Guided & Self-Guided Tours

Chapel Hill Downtown Murals & Public Art

View Website

Downtown
Chapel Hill, NC

Directions

Take a walking tour of the twenty colorful murals painted by artist Michael Brown with the Chapel Hill Downtown Walking Map created by Go! Chapel Hill Active Living by Design. Map is available on the town’s website as well as the Franklin Street Visitors Center. The town of Chapel Hill has a growing indoor and outdoor permanent collection now totaling over 150 works of art in a variety of media. Visit Chapel Hill Arts for details.

Coker Arboretum Tours

View Website

Corner of Raleigh Street and Cameron Ave
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Directions

(919) 962-0522

11 am - 12 Noon

Free guided tours of the Coker Arboretum on the UNC campus are given the third Saturday of the month, March through November.  No registration is necessary.  Meet at the stone circle near the center of the arbor on Cameron Ave. 

Guided Tour of Old Chapel Hill Cemetery

View Website

131 South Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Directions

(919) 942-7818

Preservation Society Hours, Tue-Fri 10 am - 4 pm; Sun 1 - 4 pm.

Tours of the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery leave from the cemetery gazebo (South Road across from Carmichael Arena) every 2nd Saturday of the month at 10 AM.  Tickets are $5 per person. To reserve a space, please contact the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill (919) 942-7818.  After hours please call (919) 923-6900. NO TOURS IN JULY & AUGUST.

The lovely seven acre site is the final resting place for many of the University, the town, the state and nation.  The Old Chapel Hill Cemetery lies in the heart of Chapel Hill on the corner of Country Club and South Roads, near the main campus of UNC. The site was part of a land grant given by the State of North Carolina in 1796 to develop the University, and the cemetery originally served as a final resting place for University faculty and students.  On the guided tour amid the oaks and pines, the low walls and unique headstones, you will learn about the slaves and statesman, senators and salesmen that helped create what we fondly call “the Southern Part of Heaven”. 

Historic Hillsborough Tours

View Website

150 East King St (Downtown),
Hillsborough, NC 27278

Directions

toll-free (877) 732-7748; phone (919) 732-7741.

Available Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm; Sun., noon-4pm.

Guided and self-guided walking tours, guided step-on-bus tours and guided theme tours are available throughout the year in historic Hillsborough. The group walking and bus tours are available by appointment, with a minimum of 10 participants and at least two weeks notice.
• Second Saturday Guided Walking Tour—Regular 90-minute guided tour is available year-round on the second Saturday of the month at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. In Hillsborough’s historic district, you’ll see historic churches, cemeteries, Colonial and Ante-Bellum homes and much more. Prices are adults, $5; children (5-15), $2. No reservations necessary.
• Self-guided walking tour is based on a booklet available for $3 at the Orange County Visitors Center (in the Alexander Dickson House), 150 East King Street. Parking.

Historic UNC Campus Tour

View Website

250 East Franklin St (Morehead Planetarium Building, West Lobby)
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3480

Directions

phone (919) 962-1630.

Available Mon.-Fri., 9am-5pm.

Historic Campus Tour. Visitors can also take advantage of a self-guided recorded tour, complete with music and interesting facts covering the landmarks and legends of UNC’s historic campus. Follow brick walkways into the University’s early years by taking a walking tour through the heart of the nation’s first state university and its historic sites. Founded in 1793, the core campus is about 730 acres. Maps are available. Student-led guided tours of campus—highlighting the past, present and future Carolina—are also available Monday through Friday. Call for details and to make an appointment. 

North Carolina Botanical Garden Guided Tours

View Website

100 Old Mason Farm Rd
Chapel Hill, NC 27517

Directions

(919) 962-0522

10 am

Free guided tours of the Display Gardens take place every Saturday from March - October and the first Saturday November - February.  Learn about NC’s amazing native flora on a free tour of the display gardens every Saturday morning, 10 a.m. Meet in the Pegg Exhibit Hall of the Garden’s Education Center. Guides also lead tours of the recently completed environmentally friendly Education Center once a month on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., providing a behind-the-scenes look at the unique features that make this one of the most efficient buildings in the state of North Carolina.

Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours - Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough

View Website

email info@tastecarolina.net

Directions

phone (919) 237-2254

Saturday Tours 11 am-2:15 pm and weekdays by appointment

The Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours are in Chapel Hill, Carrboro as well as Hillsborough. Visit http://www.Tastecarolina.net. Culinary Carrboro & Chapel Hill Tour is Saturdays from 11 am – 2:15 pm (and weekdays by appointment). Cost is $42.50, $44.98 with service fee. This tour is between 1.5 and 2 miles of walking rain or shine. Stroll Carrboro/ Chapel Hill for gourmet delights from an insiders’ perspective. Meet 15 minutes before departure in front of Open Eye Cafe, 101 S. Greensboro St., Carrboro. Reserve online in advance. Public parking lot beside Open Eye Cafe.

The Historic Hillsborough Walking Tour is also Saturdays from 11 am - 2:15 pm (and weekdays by appointment). Cost is $42.50, $44.98 with service fee. This tour is about 2 miles of walking rain or shine. Fantastic restaurants and plenty of history. Meet 15 minutes before departure in front of Saratoga Grill, 108 S. Churton St, Hillsborough. Reserve online in advance. Public parking is available along the street or in nearby lots.

(For information on other tours by Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours, visit its Website.)

Tasting Tours at A Southern Season

View Website

201 S. Estes Drive (University Mall)
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Directions

800-253-3663

Tours will take place the 2nd and 4th Friday of evey month at 11 am and 1 pm and the tours will last 45 minutes.

Southern Season is offering tasting tours of the largest gourmet, specialty food store in the Southeast. These tours will be an entertaining and informative way to taste an array of new and exciting products from around the store. Each tour will have a tour guide who will give a brief introduction and history of the company and then navigate the group through the nine departments of Southern Season. In each department a culinary expert will tell the story of a product and let the group taste product. There will be plenty of time for questions and inquiries. 

Tours will take place the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month at 11am and 1pm and the tours will last approximately 45 minutes. The tours are free. Sign up by calling 800-253-3663. Meet at the upstairs reception desks 10 minutes before each start time.

Triangle Food Tour—Chapel Hill and Carrboro

View Website

311 West Franklin St (Downtown)
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Directions

phone (919) 319-5674

Saturdays at 2:15pm.

The tours are Saturdays at 2:15 pm for up to 10 people. Cost $35 per person (+ $2.60 svc chg), includes all tastings at 6-8 restaurants. 3 hour tour rain or shine. Walk through the downtown streets of Chapel Hill & Carrboro pausing 6-8 times for sample tastings and personal insights from a cross-section of this area’s finest and most unique establishments. Along the way, the streetscapes and local character will combine to reveal how unique and different each are despite their close proximity. Meet 10-15 minutes before departure at The Franklin Hotel lobby, 311 W. Franklin Street. Reserve on-line and pay a minimum of 24 hours in advance of tour date. Parking is available in the lot behind The Franklin Hotel.

Walk Carrboro Tour Map

Main Street
Carrboro, NC 27510

Directions

Self-guided walking tour of Carrboro map is available, while supplies last, at the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Center at 501 West Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill. Drop by Monday - Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday 10 am to 2 pm. The map highlights food, shopping, services, entertainment and more.