival building. After serving the campus and community for 70 years, it underwent a renovation in 2005. The renovation, made possible by a partnership between the State of North Carolina and hundreds of generous donors, culminated in its reopening for the inaugural season of Carolina Performing Arts.

      Outside the Hall is the Carolina Alumni Memorial, honoring those lost in military service, with a bronze Book of Names listing all known alumni who perished from the Civil War to the present day. Memorial Hall has hosted performances by the likes of Louis Armstrong, Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, and national Broadway tours. In 2009, the world-renowned Bolshoi Ballet performed there for the first time in the Southeast.

      For information about performances, visit carolinaperformingarts.org .

      Building Features:

      • Gender-Neutral Restrooms

   6. Hanes Art Center and Ackland Art Museum

      Hanes Art Center was completed in 1985 and is the hub for Carolina’s art and art history programs. Students learn and create in the 45,000 square-foot facility’s classrooms and photography, printmaking, painting and electronic media studios. The Center also features the Joseph Curtis Sloane Art Library and the Visual Resources Library. Visitors may view exhibited artworks in the John and June Allcott Gallery. For hours of operation, visit art.unc.edu .

      Ackland Art Museum features a year-round calendar of special exhibitions and engaging public programs and encourages visitors to engage with the rich legacy of the artistic past as well as with living artists from around the world. With an encyclopedic collection of over 19,000 works of art spanning time and culture, the Ackland is uniquely able to advance the University’s teaching and research missions. Visit Ackland Art Museum for hours of operation.

   7. UNC Visitors Center

      As Carolina’s front door, the UNC Visitors Center is the gateway to discovering the many stories and hallmarks of the nation’s first public university. For more than 30 years, the Visitors Center has welcomed guests from all over the state, country and globe. In 2020, the Visitors Center opened its new location on Franklin Street to greet guests in a dynamic and interactive environment that engages and educates them, further connecting the University with North Carolina and beyond.

      The UNC Visitors Center
      134 E. Franklin St
      Chapel Hill, NC 27514

   8. McCorkle Place

      McCorkle Place is one of the most historic areas of campus and is known for its beauty and lush trees. It is also home to many monuments, such as the Speaker Ban Monument, which honors student leaders who spoke out against the 1963 Speaker Ban Law and highlights the University’s tradition of free speech. Also located in McCorkle Place is the Unsung Founders Memorial. It honors the countless enslaved and free people of color who helped construct the University’s oldest buildings—many of which are in this part of campus–and served its students and faculty during the University’s early years.

      McCorkle Place is named for Samuel McCorkle, a Presbyterian minister and educator who grew up in Salisbury, North Carolina. He studied at David Caldwell’s academy in Greensboro and graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1772. He campaigned in the late eighteenth century for a state-supported university in North Carolina.

   9. Morehead Planetarium

      Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
      222 E. Franklin St.
      Chapel Hill, NC 27514

      Building Number: 152

      Year Built: 1949

      As the largest fulldome planetarium in the southeastern United States, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center welcomes nearly 160,000 visitors each year and provides outreach programs across the state. It opened in 1949 as a gift of John Motley Morehead III, Class of 1891, who wanted to provide the people of his home state with the best possible resources for science education. The planetarium influenced our national legacy of space exploration by acting as a training site for 62 U.S. astronauts from Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Skylab missions, including 11 of the 12 men who walked on the moon. The building also houses the Morehead-Cain Foundation, which Morehead established in 1945 as the first merit-based scholarship in the nation. Each year, UNC-Chapel Hill welcomes approximately 70 new Morehead-Cain Scholars from across North Carolina, the United States and the world.

      The Morehead Planetarium building and grounds — complete with a 68-foot, domed Star Theater, scientific exhibits and classrooms, 24-inch reflecting telescope and observation decks, Visitors' Center, art galleries, rose gardens and the massive sundial — were built for students of all ages with all interests.

      For Morehead Planetarium hours, visit moreheadplanetarium.org.
      
      Building Features:

      • Gender Neutral Restrooms:
        • Floor: GR: Room: G13, Accessible Toilet
        • Floor: GR: Room: G20, Accessible Toilet
      • Tar Heel Bikes Hub

   10. Kenan Residence Community

       Carolina houses more than 8,500 undergraduate and graduate students in 46 residence halls across north campus, mid-campus and south campus. All first-year students are required to live on campus, and there are many housing options and room styles available. Visit housing.unc.edu to learn more.

   11. Davis, Walter Royal Library

       Davis Library
       208 Raleigh Street
       Campus Box 3916
       Chapel Hill, NC 27599

       Building Number: 080

       Davis Library, named for Walter R. Davis, is North Carolina’s largest library and the most comprehensive library on campus. Davis Library has eight floors that house humanities, social science, business and foreign language materials along with maps and data collections. On the second floor are the Research Hub and “Liquid Labs” where visitors can call up any Google Earth destination in a surround-screen environment. The floors at Davis get progressively quieter as you move up. For library hours, visit library.unc.edu.

       Building Features:

       • Gender-Neutral Restrooms
       • Carolina Print Hub located on the first floor near the elevators.
       • Study Spaces:
         
         • Study carrels for reservation
         • Silent study zones
         • Outdoor patio

   12. Graham, Frank Porter Student Union

       Carolina Union
       209 South Road
       Chapel Hill, NC 27514

       Building Number: 065

       Year Built: 1968

       The Frank Porter Graham Student Union (better known as the Carolina Union) is the central gathering place for campus community at Carolina. The Union offers a welcoming space where students connect, study, and relax between classes. You'll find comfortable lounges perfect for studying, convenient dining options, and a variety of meeting spaces that host student org and campus events throughout the year. Whether you're looking for a quiet spot to read, meeting friends for coffee, or wanting to get involved on campus, the Union serves as Carolina's living room away from home.

       Building Features:

       • UNC-Chapel Hill Undergraduate Admissions
         • Staff in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions provide information and campus tours to prospective undergraduate students and their families and receive almost 20,000 visitors each year.
       • Lactation Room:
         • Room 3200 - Rocking chair and baby changing station available in the room. Keys available at the Welcome Desk during operating hours.
       • Gender Neutral Restroom:
         • Floor: 01, Room: 1509, Has foot washing sink, Accessible Toilet
       • Printing Station:
         • Carolina Print Hub located in lower level, The Underground
       • Study Spaces:
         • Rooms for reservation via Carolina Union website
         • Serenity space for students
         • The Underground (downstairs area near Bojangles)
         • Art gallery facing Davis Library
         • Aquarium lounge on the second floor
         • Study nooks in the annex (second and third floors)
       • Healthy Heels to Go Vending Machine
         • Located near the art gallery
         • Purchase over-the-counter health items from the Healthy Heels to Go vending machine using your One Card anytime the building is open.
       • Meditation and Prayer Rooms:

         • The Meditation Room

           Room 1101A – for meditation. It is located in the Underground (the bottom floor of the Union). If you go down the main stairs, you can access the room by walking towards the back left corner.

           The meditation room is available as long as the building is open (7:30 a.m. - 11 p.m. on Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 11 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. on Sunday). This space is not reservable since it is meant to be open to everyone at all times. You can enter the meditation room at any time during the hours above regardless of whether it is already in use or not.

         • Student Union Room 2510 –

           The Muslim Students Association (MSA), a student-led organization, has reserved this event space during the fall and spring semesters. Daily Muslim prayers are held from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays. On weekends, the room opens at 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays and at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays, following the Union's weekend operating hours. During Ramadan, MSA has 24-hour access to this room. Availability may vary, so please contact MSA for additional information. Updates are also available on MSA's Instagram: @uncmsa.

         • Student Union Room 2518 –

           The MSA , a student-led organization, has reserved this event space for two shifts of Jummah prayers on Fridays during the fall and spring semesters. The times of the shifts change based on daylight savings, so there are adjustments throughout the year. During Ramadan, MSA has 7 p.m. - 7 a.m. access to this room. Availability may vary, so please contact MSA for additional information. Updates are also available on MSA's Instagram: @uncmsa.

       • Covered Bike Racks (GIS map )

   13. Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower

       Rising 172 feet, the Bell Tower was built in 1931, a gift of John Motley Morehead, Class of 1891, and Rufus Lenoir Patterson II. The university dedicated the bell tower on Thanksgiving Day, 1931.

       The Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower is surrounded by a hedge and lawn designed by William C. Coker, botany professor and creator of the campus Arboretum. The tower's belfry once contained a carillon of twelve manually operated bells; now there are fourteen mechanized ones. The largest bell is inscribed "Governor John Motley Morehead," the tower creator's grandfather, and the second largest bears the name of William Lenoir. Both men played prominent roles in university and state history.

       The Bell Tower's 14-bell carillon rings manually and electronically, chimes every 15 minutes and also serenades the campus after football games and special events. A Carolina tradition is the Senior Bell Tower Climb, an event for the senior class to climb the 128 steps to the top. The Bell Tower is lit Carolina blue at the beginning of the fall semester, after football game wins and national championship victories.

   14. Kenan Stadium

       Kenan Stadium
       104 Stadium Drive
       Chapel Hill, NC 27514

       Year Built: 1927

       Carolina football has been a source of Tar Heel pride since the University’s first season in 1888. The largest ram sculpture in the world and a statue of Carolina football’s legendary Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice are located outside the Kenan Football Center, which features a multimedia history of Carolina football with photographs, awards, trophies and artifacts. Considered one of the most beautiful stadiums in the country, Kenan Stadium, built in a natural amphitheatre south of Polk Place, seats 50,500 fans. For details about visiting Kenan Football Center, see go.unc.edu/kenanstadium.
       
       Building Features:

       • Gender Neutral Restrooms:
         • Floor: 03, Room: 314A, Family Restroom, Concorse by rows 114, Accessible Toilet
         • Floor: 03, Room: 305, Family Restroom, Concorse by rows 117, Accessible Toilet 

   15. Boshamer, Cary C. Stadium

       Boshamer Stadium
       235 Ridge Road
       Chapel Hill, NC 27514

       Year Built: 2007

       Located on Ridge Road in the heart of Carolina’s south campus, Cary C. Boshamer Stadium has been the home of the Diamond Heels since the late 1960s. Boshamer was a dedicated supporter of university athletics who also donated funds for professorships and scholarships. Regarded as one of the finest facilities in college baseball, “The Bosh” as it’s often referred to by students and fans, hosts ACC conference tournaments, NCAA regional tournaments and super regional tournaments. Extensive stadium renovations were made in 2007, which included renaming the field to Bryson Field in honor of former Tar Heel first baseman Vaughn Bryson and his wife Nancy. An entrance courtyard was named for former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and his family.
       
       Building Features:

       • Gender-Neutral Restrooms

   16. Karen Shelton Field Hockey Stadium

       Karen Shelton Field Hockey Stadium
       327 Ridge Road
       Chapel Hill, NC 27514

       Year Built: 2018

       Virtual Tour of the stadium

       Karen Shelton Stadium, the home of Carolina Field Hockey, is the first Carolina athletic playing facility named in honor of a woman and the only UNC facility named for a female coach. Among a host of incredible athletic teams at Carolina, the Field Hockey program ranks as one of the most impressive. Shelton led the team to six NCAA championships, 20 ACC championships and 35 winning seasons. Shelton also prepared her players for success in many ways—every U.S. National Team since 1989 has included one current or former UNC player, and her players have gone onto success in a variety of careers off the field. Carolina Field Hockey has also won 10 NCAA championships, more than any other Division I field hockey program.

   17. Smith Center, Dean E.

       Dean E. Smith Center
       300 Skipper Bowles Drive
       Chapel Hill, NC 27514

       Building Number: 082

       Year Built: 1986

       The home of Carolina Men’s Basketball since 1986, the Dean Smith Center has become one of the most recognizable athletic venues in America and is a cherished symbol of Carolina Basketball. The 21,750-seat stadium is named after legendary Carolina basketball head coach Dean Smith, who coached the Tar Heels from 1961 to 1997. Smith, a Kansas native and the son of public school teachers, attended the University of Kansas, where he played varsity basketball and baseball and freshman football. After graduation, he served as an assistant coach at Kansas and then joined the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant. After he left the Air Force, Frank McGuire asked him to join his coaching staff at Carolina as an assistant. After three years as an assistant, Smith replaced McGuire as head coach. He coached Carolina from 1961 to 1997 and retired as the record holder for most wins (879) by a men's Division I coach. Smith led his teams to two national championships, 13 ACC tournament titles, 11 final fours and an NIT championship. He was regarded as an innovator on the court, implemented the highly successful four corners offense, encouraged players who scored to point a finger to the teammate who passed them the ball as an acknowledgement of selflessness, and instituted the practice of starting the team’s seniors at the last home game of the season, often referred to as Senior Day. Smith was also known for his impact beyond basketball: he recruited Charles Scott, the first Black scholarship athlete at Carolina, was a staunch Civil Rights advocate, and graduated 96.6 percent of his players. Smith was honored with the presidential medal of freedom in 2013 and passed away in 2015.
       
       Building Features:

       • Gender Neutral Restrooms:
         • Floor: 02, Room: 2103, Near Weight Room, Accessible Toilet

   18. Manning Drive Water Tower

       Painted in signature Carolina blue and proudly displaying interlocking NC logos, the Manning Drive Water Tower holds one million gallons of drinking water. Built in 1957, the water tower represents one of the many partnerships between Carolina, the town of Chapel Hill and Orange County. The Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) keeps about 12.5 percent of their treated water storage in this tanker.

   19. UNC Medical Center

       South Campus is home to UNC Medical Center, a 905 bed nationally ranked public, research and academic medical center. It is also home to the School of Medicine, School of Nursing, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Adams School of Dentistry and the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Carolina has many programs within each department that serve our community and state, including the Student Heath Action Coalition, which includes volunteers from all the health profession schools at UNC-Chapel Hill, the Give Kids a Smile program through the Adams School of Dentistry, the Rural Pharmacy Health Certificate Program through the Eshelman School of Pharmacy and the UNC School of Nursing Mobile Health Clinic. These programs provide health care and services to underserved populations while engaging UNC Health Science students in interdisciplinary service-learning activities. By training the next generation of medical and healthcare professionals, our schools and hospitals help and heal North Carolinians.

   20. The Carolina Inn

       The Carolina Inn
       201 Pittsboro St
       Chapel Hill, NC 27516

       Year Built: 1924

       Known as the University’s living room, the Carolina Inn sits on the original New Hope Chapel site, for which the town is named. UNC-Chapel Hill alumnus and philanthropist John Sprunt Hill, who graduated in 1889, opened the Carolina Inn in 1924 and gave it to the University in 1935, stipulating that profits support the library. Today, the Inn continues to support Wilson Library’s North Carolina Collection.

       Recognized as one of America's "cultural resources worthy of preservation," the Carolina Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since it opened, the Inn has been important to the life of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the community.
       
       Building Features:

       • Gender Neutral Restrooms:
         • Floor: 01, Room: 146, Accessible Toilet
         • Floor: 01, Room: 147, Accessible Toilet