General information
- How do I contact the UNC Visitors Center?
- What services does the Visitors Center provide?
- Is the Visitors Center part of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions?
- Where is the Visitors Center located?
- When is the Visitors Center open?
- What is there to see and do while visiting campus?
- Do you accept walk-ins on tours?
How do I contact the UNC Visitors Center?
Contact the UNC Visitors Center at uncvisitorscenter@unc.edu or from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 919-962-1630.
What services does the Visitors Center provide?
The UNC Visitors Center serves as the front door to Carolina. We conduct University tours, provide guests with directions and share all the wonderful stories that make Carolina such an amazing place. Whether you’re setting foot on campus for the first or 500th time, the UNC Visitors Center has something for you.
Is the Visitors Center part of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions?
No. The UNC Visitors Center is not part of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. For prospective undergraduate admissions tours, contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions or call 919-966-3621.
Where is the Visitors Center located?
The UNC Visitors Center is located at 134 E. Franklin Street.
When is the Visitors Center open?
The UNC Visitors Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What is there to see and do while visiting campus?
Carolina offers many different attractions to experience during your visit. The UNC Visitors Center also maintains a list of campus attractions.
Does the Visitors Center accept walk-ins on tours?
All guests must register in advance for our in-person Sense of Place tour. Those interested in taking a self-guided tour of Carolina do not need to register.
Tour information
- What is the Sense of Place tour?
- When are tours offered?
- Where do tours depart? Where do tours end?
- How do I register for a tour?
- What is the policy for inclement weather?
- How do I cancel my tour?
- How much do tours cost?
- What is the graduate student tour?
- Does the UNC Visitors Center offer tours for school groups?
- How do I request accessible tour assistance?
What is the Sense of Place tour?
The UNC Visitors Center’s Sense of Place walking tour is led by current students who visit popular campus locations and share campus history and traditions, innovation and research, and the student experience. This is not an admissions tour and details about financial aid, applying to Carolina and other information for prospective students is not shared on this tour.
When are tours offered?
Our Sense of Place tour is offered weekdays.
Where do tours depart? Where do tours end?
Tours begin at 134 E. Franklin Street and end at Kenan Stadium.
To register for a tour, visit Sense of Place tour or graduate student tour. You can also call the Visitors Center at 919-962-1630 or email us at uncvisitorscenter@unc.edu.
What is the policy for inclement weather?
Tours are typically held rain or shine, and guests are advised to bring their own rain gear during inclement weather. The UNC Visitors Center reserves the right to cancel tours during inclement weather, including but not limited to, heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightening, extreme heat and extreme cold. Guests are encouraged to bring water with them while touring on hot days.
To cancel a tour, email us at uncvisitorscenter@unc.edu or call us at 919-962-1630.
All tours offered by the UNC Visitors Center are free of charge.
What is the graduate student tour?
The graduate student tour provides prospective, admitted and accepted graduate students with information on Carolina’s history, traditions and hallmarks while also highlighting available resources for Carolina graduate students.
Does the UNC Visitors Center offer tours for school groups?
The UNC Visitors Center does not offer school group tours. School groups are invited to email us at uncvisitorscenter@unc.edu for teacher-led self-guided tour materials. For sixth to eighth grades, consider emailing us for our video tour resources.
How do I request accessible tour assistance?
Guests needing accessibility assistance navigating our tour must contact us at uncvisitorscenter@unc.edu at least 72 hours prior to tour time.
Parking and transportation
- Where can I park on campus?
- Where can I park off campus?
- How does parking work for campus events (athletics, concerts, plays, graduation, etc.)?
- Is there parking at the Visitors Center?
- Does the UNC Visitors Center validate parking?
- Where is the closest parking to the UNC Visitors Center?
- What are the parking options for weeknight parking?
Where can I park on campus?
Visitors to campus may park in the following areas on campus:
- Ram’s Head Parking Deck, 104 Ridge Road
- Morehead Planetarium Lot, 250 E. Franklin Street
- Raleigh Road Lot, located on Raleigh Road, one block east of Country Club Road
- Marked street parking along South and Country Club roads
- All parking costs $1.75 per hour.
- There are several options for accessibility parking on campus. Visitors can drop-off guests with accessibility needs in front of the Visitors Center at 134 East Franklin Street. An accessibility ramp leads from the street to the sidewalk in front of the Visitors Center.
- There are limited accessibility parking spaces on East Franklin Street.
- There is one disability parking spot in the service alley leading to Porthole Alley; enter at 101 S. Columbia Street to the left of Ackland Art Museum.
- There is also available street parking on Franklin Street at the rate of $1.50 per hour.
Visitors may find parking off campus through parkonthehill.com. This website provides parking options available in the town of Chapel Hill.
How does parking work for campus events (athletics, concerts, plays, graduation, etc.)?
For information on parking for events, visit https://move.unc.edu/events/.
Is there parking at the Visitors Center?
No, there is no public parking at the UNC Visitors Center.
Does the UNC Visitors Center validate parking?
No, the UNC Visitors Center does not validate parking.
Where is the closest parking to the UNC Visitors Center?
The closest public parking options to the Visitors Center are:
- Available street parking on Franklin Street at the rate of $1.50 per hour.
- The Wallace Parking Deck, located at 150 East Rosemary Street, for $1 per hour.
- The Rosemary/Columbia lot, located at 100 East Rosemary Street, for $1.50 per hour.
What are the parking options for weeknight parking?
- Download the ParkMobile App. If you park in a campus lot Monday through Thursday after 5 p.m., enter 4500 and pay $1 for the entire evening.
- Metered hourly parking is available in the Dogwood Deck for $1.50 per hour.
- Metered parking is available throughout campus for $1.75 per hour.
- One-night temporary passes cost $1 and are available in designated lots across campus.
- For more information, visit Parking and Transportation for University visitors.