Our summer program at UNC Chapel Hill takes advantage of not just university resources but gives students full access to one of America’s top college towns. Chapel Hill ranks among the best places to live and study in the United States. A summer exploring the downtown area, the university campus and neighboring Carrboro will quickly reveal why.
The University of North Carolina
UNC is one of the oldest universities in America and started enrolling students in 1795. Known as a public Ivy, UNC has consistently attracted some of the most impressive faculty and programs in the academic world. Although rich in history, its prestige and modern approach, not to mention its #6 public university ranking, make it an equally dynamic and modern place to learn and explore in the summer. Explore the parklike central campus and snap a photo of the Old Well, wander through the shaded pathway of Coker Arboretum or catch a show at Morehead Planetarium.
The Tar Heels
UNC students and their accomplishments are just as impressive outside of class. North Carolina’s athletic teams are known as the Tar Heels. They compete as a member of the NCAA division 1. The university has won 46 NCAA team championships in six different sports, eighth all-time. Sporting legacy is all around campus and you can work out inn multiple gyms, fields, you’re your basketball skills on courts once used by Michael Jordan or run on multiple trails in and around campus.
Franklin Street
Franklin Street is the main street and heart and soul of Chapel Hill. Historic Franklin Street is considered the center of social life for UNC as well as the town of Chapel Hill. It is home to numerous coffee shops, restaurants, museums, bookshops and music stores. Mainstays, including the cosey Carolina Coffee Shop and Suttons Drug Store have been around for nearly a century. Franklin is notable for its cultural offerings, live music, nightlife, culture and student run events even in summer. So grab some Frozen Yoghurt or an ice-cold sweet tea and head over to Al’s Burger Shack, voted the #1 burger in America.
Carrboro
The stretch of college-oriented businesses on Franklin continues west into neighboring Carrboro where the street’s name changes to Main Street. Both streets are home to small music venues, like the Cats Cradle and the Carrboro Arts Center, which were influential in the birth of Chapel Hill rock. Nowadays students can enjoy summer outdoor converts with friends and listen to students bands show off their skills.
Music
Chapel Hill has a tremendous musical heritage. Homegrown acts like Ben Folds Five and James Taylor as well as a few notable music venues that have hosted national acts like Nirvana and Public Enemy, John Mayer and Joan Baez. This summer, you can get a free taste of the local music scene at Fridays on The Porch open-air concert series that runs every Friday evening. Refreshments and ice cream are on sale, and a couple of food trucks offer some great local flavors. heartier fare.
You guessed it…..Basketball
UNC and basketball go hand in hand. Apart from being able to play with your friends in one of four incredible gyms, you can also head over to the Carolina Basketball Museum. Come and count the numerous trophies, hear the student chants, watch old footage of buzzer-beating shots and soak up the history of the storied U.N.C. men’s basketball team. A mecca for Carolina basketball fans and basketball fans in general and a place to hear about the rivalry with Duke and NC State as well as the oldest rivalry in college spirts with the University of Virginia.
Art and Design
Looking for some cultural inspiration? Head over to UNC’s Ackland Art Museum Slide has several contemporary exhibitions as well as an incredible selection of works drawn from the museum’s permanent collection of more than 17,000 objects. Paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, Camille Pissarro and Gilbert Stuart are among those on display as are ancient Greek and Roman sculptures and a diverse selection of Asian art. This summer, the museum is also hosting a temporary exhibition featuring European and American drawings, watercolors and collages, as well a previously unseen series of etchings that American artist James McNeill Whistler made in Venice in the late 19th century.
