Things to do on a visit to... Durham, NC

#durhamnc #dukeuniversity #travel
A three-minute guide to the must-see and must-do sights and places in Durham, North Carolina, filmed during a visit in September 2023. Thanks to the students, bar staff and anyone else who pointed me in the right direction!

More journeys and stuff to watch at https://chrisrand.com/travels/

Transcript:

If you find yourself in Durham, North Carolina for a couple of days, you're not going to be short of things to see and do. As with anywhere though, do a bit of research on events and happenings first. There's nothing worse than arriving in a city, noticing there's a great event taking place, and discovering that it sold out the week before. Durham has loads of concerts, shows, festivals and sports events going on - Google is your friend here. For example, the Durham Performing Arts Center is often ranked among America’s top-five theaters, for example, and the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball and football teams are some of the best college teams in the US.

In terms of permanent features, Durham has plenty going for it. The main two points of interest are the downtown area, and the Duke University campus.

Let's start downtown, where the legacy of the tobacco industry is everywhere. Two good starting points are Preservation Durham's weekly walking tours, and the tiny Museum of Durham History, where you can find out about the city's story and also some more surprising claims to fame, such as Durham's connection to the "Stranger Things" TV series. Then wander around the American Tobacco Campus, which for decades was one of the busiest industrial centres in the country, shipping products around the world. The former warehouse and factory buildings have now been converted into restaurants, breweries, shops and events space. These extend to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and the Durham Performing Arts Center. Pose next to the iconic Durham sign and the Lucky Strike tower and chimney... or take in some Sunday afternoon patio jazz. The food and drink is great too – when I see that a town's highest rated restaurant online isn't it's most expensive, I always head straight there, and in Durham's case, it was a great call.

If it's easy to spend a day wandering downtown, it's just as easy to spend a day on the magnificent Duke University west campus, one of the most beautiful in the country. Known as "the Gothic Wonderland", it's centred around Duke Chapel, an iconic building which seats 1,600 people and is one of the tallest buildings in Durham County. Also on the campus are the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, which expand over 55 acres and have five miles of paths to follow. This is an absolutely beautiful place to spend an hour or two. Also nearby on the campus is the Nasher Museum of Art, which includes a groundbreaking collection of contemporary art. All of these places are free to wander around, and are well worth a visit.

So would I recommend a visit to Durham? Absolutely. As with anywhere, do a bit of planning first, so you don't miss out on anything, but then just see where the trip takes you.