<p>We are from New England but my son has decided that he would like to go to a college in a more moderate climate- more spring/summer and fall weather than winter. We are thinking of visiting North Carolina this summer and possibly visiting Elon and UNC-Chapel Hill. Anybody have any ideas of how we can combine seeing both schools but also enjoy some sightseeing in those area given that we only have a week to drive down and back and visit the schools?</p>
<p>They are 35 minutes away from each other so shouldn’t be a problem…</p>
<p>UNC is very difficult to get into for out of state students - just fyi. Not sure if that would be a concern or factor - but something to be aware of before you make the trip. The Outerbanks is not too far -a couple hour drive. There seems to be a lot to do there - we are going to make our first trip there in August. You might also post on the threads for those schools - as the parents from each school might have more specific sight seeing ideas.</p>
<p>We live in Mass and my daughter is a student at Elon. Frankly, although both Elon and UNC-CH are beautiful schools, there’s not a lot of other “sightseeing in the area.” That said, I suggest:</p>
<p>Drive at least one way on I-81 thru PA and northern VA. Beautiful drive thru Pennsylvania Dutch country and the Shenandoah Valley. Take 81-S to 64-E to US 29-S for a beautiful drive thru the VA mountains. Possible stops along the way include Hershey Park in PA, Gettysburg (college and historical sites), Luray Caverns in VA, Monticello in VA. </p>
<p>If you’re touring UNC-CH, at least drive over and drive around Duke. It’s worth seeing and less than a 20 minute drive from Chapel Hill. </p>
<p>While at Elon, enjoy the beautiful campus and fountains. There’s not a whole lot thats tour/sightseeing worthy in the area, but it is a nice place to live.</p>
<p>I second the idea to see both UNC - Chapel Hill and Duke. Both have truly beautiful campuses. Attended a wedding in the Duke gardens in 2009 and it was one of the loveliest I’ve ever been to. </p>
<p>Please preface the trip with "almost nobody gets into UNC or DUKE (out of state for UNC I mean.) My Step-D’s school took Juniors on a college bus trip in the Fall. Guidance Counselor did not do a good job of discussing admit rates, score ranges, etc with the class. Step-D said everybody got back on the bus wanting to go to UNC. sigh. Since I’ve been very candid with all of the schools ‘stats’, it was up to Step-D to educate some of her classmates on what it would take to even be in the pool of applicants for UNC. </p>
<p>Elon is beautiful but very small. Very very different from UNC. There a 1000 other schools in North Carolina (and Virginia) to look at. Perhaps adding some of them to the list might make it a more well rounded trip?</p>
<p>How many student at UNC - Chapel Hill are from OOS? Do you have stats? Thanks.</p>
<p>Would not term Elon “very small”…over 5.000 students…relative to UNC, yes, but only slightly smaller than Duke…</p>
<p>By statute, only 18% of UNC students can be out of state residents.</p>
<p>Yes, it would be very easy to see both schools. I have a child an UNC-CH and another starting at NC State next year. What is your son interested in studying? As was mentioned above, Duke is also nearby and Davidson is about 2 hours from the Chapel Hill area. If you want to include a beach trip, you could visit UNC-Wilmington.</p>
<p>As far as sight seeing in Raleigh, look here [Raleigh</a> Attractions: Activities in Raleigh, NC by 10Best](<a href=“http://www.10best.com/destinations/north-carolina/raleigh/attractions/]Raleigh”>http://www.10best.com/destinations/north-carolina/raleigh/attractions/) ,</p>
<p>If you tour Chapel Hill and want to stay on or within walking distance of campus, stay at [Historic</a> Hotels Downtown Chapel Hill | The Carolina Inn | University of North Carolina Hotels](<a href=“Chapel Hill Hotels Near UNC | The Carolina Inn – Official Site”>http://www.carolinainn.com/) or [The</a> Franklin Hotel, Chapel Hill, NC](<a href=“http://www.franklinhotelnc.com/]The”>http://www.franklinhotelnc.com/) . </p>
<p>If you visit Davidson, you are near the Charlotte Motor Speedway. This area is the hub of Nascar and the Speedway tour is pretty cool, even if you’re not a big racing fan.</p>
<p>I agree with Laf. Travel down 81 as much as possible. It is beautiful through the mountains.</p>
<p>I’m nearby both schools. If you are driving to look at schools, Wake Forest and Davidson are also close enough to include in a college tour trip. However, I want to clarify an earlier post. You can get to the coast in 2.5 hours or so. You could travel to Wilmington and tour UNC-W, but it is a longer drive to get to Nags Head or Ocracoke, the area of the state people usually mean when they say the Outer Banks. It is 4 or more hours and less of the drive is on an interstate.</p>
<p>You might add Wake Forest and Davidson on your visit list. And if you are driving I-81 at least one way, you could add James Madison University. UVA and Virginia Tech are also a reasonable drive. I have a freshman at UNC, and we visited all of these in one spring break trip a couple of years ago. (We drove from Maryland, taking a giant loop. You are also passing near U-MD, Georgetown, American, Towson, Goucher, Catholic as you pass through Maryland and the beltway around DC.)</p>
<p>Agree. There are lots of other schools. I would add NC State Univ. to the list. It’s only 40 minutes from Chapel Hill. Wake Forest University is about an hour from Elon.<br>
UNC Wilmington is on the coast if you’d like to combine a college visit with a couple of days at the beach (Wrightsville Beach). It’s about two and half hours fr. Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>Sorry,MaterMia…the Outer Banks is way more than a couple of hours from Chapel Hill. It’s four to four and half hours away. A trip to the southeastern beaches of NC is a shorter drive.</p>
<p>We are doing the same spring break trip, but going down I95 and seeing William & Mary and Richmond as well. My dad wanted to tack on Furman and UNC Asheville (just to go to Asheville and see the Biltmore) but that’s just soooo much. I’d rather spend a couple of days at the beach!</p>
<p>My D got into UNC Chapel Hill OOS this year, it is not impossible. You could also fly down and rent a car.</p>
<p>I didn’t say it was impossible for OOS to get in - just difficult. Not knowing the OP’s stats of the student - just didn’t want that to be a factor AFTER the fact. It is more difficult that a lot of state schools, and not everyone realizes that beforehand.</p>
<p>Our high school had three in my son’s class get in- two accepted and one waitlisted who found out June 1ish she got in. Not impossible - just difficult. As is Duke. I do not know as much about the other school’s mentioned in the area.</p>