Durham Bull's Baseball Game Saturday Night, July 14
The ball game is a wonderful civic event with all kinds of kid-related activities. To get kids involved arrive a bit early and sign them up!
American Dance Festival July 14
Monday Morning Brunch
Shopping and Other Things to do in Durham
Definitely check out the Independent Weekly – it's the local paper which lists everything to do in the area. Use the scroll down menus at the top!
1. Durham Bulls Baseball Game – we have tickets in the same section reserved for Saturday night, but they will also have a Friday night game with fireworks if you're dying to go to two baseball games when you're in town!
2. Kayaking/Canoeing/Paddleboats – On both the Eno River (North Durham) and on the nearby lakes and rivers (e.g., Lake Jordan, Umstead Park). We recommend kayaking on the Eno River (We've used this kayak rental place. When it's really hot make sure to wear a swimsuit and pull over somewhere to jump right in!
3. Live music – there is live music pretty much every single evening of the week mostly in Chapel Hill but also in Durham (e.g., Thursday afternoons in the American Tobacco District near the ballpark) and many times during the daytime on weekends. Information about bands in town can be found on the independent website
4. Restaurants in town
Brightleaf Square Area
Alivia's Bistro – tasty, nice yet casual dining with great outdoor seating near Brightleaf Square in downtown Durham. 900 W Main St., Durham, NC 27701 (919) 682-8978.
Piazza Italia. Another new restaurant in town, located across the street from Alivia's Bistro (above). Good Italian food with huuuuuuuuuge servings and homemade gelato. Built inside of an historic tobacco warehouse built between early 1900s, this restaurant has a nice feel to it (we almost held the wedding there!) 905 W Main St., Durham, NC 27701 (919) 956-7360
The Federal. Retro cool bar/restaurant with nice outdoor seating. Tasty food, much better than you would expect. They make a mean Shrimp and Grits (if it's on the menu). 914 W Main St., Durham, NC 27701 (919) 680-8611
Fishmonger's. Seafood seafood and more seafood! Good food, not too pricey for the portions. 806 W. Main Street, Durham, NC 27701 (919) 682-0128
9th Street Area
Cosmic Cantina – Best and cheapest Mexican food in town (both Sara and Jef agree). Tasty carne asada burritos (reminds Sara of LA), awarded “Best Burrito” in the triangle area by the Independent Weekly three years running! It has the added plus of being open until 4 a.m. (in case you're hungry in the wee hours of the night!). Not much ambiance, but you're there for the food. Located right off of 9th St. near East Campus. 1920 1/2 Perry St., Durham, NC 27705 Phone: (919) 286-1875
Elmo's Diner. Best diner in town (reminds Sara of New Jersey). Basic diner food plus. 776 Ninth St., Durham (919) 416-3823
Francesca's Dessert Caffe – Nice coffee shop, free wireless, good pastries and gelato. Sara's favorite place to work away from the lab. 706 9th St # B, Durham (919) 286-4177
Other Areas But Worth the Drive
Fosters. Sara's favorite brunch place with darn good lunch too! Nice garden seating (Jef and Sara both love the Thai Chicken wrap here!) 2694 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd., Durham, NC 27707 (919) 489-3944
Tyler's Taproom. Located in the American Tobacco district, this pub/restaurant has every beer you want on tap plus tasty salads and burgers (Sara looooooves the Pear salad with steak!). Pool tables, foosball, and video games in back room, nice outdoor seating (with live music on Thursday evenings) in front. 324 Blackwell Street, Suite 400, Durham 27701, Phone: 919.433.0345
5. Walk through Duke Gardens – where the wedding will be held. Gorgeous! Great place for a picnic or a walk.
6. Umstead Park and Duke Forest – not too far from us – both fantastic!!! For those looking for a challenging running course, try the 3.1 mile loop around the golf course in the Duke Forest. (There is one MONSTER hill in the middle.) At Umstead, most of the trails are more “natural,” lending better to hiking rather than jogging.
7. Visit the Duke Chapel – Gorgeous chapel built as the center of Duke’s campus. Walkable from the Duke Gardens and a must-see if it is your first visit to Durham. Reminiscent of the great cathedrals of Europe.
8. Durham Farmer's Market – Saturday mornings in Downtown Durham.
9. Walk around Franklin Street of Chapel Hill. The main street of a typical college town with lots of shops, restaurants, and taverns. Contiguous to campus of UNC-Chapel Hill, which may even rival that of Duke!
10. Go to the NC Zoo in AsheboroState’s zoo is a real treat for kids and adults alike. Highlights both North American and African species, and now includes a brand new Australian section. Jef is a supporting member of the Zoo, and suggests the polar bear, otter, sea lion, giraffe, gorilla, patas monkey, chimpanzee, and lion exhibits as the best crowd pleasers. Note that this a *large* zoo. Walking through all exhibits takes a full day and will cover about 5 miles! Mapquest says the trip is 90 minutes each way, but it only takes us about 70 minutes. (Ask Jef for a faster route.) 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205. (800) 488-0444
11. Go to a Museum – many of them! Lots of family fun!
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. One of the largest planetariums in the United States, is located on the north end of the campus of UNC at Chapel Hill. Complete with a 68-foot, domed Star Theater and Zeiss Model VI Star Projector, scientific exhibits and classrooms, 24-inch Cassegrain reflecting telescope and observation decks, and rose gardens. Will delight students and visitors of all ages with all interests. 250 East Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC 27599. (919) 962-1236
NC Museum of Life & Science. The best bet for kids 13 and under! They can really get their hands on the displays! Jef’s nephew Tyler *loved* this museum when he was a younger lad. Info from their website: Packed with highly interactive exhibits, the Museum of Life and Science showcases aerospace, weather, geology, Carolina wildlife, farmyard, train rides, traveling exhibits, gift shops, café and more culminating with the tropical Magic Wings Butterfly House and Bayer CropScience Insectarium. 433 Murray Ave, Durham, NC 27704. (919) 220-5429.
NC Museum of Art. 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC 27607. (919) 839-6262. Not far from the RDU airport, the museum’s permanent collection is surprisingly broad, including Roman and Egyptian, African, European masters - including Rubens, Monet, Botticelli, Raphael, etc - and Americans such as Winslow Homer, Thomas Cole, and William Merritt Chase. Free admission for the permanent collection. Special collections may include a special charge. Special exhibit in July = “The Big Picture” (large scale photography)
Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Located on Duke’s central campus, the Nasher Museum was designed by Rafael Vinoly and completed in 2005, with a permanent collection of over 13,000 works of art. The permanent collection is strong in four core areas: medieval and Renaissance art, African art, ancient American (pre-Columbian) art and Classical sculpture. Current special exhibit = “Street Level” and includes the works of three promising early career artists: Mark Bradford, William Cordova and Robin Rhode. Suggested admission price = $5.
Exploris. Located 25 minutes from Durham in downtown Raleigh, this museum is especially attractive to kids because of its interactive nature. Also has goodies for the adults, including an IMAX theater. 201 East Hargett St. Raleigh, NC 27601. (919) 834-4040.
NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Located right near Exploris in downtown Raleigh, this museum is also a great family excursion. 11 W. Jones St., Raleigh, NC 27601-1029. (919)733.7450 or tollfree 877.4NATSCI.
12. Cat Walks - Information, stories & close-up views of tigers, leopards, jaguars, servals, caracals, ocelots & binturongs; $10, $5 ages 6-12, free ages 5 & under. Reservations required. Twilight Tours: Saturdays, 6 pm: These special walks during the most active part of the predators’ days are only available to ages 13+; $20. Reservations required. Saturdays, Sundays, 10 a.m. & 1 p.m. Carnivore Preservation Trust, 1940 Hanks Chapel Rd, Pittsboro, 919-542-4684.
13. Bodies, the Exhibit – at the Streets of South point until August – Supposed to be awesome – real preserved human bodies used in this exhibit.
14. Go Shopping!
The mall at the Streets At Southpoint. Not that we particularly condone spending your time at a mall… this nevertheless has everything you might need. Including an outdoor cobblestone “street” of shops, restaurants, and movie theater that reminds Jef of Church Street in Burlington, VT (although a weak imitation). Note that those guests staying at hotels near Sara & Jef’s house will be only a 10 minute drive from here. Nearby restaurants include: PF Chang’s, Jonny Carino’s, Rockfish Seafood, Firebird’s Grill, and (for homesick west-coasters) California Pizza Kitchen, among others.
Brightleaf Square, Downtown Durham. Almost walking distance from the Greystone Inn, located on corner of Main St. and N. Gregson. Several of the restaurants listed above are located here. Shops include an independent CD store, antiques, bakery, etc... 905 W. Main St.
Franklin Street, Chapel Hill. See description above.
Check back again as we will be adding more information as we find it!