Durham built itself on tobacco money, spent a good deal of it on Duke University, and has spent the last twenty years turning the old factories into a downtown. This guide ranks fifteen picks, from Sarah P. Duke Gardens and Duke Chapel to Historic Stagville and the Museum of Life and Science, with what each one costs and when it is open.
The top 15, ranked
Ranked from official sources: North Carolina Historic Sites, North Carolina State Parks, Duke University and each venue's own admission page. Prices and opening shapes were read from the operator's own site.
- Top pick
1Best for gardens · #1 of 15
Sarah P. Duke Gardens
Botanic GardenDuke campusgrounds open daily year round from morning until sunset, with the welcome center and parking on their own scheduleFreeDuke University's botanic garden sits in the middle of West Campus and costs nothing to enter, funded by members and donors. The grounds open every single day of the year from morning until sunset, which makes it the most reliable stop on this list.
Local tipThe grounds stay open every day of the year even when the welcome center and the parking lot close for university holidays.
- Top pick
#2Best for architecture · #2 of 15Duke Chapel
Historic LandmarkDuke campusopen to visitors outside services, with a Sunday morning worship service and a separate concert programFreeThe Gothic revival chapel stands at the center of Duke's West Campus and is the building most people picture when they picture Durham. It holds a Sunday morning worship service, and its organ and carillon programs run through the year.
Local tipRegular chapel visiting is open, but some evening concerts in the building, such as Handel's Messiah, need a purchased ticket.
- Top pick
3Best for families · #3 of 15
Museum of Life and Science
Science MuseumNorth Durhamopen seven days a week, with members entering an hour before general admission$10 to $25Eighty four acres on Murray Avenue hold a science museum that is mostly outdoors, with a butterfly house, a train and animal habitats alongside the indoor galleries. Daily drop in hands on programs run without booking.
Local tipMembers and early arrivals get in at nine in the morning, an hour before general admission opens.
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4Best for history · #4 of 15
Historic Stagville
Historic SiteNorth Durham Countyopen Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday, Monday and designated state holidaysFree with paid optionsOne of the largest plantations in pre Civil War North Carolina, where the Bennehan and Cameron families enslaved more than 900 people by 1860. The 165 acre site preserves the 1799 Bennehan house, the 1851 Horton Grove quarters built by enslaved carpenters, and an 1860 barn.
Local tipOutdoor self guided walking is free on any open day, while the guided tour that takes you inside the buildings runs on a set schedule and costs a small fee.
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5Best for art · #5 of 15
Nasher Museum of Art
Art MuseumDuke campusopen Tuesday through Sunday with one late evening on Thursdays, closed MondaysFreeDuke's art museum near East Campus states that admission is always free, which makes it one of the better value stops in the Triangle. Parking sits in a Duke lot on Alexander Avenue and is charged by the hour.
Local tipThursday is the one late evening of the week, when the galleries stay open until nine rather than closing at five.
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6Best for food · #6 of 15
American Tobacco Campus
Historic DistrictDowntown Durhamopen air district with individual restaurants and tenants keeping their own hoursFreeThe tobacco factory complex that started here in 1890 is now the spine of downtown, holding restaurants, offices and an outdoor event lawn along a water feature. The ballpark, the performing arts center and American Underground all sit against it.
Local tipCheck the campus event calendar before going, because the lawn programming and a Durham Bulls game will change how busy the whole district is.
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7Best for hiking · #7 of 15
Eno River State Park
State ParkNorthwest Durhamgate hours vary by access area and season, visitor center open dailyFreeSeven separate access areas follow the Eno River with roughly thirty miles of hiking between them, including the Cascades. There is no day use fee, and the river is shallow enough in most places to be a swift and quiet backdrop rather than an obstacle.
Local tipPick your access point before you set out, because gate hours differ between them and the Cole Mill access was closed at the time of writing.
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8Best for baseball · #8 of 15
Durham Bulls Athletic Park
BallparkDowntown Durhamoperates on a game day and event schedule rather than general opening hoursTicketedThe Durham Bulls play here as the Tampa Bay Rays affiliate, in a downtown park built into the American Tobacco district rather than out by a highway. The venue also books concerts and events outside the baseball calendar.
Local tipTickets are sold per game rather than at a standing price, and the park runs non baseball events too, so check the schedule even out of season.
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9Best for history · #9 of 15
Duke Homestead State Historic Site
Historic SiteNorth Durhamopen Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday, Monday and designated state holidaysFree with paid optionsThis is where Washington Duke first grew and processed tobacco, preserving the family home, the early factories and the farm. The money made here went on to fund Duke University, so it explains most of the rest of this list.
Local tipGeneral admission and the self guided grounds are free, but a guided tour of the buildings costs extra.
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10Best for history · #10 of 15
Bennett Place State Historic Site
Historic SiteWest Durhamopen Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday, Monday and designated state holidaysFree with paid optionsGenerals Johnston and Sherman met at this farmhouse in April 1865 to negotiate the largest troop surrender of the American Civil War, ending the fighting across the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. It is a small site that carries a great deal of weight.
Local tipGo earlier in the day in summer, since the extra guided tours are often shortened or cancelled in extreme heat.
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11Best for food · #11 of 15
Durham Farmers Market
MarketDowntown DurhamSaturdays year round with shorter winter hours, plus a spring through fall midweek marketFreeA producer only market, meaning every item is grown or made by the person selling it and sourced within seventy miles. It runs at Durham Central Park on Saturdays all year, with a second midweek market through the growing season.
Local tipThe Wednesday market only runs from mid April to mid October, so a Saturday visit is the reliable one.
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12Best for wildlife · #12 of 15
Duke Lemur Center
Wildlife CenterDuke campusno walk up access, tours run on a set schedule at weekends and one weekday eveningTicketedThe center houses nearly 250 lemurs across twelve species, the most diverse population outside Madagascar. It is a research facility rather than a zoo, so every visit is a booked tour.
Local tipReserve well ahead. The center states plainly that walk in visitors cannot be accommodated at all.
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13Best for history · #13 of 15
Museum of Durham History
History MuseumDowntown Durhamopen Tuesday through Sunday, with late opening on third FridaysFreeA free museum on West Main Street that tells the city's history through staff and community contributors rather than one official voice. Its Museum Without Walls program puts exhibits at sites around the city.
Local tipLook beyond the main building for the pop up exhibits, which have included community sites such as Geer Cemetery.
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14Best for culture · #14 of 15
Hayti Heritage Center
Cultural CenterHaytiopen Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and MondayFreeHoused in a church building dating to 1891, the center has preserved and programmed Durham's African American heritage since 1975. Hayti was one of the most prosperous Black business districts in the country before urban renewal cut through it.
Local tipCheck the events calendar first, because a great deal of the programming here is free and open to the public.
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15Best for evenings · #15 of 15
Durham Performing Arts Center
Performing Arts VenueDowntown Durhamoperates on a performance schedule rather than general opening hoursTicketedThe largest performing arts venue in the Carolinas by attendance sits in the American Tobacco district and books touring Broadway, concerts and comedy. It is the reason a lot of the surrounding restaurants stay busy on weeknights.
Local tipPrices are set per event rather than at a standing rate, so check the specific show rather than assuming a flat ticket price.
Where things cluster
Durham splits into a compact downtown built out of old tobacco warehouses, the Duke campus about two miles west of it, Hayti immediately south, and the state historic sites and the Eno River spread out into the county beyond.
- Downtown and the American Tobacco districtThe redeveloped American Tobacco Campus and the streets around it, holding the ballpark, the performing arts center, the history museum and most of the city's restaurants.
- Duke campus and Ninth StreetThe university's East and West campuses hold the chapel, the gardens, the art museum and the lemur center, with a compact strip of independent shops and restaurants on Ninth Street alongside them.
- Brightleaf DistrictA shopping and dining district built inside two restored tobacco warehouses on the western edge of downtown, walkable from the American Tobacco Campus.
- Hayti, south of downtownA historically Black neighborhood anchored by the Hayti Heritage Center, preserving the story of what was one of the country's most prosperous Black business districts.
Make it a day
Duke in the morning, downtown after
Start on the Duke campus with the gardens and the chapel, which sit within a short walk of each other and cost nothing. Add the Nasher Museum of Art if the weather turns, since it is free and close by. Spend the afternoon downtown on the American Tobacco Campus, working through the Museum of Durham History and the Brightleaf warehouses, and stay for a Durham Bulls game or a show at the performing arts center if the schedule lines up.
City on day one, the history sites on day two
Give the first day to the Duke campus and downtown, taking in the gardens, the chapel and the American Tobacco district, and starting at the Durham Farmers Market if it is a Saturday morning. On the second day drive out to the state historic sites, pairing Historic Stagville and Duke Homestead, which together tell the story of where the tobacco money came from and what it cost. Finish along the Eno River, choosing an access area in advance since gate hours differ between them.
Map
Best time to visit
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Spring and fall are the comfortable months for the Duke gardens, the Eno River trails and the outdoor half of the science museum. Summer is humid and hot enough that the state historic sites shorten or cancel their extra guided tours during heat advisories, so start early if you are visiting them then. Winter narrows the outdoor options but the chapel, the museums and the performing arts season all run, and the farmers market keeps a Saturday schedule all year.
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Durham things to do FAQ
Cost, timing, booking and geography answers for a smoother visit.
What is Durham, North Carolina known for?
Durham is known for Duke University, for the tobacco industry that built the city and funded that university, and for turning those old factories into the American Tobacco Campus downtown. It is also known for a strong restaurant scene and for the Durham Bulls.
How many days do you need in Durham?
One full day covers the Duke campus and downtown, which is where most of the free highlights sit. A second day is worth adding for the state historic sites at Stagville, Duke Homestead and Bennett Place, and for the Eno River, since all of those are spread out into the county.
What are the best free things to do in Durham?
Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Duke Chapel, the Nasher Museum of Art, the Museum of Durham History, the Hayti Heritage Center, the American Tobacco Campus, the Durham Farmers Market and Eno River State Park all cost nothing to visit. The three state historic sites are free to enter, with guided tours charged separately.
Is Durham the same trip as Raleigh?
They are separate cities about twenty five miles apart and each holds a full day on its own. Durham is more compact and more walkable in its core, and its highlights cluster around Duke and the old tobacco district rather than around a state capitol.
Can you just turn up at the Duke Lemur Center?
No. The center states plainly that walk in visitors cannot be accommodated, and every visit runs as a prepaid booked tour on a set schedule. Reserve well ahead, since it is a research facility rather than a zoo.
What is there to do in Durham with kids?
The Museum of Life and Science is the strongest option, with eighty four acres that are mostly outdoors and daily drop in programs. A Durham Bulls game, the Duke gardens and a booked Duke Lemur Center tour all work well with children too.
Keep planning
Use these nearby guides to extend a Durham trip with a different pace and a clear next stop.
Image credits. Hero: Warren LeMay / Wikimedia Commons, CC0. 2 Duke Chapel: Warren LeMay / Wikimedia Commons, CC0.