I was a fan (still am, just don’t follow it as much anymore) of North Carolina Basketball since I was about 12 years old. I saw Vince Carter jump to the moon in a game against Duke, and I was hooked ever since.
I thought the culture, rivalry, and following UNC (University of North Carolina) had was really incredible and very infectious.
I ended up going to undergrad in the Western part of North Carolina and visiting UNC many times – for soccer games, football games, and definitely basketball games (I even got to see them play Duke at UNC – got so lucky).
Here are some photos of my very first visit to North Carolina – specifically, Chapel Hill and University of North Carolina the summer before my senior year of High School (this was for my golden birthday – I had just turned 18).
Click on photo for lightbox viewing with caption (all photos taken by Ryan with a disposable camera and edited in Adobe Lightroom)
![Out to eat at Top of the Hill in Chapel Hill.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/1-3.jpg)
![Frisbee in the hallway, as you do...](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2-3.jpg)
![Track and Field Complex at UNC.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/3-2.jpg)
![Track and Field Complex at UNC.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/4-2-1.jpg)
![Track and Field Complex at UNC](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/5-2.jpg)
!["Turn It Blue" sign at Dean Smith Center.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/6-2.jpg)
![Keenan Football Stadium - UNC's Campus.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/7-2.jpg)
![The Moorehead Planetarium on UNC's campus.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/8-2.jpg)
![Miller drinking from "The Well" at UNC.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/9-2.jpg)
![In front of Dean E. Smith Center - UNC's basketball court.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/10-2.jpg)
![Overview of UNC Court at Dean Smith Center.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/11-2.jpg)
![Lewis and I riding to Franklin Street. Lewis went on to William and Mary College.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/12-2-1.jpg)
![The Daily Tar Heel newsstand.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/13-2.jpg)
![Chapel in Chapel Hill, NC.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/14-2.jpg)
![Carolina Pride shop on Franklin Street.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/15-2.jpg)
![Bell tower at night on UNC Campus.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/16-2.jpg)
![ACC logo on UNC bball court.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/17-1.jpg)
![Photo of my friends and I outside Top of the Hill restaurant.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2005/07/18-1-1.webp)
![Top of the Hill restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC.](https://ryanlevander.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/19.jpg)
Photos by Ryan Levander are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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