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Photo: flickr user brianmka, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Home to the national powerhouse in men's college basketball - the Tar Heels. The arena is named for basketball legend and former head coach Dean Smith but is lovingly referred to by students and residents of Chapel Hill simply as "the Dean Dome". The arena is open to the public and a must for any sports-lover. With over 100 years of basketball in Chapel Hill, six national championship banners proudly hang from the rafters, along with endless NCAA honors and retired jerseys - the stadium boasts an impressive collection, including that of Michael Jordan, a sports legend.
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is a college basketball team of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels have won six NCAA championships in addition to a 1924 Helms Athletic Foundation title (retroactive). North Carolina has won 134 NCAA tournament matchups while advancing to 31 Sweet Sixteen berths, a record 21 Final Fours, and 12 title games. It is the only school to have an active streak of reaching the National Championship game for nine straight decades and at least two Final Fours for six straight decades, all while averaging more wins per season played (20.7) than any other program in college basketball. In 2025, The Wall Street Journal's valuation of college basketball programs ranked North Carolina first at $378 million. In 2012, ESPN ranked North Carolina No. 1 on its list of the 50 most successful programs of the past fifty years.
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Located next to the Dean Dome, this museum chronicles the history of Tar Heel basketball. Be sure to check out Michael Jordan's letter to archrival Coach K, which informed the Duke basketball coach that young Jordan would be taking his talents to rival institution UNC Chapel Hill.
Though not as popular as the local basketball and football teams, the UNC baseball program is one of the most renowned in college baseball, graduating many players into the major leagues. Their stadium is a little gem of a ballpark, with red brick and green steel architecture.
Tucked away amongst the pine trees near the bell tower is the home of UNC's football team, which commands an intensely loyal following locally. Each home game is a big event in town.
A set of lovely display gardens, with a great native plant collection arranged to illustrate the distinct plant habitats of North Carolina, including carnivorous plants and lovely flowers and butterflies. Also has nature trails nearby.
An impressive brick clock tower which chimes on the quarter-hour.
Inside the prominent reference library building on campus, the gallery is home to changing exhibits on the history of the university, showcasing artifacts from the library's collection.