City Guide: Eight FREE Things to Do in Durham, North Carolina

On a recent road trip, we enjoyed a weekend exploring Durham, North Carolina. The “City of Medicine” of almost 300,000 people is known for being the home of Duke University and home of what was once the world’s largest tobacco company (W. Dukes and Sons). Formerly known as the “Bull City” because of the Bull Durham brand of the Blackwell Tobacco Company (which became the American Tobacco Company) that used a bull as its logo, Durham is located in the central part of North Carolina and is less than 30 minutes from the popular Chapel Hill area and the state Capitol of Raleigh. There are dozens of family friendly museums, attractions, outdoor activities to enjoy throughout Durham; this list is just a small gathering of some activities we enjoyed, all FREE all year!

Planning a Visit: We found the DiscoverDurham.com website very helpful- well organized itineraries organized by theme, season, and interest, as well as a full calendar that is frequently updated. The annual Visitor’s Guide is a great print resource to “post it note” and get ideas for attractions, dining, and lodging options.  The self guided walking tour of Downtown Durham is also very helpful for visitors. Discover Durham has a public Visitor Info Center located on West Main Street in the historic Trust Building with welcoming staff who can offer personal recommendations and tons of print brochures. The Visitor Info Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am-5pm. The mobile app can also help with planning, information, and directions. Other helpful guides and maps here and here and here. 

Staying Local: We always stay at Marriott properties when we travel, and this trip we had a positive stay at the Courtyard Durham near Duke University, which we chose because it was close to many places we wanted to visit. There are also Marriott properties around the Durham area, including two in the City Center. Four historic, local hotels that are quite popular are the Durham Hotel (we had dinner one night on the rooftop restaurant, which was great!), the Unscripted Durham, the 21c Museum Hotel, and the Washington Duke Inn. See a good index of hotels here.

Dining Local: There are so many dining options throughout Durham to appease every palette and culture. We enjoyed more casual meals throughout our weekend stay at Bull City Burger and Brew, Cocoa Cinnamon, Cugino Forno and Hi Wire Brewery, and the Durham Hotel rooftop Bar. See good indexes of dining options here and here. 

Getting around town: We found it easy to drive around the Durham area, with lots of accessible metered street parking (using the ParkMobile app). There are also plenty of parking garages near major attractions, and all garages are free on the weekends. Find more information about GoDurham! Transit here. See good maps of the area here and here. 

Eight FREE Things to Do in Durham:

1. Tour the remnants of a 18th-19th century plantation at Historic Stagville. The largest plantation NOT on the coast in North Carolina, the land was purchased by the Bennehan and Cameron families in 1787 and operated until the 1950s, with thousands of enslaved workers over its 200 years of existence, with over 900 people enslaved just in 1865. Today, the 165 acre State Historic Site focuses on the lives and working conditions of the enslaved women, men, and children of the plantation. While visitors cannot go inside the structures on their own, a self guide map, placards, and audio tour provides the historical context of each structure. The Bennehan House, tobacco barn, and outline of the remnants of the enslaved house and kitchen foundation are located near the Visitor Center. The Great Barn, row of houses in Horton Grove, and Hart House are located one mile down Jock Road.
   Travel Tips: Open Tuesday through Saturday from 9am-5pm; plenty of free parking in front of the Visitor Center; Visitor Center has restrooms and a small gift shop with photography exhibit; guided tours (11am, 1pm, 3pm) are offered for a nominal fee; no dining options on site; drive between the Visitor Center side of the property and the Great Barn; plan on one hour to explore both sites. 
2. Trace the timeline of important moments in Durham’s history at the Museum of Durham History. Located in a former bus station, the small museum has exhibits about the famous buildings that define Durham’s skyline, restoration projects, the 1957 Royal Ice Cream Parlor sit-in, and influential Durhamites such as Eliza Bennett Duke, Richard Fitzgerald, John Green, and Margaret Faucette. There’s also a children’s area with books, games, and puzzles.
   Travel Tips: The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am-5pm; no designated parking- metered street parking nearby; a small gift kiosk and restrooms on site; no dining options on site; special events and programs here; plan on 30 minutes to explore the exhibits. 

3. Walk down Parrish Street, known as Black Wall Street, and learn about the thriving financial hub of African American businesses in the late 19th and early 20th century. Mechanics and Farmers Bank and North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company were located on Parrish Street. In the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited the area in support of sit-ins to advocate for the Civil Rights movement. There are six art sculptures and placards highlighting significant people and events in the Gardens, located at the corner of Parrish Street and N. Magnum Street.
   Read more about the African American Heritage Guide Project here. 
4. Learn all about the largest smoking tobacco company in the world and the life of its founder at the Duke Homestead. Washington Duke grew his tobacco business from a small factory on his estate (now part of the museum) to the G. Duke & Sons company that eventually endowed the creation of Duke University. The indoor museum includes exhibits that showcase the Duke family history and evolution of the company and explain the tobacco industry, including farming tools and machines, maps of tobacco producing areas in America, and collectible items. The quarter mile outdoor trail takes visitors to see the factories, smokehouse, wellhouse, springhouse, and grape arbor.
   Travel Tips: The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am-5pm; the Visitor Center has a gift kiosk and restrooms; large parking lot in front of Visitor Center; no dining options on site; guided tours are available (10:15am, 12:15pm, 2:15pm) for a nominal fee; plan on an hour to explore indoor exhibits and more time to walk down to the historic structures. 

5. See the site of the “surrender that ended the Civil War” at Bennett Place. Another North Carolina State Historic Site, Bennett Place is the spot where General Sherman and General Johnston met to negotiate the end of the Civil War. The indoor museum includes an introductory film “Dawn of Peace” and galleries that showcase the history of the Bennett family and their involvement in the end of the Civil War, with displays of military weapons used in battle and farm tools used on the farm. Visitors can also walk to the Bennett home to see (with a guide) three furnished rooms, including the famous parlor and kitchen. Be sure to stop at the Unity Monument, dedicated in 1923, and take time to enjoy some of the nature trails throughout the property.
   Travel Tips: Bennett Place is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5pm; guided tours are offered at 11am, 1pm, 3pm for a nominal charge; large parking lot in front of the Visitor Center; Visitor Center has small gift kiosk and restrooms; no dining options on site; check here for special programs and events; plan on one hour for indoor exhibits and outdoor exploration. 
6. Walk through almost five miles of trails and 55 acres of gardens at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens on the Duke University Campus. Opened in 1939, the gardens have expanded with many auditions over the past 80 years. Some of the most popular areas include the Terrace Gardens, Water Lilies and Koi, Ruth Mary Meyer Japanese Garden (the red bridge!), Butterfly Garden, and Azalea Court. The garden is undergoing a massive “Garden Gateway” expansion to include a Welcome Center and Cafe, expanded green spaces, and learning spaces- read more about it here.
   Travel Tips: The gardens are open to the public 8am-dusk; there is a large parking lot (Lot “H”) located on 2000 Lewis Street that visitors can use on the weekends-see info on parking garages for weekday visits here; a kiosk near the entrance has maps and guides; no facilities open while under construction; plan on 60-90 minutes to walk through the entire complex; see a map of the gardens here and a map of Duke University here and here. Note: The Gardens are currently under construction, so check here for the most up to date information on hours, accessibility, and parking. 

7. Celebrate Duke University’s storied basketball history at the Duke Basketball Museum on the Duke University campus. The Duke men’s basketball team has won five national championships (and made 11 appearances in the final) under the coaching of Hall of Fame coach, 42 year coach Mike Krzyzewski. The museum, opened in 2010, is located in the Schwartz-Butters Athletic Building, next to Cameron Stadium, the home of both the men’s and women’s teams. The museum includes tons of trivia about the history of the teams, displays dedicated to Krzyzewski, the Olympics teams, policies related to the infamous “tenting” students compete to earn tickets to the Duke/UNC Chapel Hill game, and videos of important moments in the teams’ history. The adjacent Rubenstein Pavillion has six interactive touch screens and displays about the teams.
   Travel Tips: The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10am-4pm; the museum is accessible from the northside of Cameron Stadium or McClendon Plaza on the west side; public parking is available in nearby lots around campus- see maps and info here; restrooms located inside the museum; the Duke Campus store is located a short walk; plan on 30-45 minutes to explore the museum. 
8. Get up close to several world class art exhibits at the Nasher Museum of Art on the Duke University campus. Formerly named the Duke University Museum of Art and founded in 1969 with a donation of 200 medieval works from the Ernest Brummer Collection, the museum moved to a building in the heart of the Duke campus after a donation from alum and art collector Raymond D. Nasher in 2005. Summer 2025 exhibits include On the Same Wave Length, Art of the Andes ceramics and textiles of cultures from across the Andes region of South America (one of the museum’s largest collections, with over 800 works donated to the museum by the Clifford family), and a Cannupa Hanska Luger exhibit entitled “Speechless” of sculptures and large scale installations used to “amplify Indigenous voices that counter colonists and anthropological gaze”, according to the exhibit description, and the Collections Galleries. The museum is currently under expansion to include a new and expected to be completed by fall 2025. Note: Most of the art is displayed throughout exhibition rooms without barriers or protection, so keep a close eye on little children.
   Travel Tips: The museum is open Thursday through Sunday during the summer, with extended hours on Thursday evening; restrooms and a Museum Shop managed by Parker Paper Company are available inside the museum; parking is available in nearby lots- see more info here; the Nasher Café is currently under renovation; guided tours are offered on Thursday and Saturday; see the calendar of programs and events (check out Family Days and open Studio Days for kids!) here; plan on 60-75 minutes to explore museum. Note: The museum was under renovation when we visited in June 2024- get up to date information on construction here.