Durham

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The Historic Gardens terraces are among the best-known sections of Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham, North Carolina

The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University opened in 2005 and focuses on modern and contemporary art, Durham, North Carolina

The Duke Lemur Center houses one of the largest populations of lemurs outside Madagascar, Durham, North Carolina

The American Tobacco Campus turned a former cigarette factory into offices, restaurants and public space, Durham, North Carolina

About Durham

Durham grew up around tobacco. In the decades after the Civil War, factories and warehouses turned a railroad stop into an industrial town, and the Duke family's fortune later built the university that now dominates the west side of the city. The old brick tobacco buildings have since been converted into offices, apartments and restaurants, giving the Bull City an appealing mix of industrial grit and academic polish.

On the Duke campus, the Gothic Revival Duke Chapel rises above the quad, and the Sarah P. Duke Gardens next door are among the best-loved public gardens in the Southeast. The Nasher Museum of Art holds rotating exhibitions, and the Duke Lemur Center offers guided tours of the largest population of these primates outside Madagascar. Downtown, the American Tobacco Campus surrounds a man-made river and sits beside the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, home of the minor league team made famous by the film Bull Durham. Brightleaf Square and Parrish Street, once known as Black Wall Street, reveal more of the city's history.

Durham works well for food-focused travelers, families and anyone visiting the Triangle. The Museum of Life and Science is a strong pick with children, and the Hayti Heritage Center tells the story of a historic Black community. Bennett Place, east of town, marks a major Confederate surrender in 1865.

Best seasonSpring and fall bring mild weather, garden blooms and the bulk of the baseball and festival calendar.

Ideal stayTwo days covers the Duke campus, downtown and a museum, with a third for nearby Raleigh or Chapel Hill.

ArrivingRaleigh-Durham International Airport is about a twenty-minute drive, and Amtrak stops at Durham Station downtown.

WiserMap travel guideDurham North Carolina Duke Gardens and Bulls BaseballExplore Durham from Duke Chapel and Duke Gardens to the American Tobacco Campus, Bulls baseball, the Eno River, local food and a practical three-day plan.Read the guide

Top 12 Experiences in Durham

Landmarks 1

Duke Chapel

Rising 210 feet over Duke University's West Campus, this Collegiate Gothic chapel was built in the early 1930s from plans by Julia...

Gardens 1

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

Spread across about 55 acres beside Duke's West Campus, these gardens are among the most admired in the Southeast and admission is...

Museums 2

Nasher Museum of Art

Duke University's art museum opened in 2005 in a building by architect Rafael Vinoly, a cluster of pavilions around a glass-roofed...

Museum of Life and Science

Covering more than 80 acres north of downtown, this hands-on museum blends indoor science halls with an outdoor park full of anima...

Wildlife 1

Duke Lemur Center

Founded in 1966, the Duke Lemur Center cares for the largest and most diverse population of lemurs outside Madagascar, with more t...

Neighborhoods 2

American Tobacco Campus

Once the factory where the American Tobacco Company made Lucky Strike cigarettes, this sprawling red-brick complex now holds offic...

Brightleaf Square and Parrish Street

These two downtown spots tell Durham's story of tobacco money and Black enterprise. Brightleaf Square occupies a pair of handsome...

Sports 1

Durham Bulls Athletic Park

Home of the Durham Bulls, the Triple-A team made famous by the 1988 film Bull Durham, this downtown ballpark opened in 1995 and of...

History 2

Bennett Place State Historic Site

In April 1865, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston met Union General William T. Sherman in the farmhouse of James and Nancy Ben...

Duke Homestead State Historic Site

This modest farm on the north side of Durham is where Washington Duke grew and packaged tobacco after the Civil War, laying the fo...

Arts and Culture 1

Durham Central Park and the Hayti Heritage Center

Durham Central Park is a green downtown gathering place where the Durham Farmers' Market sets up on Saturday mornings, with local...

Parks 1

Eno River State Park and West Point on the Eno

The Eno River winds through forested hills on the north edge of Durham, and its banks are protected thanks to residents who campai...

Businesses in Durham

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Top-rated local businesses in Durham, with real reviews on WiserMap.

Garden Center

For Garden's Sake

4.6(5)

9197 NC-751, Durham

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Flooring Contractor

ORTIZ FLOORING INC

3518 Wortham St, Durham

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Paving Contractor

Ruston Paving Co., Inc.

3874 S Alston Ave, Durham

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Plant Nursery

Kiefer Landscaping Inc

5.0(4)

2450 S Alston Ave, Durham

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Lawn Care Service

Agape Lawn Company

5.0(3)

2314 S Miami Blvd #252, Durham

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Flooring Contractor

Flooring by Design

4.3(4)

5337 N Roxboro St, Durham

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Flooring Contractor

Triangle Floors NC LLC

5.0(4)

3161 Hillsborough Rd suite B, Durham

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Mobile Phone Repair

Phone Repair Durham

4600 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd unit 23-1 inside halal bazar grocery store, Durham

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Photo credits

Photo: Sdkb, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ildar Sagdejev (Specious), Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: self, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: David Haring / Duke Lemur Center, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Warren LeMay, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Photo: Sisipherr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Discover Durham, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

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Photo: Ildar Sagdejev (Specious), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Ildar Sagdejev (Specious), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Ildar Sagdejev (Specious), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Warren LeMay from Cullowhee, NC, United States, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Photo: Warren LeMay from Covington, KY, United States, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

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Photo: Warren LeMay from Cullowhee, NC, United States, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Photo: Sdkb, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ildar Sagdejev (Specious), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: RadioFan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photo: David Haring / Duke Lemur Center, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Warren LeMay from Covington, KY, United States, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Photo: DiscoA340, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sisipherr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: DiscoA340, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Melissa Platero, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Yeibisawes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Melissa Platero, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Aigrette, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Ildar Sagdejev (Specious), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: bobistraveling, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0