10 Best Sights in Durham, Central North Carolina

A Gothic-style gem built in the early 1930s, this chapel is the centerpiece of Duke University. Modeled after England's Canterbury Cathedral, it has a 210-foot-tall bell tower. Weekly services are held here Sunday at 11 am, with tours following. The chapel is a popular wedding spot, so check the website before trying to visit on Saturday.

This interactive science park on 84 acres is packed full of attractions designed to spark wonder and curiosity for children of all ages. There’s a two-story science center, one of the largest butterfly conservatories on the East Coast, and 60 species of live animals in its outdoor exhibits. The Hideaway Woods exhibit features eight tree houses, a flowing stream, and fanciful nature sculptures. Earth Moves invites visitors to climb a large formation of Tennessee sandstone or explore a cave underneath it and control the flow of water from a 20-foot freestanding waterfall.

A wisteria-draped gazebo, the Carnivorous Plant Collection, and a Japanese garden with a lily pond teeming with fat koi fish are a few of the highlights of these 55 acres in Duke University's West Campus. More than 5 miles of pathways meander through formal plantings and woodlands. The Terrace Café serves lunch weekdays and brunch Saturday and Sunday seasonally.

This complex, adjacent to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, houses apartments, offices, bars, and restaurants in a series of beautifully refurbished warehouses left over from the city's cigarette-rolling past. Free summer concerts are staged on a central lawn, in the shadow of a Lucky Strike water tower, and the place comes alive with lights and decorations during the holidays. The growing slate of restaurants include Ekhaya's South African fusion, the Louisiana-inspired Seraphine, and Puerto Rican soul at Boricua Soul. Burt's Bees is also headquartered here, and you can spot Burt's intact original cabin outside, brought here from Maine. Don't miss the bee mural tucked away behind the offices.

Washington Duke, patriarch of the now famous Duke family, moved into this house in 1852. It wasn't until he heard how the Union soldiers were enjoying smoking his tobacco that he decided to market his "golden weed." Explore the family's humble beginnings at this State Historic Site, which includes the first ramshackle "factory" as well as the world's largest spittoon collection. Guided tours demonstrate early manufacturing processes; the visitor center exhibits early tobacco advertising.

A stroll along the tree-lined streets of this campus, founded in 1924, is a lovely way to spend a few hours. Tours of the campus, known for its Georgian and Gothic revival architecture, are available during the academic year and can be arranged in advance.

This center for African American art and culture honors the legacy of the Hayti (HAY-tie) neighborhood, a once-thriving black community which was destroyed by the Durham Freeway construction. In addition to music and theater performances, dance classes, exhibitions of black art and history, and walking tours, the center hosts events like the Hayti Heritage Film Festival.

Owned by the Bennehan and Cameron families, Stagville was one of the largest plantations in antebellum North Carolina, at 30,000 acres. More than 900 people were enslaved here, and the story of their struggle for freedom and independence, even after Emancipation, is told through exhibits that include four original two-story slave cabins. The plantation today sits on 71 acres and has many original buildings, including the Bennehans' two-story wood-frame home, built in the late 1700s; the Great Barn, built by enslaved workers; and the family cemetery. Call for guided tour times.

A highlight of any Duke visit, this museum displays African, American, European, and Latin American artwork. The collection includes works by Henri Matisse, Kehinde Wiley, and Pablo Picasso. The museum offers a steady stream of engaging events throughout the year.

This 404-acre city park on the banks of the Eno River boasts a restored mill dating from 1778—one of 32 that once dotted the area. Also on-site are a 19th-century Greek revival farmhouse that was occupied by John Cabe McCown, the onetime owner of the mill, and a museum that showcases early-20th-century photographer Hugh Mangum's pictures of the surrounding area. The Festival for the Eno, held around July 4, includes musicians, artists, and craftspeople from around the region.