Durham — the world-famous tobacco town turned innovation headquarters — is a modern-day haven for bright minds, outstanding artists, and eclectic cuisine. But Durham isn’t turning its back on the past. Instead, the city — founded in 1869 — is continuing to honor the history held in its renovated red-brick warehouses and buildings downtown. There’s so much to see and do (and eat!) that it can be hard to know where to start — and that’s where we come in. Here’s how to spend a weekend exploring the Bull City.

Prepare for your time in Durham with a quick stop at the Visitor Info Center. Pick up maps, itineraries, and guides, and ask the helpful staff for local recommendations for a tailored experience. photograph by Eric Waters

Friday:

Get initiated at the Museum of Durham History

The Museum of Durham History, right on Main Street between downtown and the Brightleaf Square District, lets the city’s fascinating, complicated history unfold through the stories of those who remember it best. With regular events like live music, this museum is the best place to orient yourself in the Bull City.

Spend an evening in Brightleaf Square where you’ll find shops, restaurants, and live music. Photography courtesy of Discover Durham

See a piece of history transformed (and pop into shops) at Brightleaf Square

After getting acquainted with Durham’s history, see the past come to life: Explore the city’s renovated and repurposed tobacco warehouses at Brightleaf Square. Built in the early 1900s, the former Watts and Yuille warehouses still boast the enormous windows and rustic bricks and beams of the old days — but now, you’ll find delightful shops and restaurants inside.

Have a romantic dinner at Littler

At Littler restaurant downtown, expect a deliciously daring take on Southern food. Every part of this warm, cozy restaurant welcomes you and invites you to stay awhile. Strings of glowing lights dangle above wooden tables, and vinyl records crackle from behind the honey-colored bar. The menu changes with the seasons, but the food consistently stands out as sublime even in a city known for its top-notch cuisine. The restaurant is, as the name suggests, quite little, so be sure to make a reservation.  

Grab a nightcap and get an eyeful at 21c Museum Hotel

The 21c Museum Hotel in downtown blends Durham’s storied past with its hip present. Walking into this luxury hotel, you’ll feel transported back in time, like you’re wandering into an old bank — and you are! Today, the old building’s bones remain: Admire the green-marbled foyer that stretches up to a silver-leaf ceiling, the huge windows, and the former vault — now a contemporary art gallery with a rotating cast of thought-provoking exhibitions. Grab a drink at the hotel’s chic bar and restaurant, Counting House, and explore the gallery, as well as the outstanding works scattered the space throughout the restaurant.

Rest your head (or float in a pool)

When it comes time to find a home away from home, stick with the past-meets-present theme: Float in a rooftop pool with a cocktail in hand at a historic former 1960s motel-turned-Unscripted Hotel; or retire to a former bank-turned-chic stay at The Durham or 21c hotels; the stately Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club; or a tobacco VIP’s dream home like Morehead Manor Bed and Breakfast. Nearly any place you choose will offer an experience rich in history and luxury.

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Saturday:

Toast the town at Toast

Grab a sandwich and soup from Toast. One of downtown’s flagship restaurants and a Durham mainstay, Toast is a paninoteca, which means that it specializes in tasty grilled sandwiches. Located in Durham’s Five Points area downtown, Toast has outdoor seats aplenty and is the perfect place to sit back and take in the busy Bull City at its best.

Gather real homegrown goodness at the Durham Farmers Market

For more than 20 years, growers, crafters, confectioners, musicians, do-gooders, and nearly everyone else, too, have gathered at Durham Central Park for the farmers market. Get your people-watching fix (the park has a world-class skateboard park, where you can often spot boarders doing stomach-dropping stunts) and mosey along the market’s colorful rows. In addition to the usual fresh produce, you can also find local honey, fresh-cut flowers, local cheese, fresh pasta, and charming crafts. It’s a delicious place to window-shop — without the windows. The market is open each Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon and each Wednesday in the summer from 3 to 6 p.m.

Get to know the Central Park District, your new favorite neighborhood

Locals often hit up Durham Central Park for afternoon fun — think food truck rodeos, festivals, and live music — and just a short walk away from the park itself, you’ll find a tasty lunch spot: TaTaco. This recently opened restaurant celebrates Mexican culinary traditions through seafood dishes, like ceviche and tuna tostadas, and assorted street tacos with your choice of pork belly, mahi, or birria. Select a libation from the margarita menu to pair with your snack. After you eat, spend some time wandering (and working off lunch), or head to the Warehouse District where you can order a pint at Atomic Clock Brewing Company and lounge on the outdoor patio.

Admire the art at local universities

More than 13,000 works of art, ranging from ancient Mayan ceramics to abstract modern art, fill the galleries at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. An afternoon at the Nasher promises to be one of color, wonder, and discovery. An afternoon at the Nasher promises to be one of color, wonder, and discovery — and admission is free. The permanent collection features work by global artists from historically underrepresented communities, particularly those of African descent. You’ll also find pieces created closer to home, by artists from North Carolina and the southern United States.

If you’re looking to enjoy more art, stop by the North Carolina Central University Art Museum — home to one of the most noted collections of works by African-American artists in the state.
 

Treat yourself to a coffee and dessert at Cocoa Cinnamon. photograph by Eric Waters

Get an afternoon boost at Cocoa Cinnamon

Let the afternoon linger with an after-lunch coffee — small-batch and perfectly roasted just for Cocoa Cinnamon — at the original Geer Street location of this beloved café, founded in 2013 by husband-and-wife team Leon and Areli Barrera de Grodski. The couple wanted to pay tribute to the key spices that have played major roles in the rise and fall of civilizations — in a delicious, authentic way. Try the La Frida, a latte made with mole syrup derived from Areli’s family recipe and garnished with rose petals, and take a seat on the pretty outdoor patio. For a dessert fix, try the specially crafted drinking chocolate. Yes, sippable, melty chocolate. You’re welcome.

Experience a taste of Spain in Durham at Mateo. photograph by Jessie Gladdek

Try Southern-style tapas at Mateo

Dress up and delight in Spanish tapas at this upscale eatery located in a beautiful old brick building downtown. Chef Matt Kelly has been named one of the best chefs in the Southeast (four times) by the James Beard Foundation and is known for putting local North Carolina ingredients into foreign service, which means you’ll get a taste of the South and of Spain. There are dozens of delicious dishes to choose from, but the best part about tapas? You get to order more than one.

Sunday:

Walk among the flowers and wave at a Blue Devil

You don’t have to root for the Blue Devils to take a mid-morning stroll among the flowers in the 55-acre Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Then, explore beautiful Duke University. The splendid neo-Gothic Duke Chapel, with its 210-foot bell tower, is the centerpiece of campus, and offers an ecumenical Christian worship service open to everyone at 11 a.m. on Sundays. But even if you don’t go to church, try to swing by: A beautiful recital is played on the 50-bell carillon before and after the Sunday service, and every weekday at 5 p.m. — on Fridays, the recital is always the Duke alma mater, “Dear Old Duke.”

Have a bite at Ideal’s

When stomach rumbles signal lunchtime, it’s time for one of the sizeable handhelds from Ideal’s Sandwich and Grocery. Housed inside a brick building on Angier Avenue, this Northeast-style sandwich shop prepares deli sandwiches to order on your choice of a fresh-baked hoagie roll or rosemary focaccia. Order the Philly roast pork, made with broccoli rabe, provolone cheese, and roasted garlic mayonnaise — it’s served hot, but if you prefer a cold sandwich, try the Italiano, which is stuffed with hot soppressata, genoa salami, prosciutto, giardiniera, pepperoncini, provolone, and dressed in a red wine vinaigrette. If you’re planning ahead for dinner, pick up one of their take-and-bake dishes, which range from chicken parmesan to stuffed clams to desserts. Word to the wise: Get there early, as they tend to sell out.

One last shopping spree before you leave …  

Fueled up on lunch, take one last cruise through some of Durham’s independent businesses. Little Homestead Farm, East Durham Sweet Shoppe. Find a trove of vintage clothes and accessories at Middle of May (a k a, MOM’s), a Black-owned, family-run business in Old East Durham. Sniff and shop the collection of hand-poured soy candles at The Raw Edition Candle Company. Depending on when you go, you can even get a ticket to attend one of their custom candle-making workshops. Then, follow your nose to Little Homestead Farm for natural bath and body products, from foaming sugar scrubs and bath bombs to room and linen sprays. After picking up a Dubai-inspired pistachio chocolate bar from East Durham Sweet Shoppe, end your tour with a pint at Proximity Brewing Company, which owner Mike Potter opened as a way to encourage Black beverage professionals and business owners. Settle into the cushioned armchairs, order a Carolina Peach sour Saison, and say “cheers” to a weekend well spent.

Related Article: A Weekend Well Spent on Duke University’s Campus