Visit
Welcome! Admission to the Ackland is always free.
Hours
Mon-Tue: Closed
Wed-Sat: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sun: 1 to 5 p.m.
Second Friday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Masks are optional.
Not able to visit in person? We hope you’ll join us online to explore our materials for virtual visitors: educational resources for teachers and parents; About the Art Guides, Close Looking Kits, Look & Listen Gallery Soundtracks, and 3D digital models; an online collection search; and recorded programs like Close Looks at Cocktail Hour, artist talks, Art for Lunch conversations, and much more.
Parking
Convenient parking is available at several nearby municipal and private parking decks, as well as over 430 metered spaces within a 10-minute walk of the Ackland Art Museum. Parking validation is available for Ackland members at the Benefactor level and above.
Weeknight parking in the Ackland’s Porthole Alley lot now requires a $1 permit. Click here for more information from UNC about obtaining a weeknight parking permit.
Evening parking Friday through Sunday does not require a permit.
Use Park on the Hill to learn more about all parking options in the Town of Chapel Hill. Zoom in twice and find the Ackland on Columbia Street just south of Franklin Street, behind Top of the Hill.
LATEST PARKING INFORMATION: These road closures, slated for August 21-November 21, 2023, may affect your parking options.
Bus Lines
The Ackland and downtown Chapel Hill are easily accessible by most Chapel Hill Transit bus lines. The bus lines that travel closest to the Museum are A, CL, CW, D, F, G, HS, N, NS, and T.
Click here for a Chapel Hill Transit map of the UNC campus (The Ackland Art Museum is near top left corner, closest to Major Transfer Points 1 and 2).
The Ackland is also accessible by many Go Triangle bus lines. The Go Triangle lines that travel closest to the Museum are 400, 405, 420, CRX, and PART 4. The 800 and 805 buses travel to within a 10 minute walk from the Student Stores on UNC’s campus.
Click here for a Go Triangle system map (the Ackland Art Museum is near the left side, closest to the Downtown Chapel Hill major route stop).
As of March 7, 2022, masking is still required on Chapel Hill Transit and Triangle transit buses.

Parking & Entrance
The Ackland’s front entrance has a ramp accessible via the driveway off of Columbia Street near Franklin Street. Our front doors are not equipped with an automatic opener, but the guards at our front desk watch for visitors who may need assistance.
There are two accessible parking spaces in our Porthole Alley lot. When you arrive, pull up to the gate and ring our security desk from the call box. Visitors using the accessible parking spaces must display the appropriate University or DOT disability placard or plate. Spaces are available on a first come, first served basis. Find more accessible parking spaces on campus with the UNC Campus Accessibility map.
Inside the Museum
An elevator serves all floors of the Museum.
The Ackland has one single-user, wheelchair-accessible restroom.
Large-print interpretive materials are available.
Online
We strive to make the Ackland’s website accessible.
If you have a question or concern about our website’s accessibility features, please contact the webmaster or visit the UNC-Chapel Hill Digital Accessibility Office.
The Ackland’s social narrative is a tool that provides visitors with images and written information about what they might experience when they visit the Museum. Click here to view a PDF version of the Ackland’s social narrative. A printed copy is also available to view at the Ackland’s front desk upon request.