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UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens welcomes groups of up to 60 people for staff-guided visits Mondays – Fridays and up to 30 for self-guided visits 365 days a year.  Any group of 8 or more must register in advance of their visit.  For such groups we offer four different options: 

Self-guided Tours

Staff-guided Kids’ Tours

Staff-guided Garden Highlights Tours

Special Request Tours/Events

A tour group is defined as a group of visitors to the gardens consisting of between 7 and 60 people.  Groups greater than 60 people are not eligible for either a guided nor self-guided group tour.  Groups greater than 30 people are not eligible for self-guided tours.  This group size maximum is set in order to assure a safe and quality experience for our guests, and to protect our collections from extensive foot traffic.  Organizations wanting to tour with more than 60 people may contact April to discuss alternative options.

Self-guided Tours are a good choice for a group which would like to experience the garden at their own pace, particularly if the group intends to take photographs of the plants along their tour.  Self-guided tours can last as long as the group desires and the facilities are open.  A brochure highlighting the season and/or special areas of the gardens will be provided to the tour participants upon arrival at the McMillan Greenhouse.  Registration is required.

Registration for Self-Guided Tours must be completed with a minimum of 48 hours’ notice by completing the Self-Guided Tour Registration Form (see “Register Here” link to the right).

Self-guided tour groups may register to visit any date(s) and time(s) the greenhouses and/or gardens are open.

Staff-Guided Tours

Staff-guided Garden Highlights Tours are also great for those visitors who want an informational overview of the gardens, such as tourists, and senior groups.  These groups will be provided with a highlights tour led by experienced visitor services staff and/or volunteers.  Tours with a historical emphasis may be requested.  Tours will include the outdoor gardens and greenhouse, as desired by the group and weather permitting.  These tours last about 60-90 minutes.  Registration is required.

Guided tours require registration and are offered at a flat rate of $100 for up to 15 people, $175 for up to 30 people, $250 for up to 45 people, $325 for up to 60 people.  Parking is included in the fee for registered groups arriving by bus or passenger van.  

Registration for Guided Tours must be initiated by completing the online “Group Tour Request Form” through the gardens.charlotte.edu website a minimum of two weeks (10 business days) in advance of the proposed tour.  Not all tour requests will result in a confirmed registration.  Tour requests will receive a response by tour staff within 3 business days of their submission.  This response will include an approval or denial of the request.  Responses to approved requests will include further instructions for registration and payment, both of which are required at least 5 business days prior to the date of the scheduled tour.

Groups of visitors from assisted living and senior care facilities must be accompanied by staff from the facility at the ratio of a minimum of 1 staff person to 10 visitors, whether the tour is guided or self-guided.  Visitors needing special assistance must be accompanied by additional staff from their facilities according to law.  

Note: If your group is larger than 30 for a self-tour, we recommend programs at  Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden  in Belmont or the many Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation Nature Centers and Preserves.

Children’s Tours

Staff-guided Kids’ Tours are a good choice for student groups.  For school and homeschool groups, experienced visitor services staff and/or volunteers will lead tours appropriate to NC state content standards for the grade level(s) of participants.  School tours are typically 60-90 minutes, depending on student age.  Registration is required.

Groups of children under the age of 18 must be supervised by their own adult chaperones at the ratio of a minimum of 1 adult to 10 children, whether the tour is guided or self-guided.   Children needing special assistance must be accompanied by additional staff from their schools according to their IEP.  

Registration for Guided Tours must be initiated by completing the online Group Tour Request Form (see “Register Here” below) through the gardens.charlotte.edu website a minimum of two weeks (10 business days) in advance of the proposed tour.  Not all tour requests will result in a confirmed registration.  Tour requests will receive a response by tour staff within 3 business days of their submission.  This response will include an approval or denial of the request.  Responses to approved requests will include further instructions for registration and payment, both of which are required at least 5 business days prior to the date of the scheduled tour.

Guided tour groups are scheduled by visitor services staff on a first-come, first-served basis upon receipt of a registration request.  Guided tours are generally offered Mondays-Fridays between 9 am – 2 pm.  Alternate times are offered upon request when possible.

Cancellation and Refunds:

Self-Guided Group tours may be cancelled up to 24 hours prior to the scheduled tour date and time by emailing April Faucette, Visitor Services Coordinator at [email protected] .

Guided Group tours may be cancelled up to 3 days prior to the scheduled tour date and time by emailing April Faucette, Visitor Services Coordinator at [email protected] .

Full refunds are available if cancelled with the lead time listed above.

Groups who cancel tour later than the lead time listed, but prior to the time and date of the scheduled tour will receive a refund of their registration fee minus a $15 processing fee.  No-show groups will not receive refunds.

Tours which exceed the size indicated in registration will be expected to pay the difference upon arrival if not before.  No refund, full or partial, will be given in the case that the actual number of the participants who arrive for the tour is less than the registered number. 

In the rare case that the Gardens must cancel a group tour (e.g. for dangerous weather or unexpected university closure), fees will be refunded in full, within 10 days after the scheduled tour.

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Entries on This Tour

The Kennedy Building was one of the first two buildings on the UNC Charlotte campus. Both Kennedy and Macy were constructed in 1961, designed by Odell Associates, Inc. and built by F. N. Thompson, Inc. The 42,000 square foot research and instructional facility cost $897,000 and was named in honor of Woodford “Woody” A. Kennedy, a man who called his devotion to Charlotte College, UNC Charlotte’s predecessor, “something between a hobby and an obsession.”

The Macy Building was one of the first two buildings on the UNC Charlotte campus. Both Macy and Kennedy were constructed in 1961, designed by Odell Associates, Inc. and built by F. N. Thompson, Inc. The 18,000 square foot research and instructional facility cost $418,000 and existed without a name for ten years, known simply as building “L.”

The Belk Plaza at UNC Charlotte opened to the public in October 2018, featuring a fountain and a large open area providing students a place to hold events and hang out. But from 1970-2015 where the plaza now stands, Belk Tower was an iconic structure on campus where students gathered to hold events and make their voices heard.

The Rowe Arts Building was the first home for UNC Charlotte’s departments of performing and visual arts. In addition to offices and classrooms, the building features a 350-seat theater, a recital hall, a scene shop, practice rooms, darkrooms for photography, a ceramics shop, and a large lobby that doubled as a gallery. Designed by Charlotte architect Murray Whisnant, the building was completed in 1972 and named for Oliver Reagan Rowe, who is remembered as “a major visionary in the development of UNC Charlotte.”  

Storrs Hall is the home of UNC Charlotte’s College of Arts + Architecture, which includes programs in architecture, art and art history, dance, music, and theatre. Designed by the College of Architecture; Charlotte architectural firm Ferebee, Walters and Associates; and New York architects Charles Gwaltmey and Robert Siegel, Storrs Hall was intended to be “an instrument for architectural education.” It was completed in 1990.

Cyrillic Projector is a sculpture located between the Friday and Fretwell Buildings on the campus of UNC Charlotte. It was created by American artist Jim Sanborn, and was purchased by the university in 1997. The bronze artwork is eight-feet tall and features two encoded messages. The codes remained a mystery until they were solved by a group of cryptographers in 2003.

The UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens is a stand alone garden founded in 1966 on the UNC Charlotte campus. This garden features three locations including a 4,500 square foot greenhouse, the Harwood Gardens and the Van Landingham Glen. Each of these locations is distinctive. The greenhouse features showy tropicals, the Harwood Garden is a formal designed Garden, and the Van Landingham Glen is a forested area filled with native trees and shrubs. A number of different collections are on display including bog plants, natives, orchids, unusual fruits, and many others. Use the source cited below (https://panorama.uncc.edu/GardenTourNew/gardenindex.html) to virtually tour the gardens and see some of our most interesting garden spots and collections.

The Karen A. Popp and Demond T. Martin Student Union was built on the campus of UNC Charlotte in 2009. In 2016 it was dedicated to notable university alumni, Karen Popp (Class of 1980) and Demond Martin (Class of 1997). In addition to being a gathering place for students, it houses a dining hall, passport services, a salon, a movie theater, an art gallery and the offices of the student government association, student organizations, and university units focused on the student experience.

This bronze sculpture depicts the mascot of UNC Charlotte, the 49er Miner. Completed in 1991 by Oregon sculptor Lorenzo Ghiglieri, the piece was commissioned by the university to create a focal point for the campus. It is located at the foot of the staircase that leads from the plaza between Atkins Library and the Barnhardt Student Activities Center down to the plaza between the College of Education and the College of Health and Human Services.

The CHHS Building is the home of UNC Charlotte’s College of Health and Human Services, which includes the Department of Public Health Services, the Department of Kinesiology, the School of Social Work, the School of Nursing, the Gerontology Program, and its newest addition, the School of Data Science. It was designed by Pease Associates and built by Turner Construction, and is one of the last buildings on campus that was authorized by the North Carolina General Assembly's 2000 Higher Education Bond Bill. It was completed in 2006 and was dedicated in April 2007.

At the heart of the UNC Charlotte campus, J. Murrey Atkins Library is one of the largest research libraries in the state with a permanent staff of about 90. It offers over 3.8 million volumes, including 1.2 million e-books and 222,000 (mainly electronic) journals. The building comprises 285,000 square feet. Services include research and publishing support, library instruction, technology to enhance learning and scholarship, and the preservation of local and campus history. The library welcomes 1.5 million visits per year.Atkins Library, its collections, and many events are open to the public. The first floor atrium features exhibits as well as busts of the university’s founder, Bonnie Cone, and each of the chancellors who have completed their service. On the tenth floor, extensive archives document the history of the university and the Charlotte region, and visitors can also enjoy a panoramic view that includes Uptown Charlotte to the southwest and Charlotte Motor Speedway to the northeast.  

This scenic lake was named for Professor of Biology Herbert Hechenbleikner in 1975. “Dr. Heck,” as he was affectionately known, created the lake from his own imagination and constructed it with the help of students and volunteers in 1964. The lake is but one of several projects initiated by Hechenbleikner, who guided the early landscape planning for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Holshouser Hall represents the first phase of UNC Charlotte’s residential building program. The last of four 11-story high rise facilities constructed between 1969-1973, Holshhouser Hall was designed to accommodate 500 students in two hundred and fifty student rooms. Holshouser, like the preceding high-rise dormitories before it, also featured air conditioning--distinguishing them as the first residence halls constructed with state funds to offer the amenity.

The James H. Barnhardt Student Activity Center is a social and recreational center on campus, built in 1996 to be the “living room” of campus. The 232,000-square-foot center contains the 9,000-seat Halton Arena, the campus fitness center, an indoor track, recreational courts, a 50-foot indoor climbing wall, a group fitness studio, and meeting facilities. The center initially had a food court as well, along with a game room equipped with arcade games, ping pong tables, and pool tables.

UNC Charlotte broke ground on the Jerry Richardson Stadium and McColl-Richardson Field in 2011. The football field complex spans 25 acres of land and was completed in 2013. The stadium officially opened with an inaugural game against Campbell University’s Campbell Fighting Camels on August 31, 2013. The stadium is located near the campus entrance at Highway 29 on North Tryon Street.

The UNC Charlotte Main Station is the northern terminus of the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Lynx Blue Line. This light rail service connects UNC Charlotte’s main campus with its Center City Campus and extends to I-485, 18.9 miles to the south. The 9.3-mile section that links the main campus to uptown Charlotte, known as the Blue Line Extension (BLE) opened for service on Friday March 16, 2018. On that day UNC Charlotte’s Main Station was packed with approximately 1,000 students, faculty, and staff eager to be among the first to take the 22-minute ride to Center City and to enjoy the many festivities organized along the line.The distinctive sculptural seating located in the plaza on Cameron Boulevard between Main Station and Wallis Hall was commissioned by CATS and designed by Boston artist Mikyoung Kim, who also created the images on the station platform shelters. The undulating perforated stainless steel seating becomes even more dynamic at night when a choreographed lighting program is activated by pedestrians tripping motion sensors. The platform images, which are inspired by maps and time zones, respond to the shifting light cast by the daily movement of the sun shining through the glass. The installations are intended to communicate a message of movement, transformation, and flux.

This Tour is a Walking Tour .

UNC Charlotte Campus Walking Tour

Get a QR Code for this tour

Description

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte dates its founding to 1946, when the Charlotte Center opened its doors as a night school for returning World War II veterans. Three years later, the state declared the Center was no longer needed and decided to close it, which would have left the state’s largest city again with no public institution of higher education. In 1949, after intensive lobbying by founder Bonnie Cone and her allies, the state backed the establishment of Charlotte College. In 1961, the college moved to its present location, and in 1965 it became the fourth campus of the UNC system. This virtual tour can be enjoyed from any location, and includes navigation for those taking the tour in-person. The tour can be downloaded as a PDF and printed, or saved to a mobile device.

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Register for a MEES Tour

Please visit our College website for information about all of our programs.

MEES Department Tours

Prospective students and their guests are invited to tour Duke Centennial Hall and the Kulwicki Lab on select days Monday through Friday. Tours begin with an information session in the Duke Centennial Building with additional information given in confirmation emails.

Fall 2023 Tour Dates – Register Here

Once you arrive on campus, please make your way to Duke Centennial Hall located on the CRI campus, adjacent to the Jerry Richardson Stadium Complex. The physical address is 9330 Robert D Snyder Rd, Charlotte, NC 28223 (Building #57 on the Campus Map ).

Please arrive at least ten minutes prior to your first session (11:30am [Information Session] or 12:15pm [Tour start time]).

For the safety of our guests, eye protection will be provided prior to entering certain labs and closed-toe shoes are recommended.

Parking and Transportation

• Visit https://maps.charlotte.edu/ for directions and our interactive campus map.
• Visitor parking is available in the CRI Deck 2 and includes ADA Accessible Parking.
• The CRI Deck 2 is located across the street from the on campus Marriott Hotel (Building #6004 on the campus map).

Questions? Need to update your registration or cancel? Please contact [email protected].

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Self Guided Tour of Campus

We have extended the  enrollment deadline to May 15, 2024 . View the announcement .

Schedule Your Visit

Get to know Carolina through these experiences for prospective students.

In-Person Tours

Come join us for a welcome session and campus tour! Talk with current students and experience life on campus.

Self-Guided Tour

Enjoy a self-guided tour of campus.

Virtual Info Session

Join us online and hear from students and staff about the Carolina community and application process.

Experience UNC Charlotte

Virtually explore UNC Charlotte in a fully immersive 360-degree experience.

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Tour guides flock to a trivia competition that demands encyclopedic knowledge of NYC

SCOTT DETROW, HOST:

The Panorama Challenge is one of the fiercest trivia competitions in New York City. It takes place at the Queens Museum, which houses a scale model of New York that was first created for the 1964 World's Fair. This annual trivia challenge requires encyclopedic knowledge of the city and attracts those who know it best, mostly tour guides. Earlier this month, reporter Emily Malterre attended the 2024 Panorama Challenge.

JONATHAN TURER: How many people in the room have been to Panorama Challenge before?

EMILY MALTERRE, BYLINE: Quizmaster Jonathan Turer welcomes the crowd.

TURER: How many people have one Panorama Challenge before?

MALTERRE: Two hundred New York City nerds are ready for a cutthroat competition. It's the first year back from the pandemic.

MEGAN MAROD: Well, so we're all a part of team GANYC Panic. It stands for the Guides Association of New York City.

MALTERRE: Megan Marod is a proud, licensed tour guide. This eight-member team has never won the Panorama Challenge since it started in 2007.

MAROD: I think everyone's happy. It's a lot of history fanatics and New York City fanatics all, like, at a history and New York City fanatic party.

MALTERRE: The competitors are all standing on walkways above the Panorama exhibit. They look down on 895,000 miniature buildings, plus trees, roads, even a tiny plane on a string that continuously takes off and lands at the airport. It gives you the feeling that you are looming over the city. The model includes all five boroughs - Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. Ayinde Stevens is a guide who specializes in the subway and gives tours of Grand Central Terminal. He says he's mostly prepared.

AYINDE STEVENS: I feel really good tonight except for one category - Staten Island. I love New York City to death, but I barely go to Staten Island.

MALTERRE: The competition includes some general New York trivia, but half of the questions are extra niche, like this one, which starts with a clip from the movie "Enchanted."

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: The finale of this musical number takes place in front of a sculpture created by the first woman to receive a public art commission in New York City. Pros, name the sculptor.

MALTERRE: If you didn't immediately have sculptor Emma Stebbins on the tip of your tongue, don't worry, neither did I. And some questions get quite technical.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Pros, from 1951 to 1953, which agency ran the subways from the offices located above the tracks at Jay Street?

MALTERRE: There are people here who actually knew the answer...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Wow.

MALTERRE: ...The New York City Board of Transportation, which existed only until the 1950s. Sixty questions later, the judges tally up scores. David Madore, a tour guide and Broadway musician, was hopeful about GANYC Panic's chances.

You had concerns about Staten Island. How did that go?

DAVID MADORE: Well, we still have concerns about Staten Island regardless, but we seemed to come through on a few of those questions.

MALTERRE: Then it's time for the big reveal from Quizmaster Turer.

TURER: In first place...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Oh, God.

TURER: ...With 57 points, GANYC Panic.

MALTERRE: The prize for winning the Panorama Challenge? Their team name carved on a plaque and bragging rights for the rest of the year.

For NPR News, I'm Emily Malterre in New York.

(SOUNDBITE OF ZIPS SONG, "HEARTLESS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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