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UNC Visitors Center

Welcome to Carolina

Experience an innovative institution of higher learning, a global research university committed to accessibility and impact, a place with a legacy as old as the United States – and a boundless future. The UNC Visitors Center looks forward to sharing all that is special about Carolina.

Press the play button to learn more about all that Carolina has to offer.

Take a tour

Our in-person Sense of Place tour is a 90-minute walking tour hosted by student guides who share campus history, traditions and the student experience as well as some of the University’s current endeavors in research and innovation. Learn more about our Sense of Place tour.

The Visitors Center also offers a 75-minute walking graduate student tour for students interested in going beyond their undergraduate studies to pursue graduate and professional degrees at Carolina. Hosted by a current graduate student tour guide, these tours provide information on graduate student life at Carolina. Learn more about our graduate student tour.

A mannequin of Rameses in Visitors Center.

The UNC Visitors Center, located at 134 E. Franklin Street, is open to guests 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

We hope that you will find our Visitors Guide helpful as you explore Carolina. If you have other questions, you may reach us 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at uncvisitorscenter@pleasantviewmining.com. For details about parking on campus, check visitor parking. For information and resources about Chapel Hill, visit the Chapel Hill and Orange County Welcome Center.

Polk Place.

Explore more

  • A collage of photos that includes a sculpture of a lion head as a fountain; a silver and brass button on the Old Well; branches of a tree wrapping around each other; the rings of a cut tree trunk; blue 3D printing robots in a line; and a cup of steel pieces from a letter press.

    Carolina up close

    With historic buildings and picturesque landscaping, Carolina's campus is iconic, and some of the University's most beautiful spots are worth a closer look.

  • The Old Well.

    Moving forward with boldness

    More than 225 years ago, a radical idea took root in North Carolina: higher education, funded by the people, for the people. As we enter the third decade of this millennium, the challenges we face today are great, but, as we have demonstrated for more than two centuries, we are built to face great challenges.

  • Rameses in blue horns in the Pit

    Timeless traditions

    Take a sip from the Old Well on your first day of classes to get good grades. Sign your name on the bricks inside the Bell Tower as a senior. Relax in the sun on Polk Place. Carolina is filled with traditions - some that date back for decades and others that are new - that students cherish today.

  • Students cheer at a football game.

    Always a great day to be a Tar Heel

    “It’s a great day to be a Tar Heel” is a phrase you’ll often hear around Carolina, and for a good reason. Every day, Tar Heels create a positive impact on the world by improving their communities and inspiring change through their talents. They’re artists, scientists, humanitarians, researchers and innovators doing extraordinary things.