A Guide to Durham's Accessible Activities
Discover Durham's accessible activities, ADA-compliant venues, and more with this in-depth guide.
My husband and I have been traveling with our oldest son, Ben, for more than 20 years.
Ben uses a manual wheelchair to get around and is also nonverbal. He loves to “people watch” and see new sites. If he could speak, we’re sure he’d say, “Keep moving, Mom.”
Every time our family travels with Ben, we learn how to make the experience better and apply what we learn to the next trip. We look for restaurants with extra space to fit a wheelchair, find hotels with a roll-in shower and seek out parks with paved paths through the woods or by the water. It’s a relief when it all comes together and everyone can enjoy a visit to a new place.
Durham is just a couple of hours from where we live in Charlotte, a perfect weekend getaway for the family. When our middle son attended North Carolina State University, Durham became a destination for restaurants and shopping. We found parking easy to navigate with plenty of places in downtown to walk to – we prefer not to get in and out of the car, especially with a wheelchair.
Note: Check websites directly for detailed information about accessible programs, admission fees and hours of operation.
Let's Make a Plan
Durham, also known as the Bull City, welcomes visitors of all abilities. Many attractions, hotels, outdoor activities and venues within Durham County provide accessible options and programs for wheelchair users, and people with sensory, hearing and visual challenges.
Most of the businesses in Durham County are ADA-compliant, but it’s always best to verify parking and ramp access before arriving.
This list highlights some of the places in Durham with accessible walkways, specialty programming and other accommodations to make your visit spectacular.
Stay Where You're Comfortable
Hotel properties in Durham County offer ADA-compliant accommodations with accessible rooms. These hotels may have amenities such as braille, roll-in showers and visual smoke alarms to make your stay worry-free.
This list of hotels, by no means an exhaustive list, will get you started on finding the best place for your visit to Durham. Each link leads directly to the accessibility services or to a page with hotel details and a pop-up window with accessibility information.
Near Duke University and Duke Hospitals
South Durham
Dine in Style
Whether you’re looking for casual, fine dining or a quick bite, Durham’s food scene provides great options for travelers. If you’re chasing award-winning experiences, check out Saltbox Seafood Joint. Chef and owner Ricky Moore is a 2025 James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef Semifinalist and 2022 winner for Best Chef Southeast. For a specialty cocktail or mocktail, head to Bar Beej, a 2025 James Beard Foundation Semifinalist for Best New Bar.
When each of my family members wants something different, we head to the Durham Food Hall because there’s a variety of choices within one building. From sweet treats and coffee to bagels, pizza and sandwiches, everyone can find something they enjoy. A ramp to the second level within the food hall and plenty of space between tables make it easy to get around. However, the mezzanine-level private event spaces are only accessible via stairs, so be aware that these rentable spaces are not wheelchair accessible.
There are a few restaurants in Durham with larger dining areas or outdoor patios to accommodate wheelchairs:
- Ninth Street Bakery in downtown Durham serves breads and pastries, as well as sandwiches and soups for lunch.
- Boxcar Bar + Arcade’s playful vibe in Durham’s warehouse district features OG and new arcade games such as Donkey Kong and Stranger Things. In between games, order pasta, a pizza or a jumbo pretzel to keep you fueled.
- Cugino Forno on the Golden Belt Campus offers long tables, perfect for a large family or group. Enjoy pizza inside or head outside to the courtyard.
- Durham Food Hall offers a variety of dining options in the warehouse district – an ideal choice if your fellow travelers can’t agree on one style of food. Selections include bagels, bakery items, burritos, Indian dishes, pizza, seafood and smashburgers. The bar in the center offers beer, spirits and wine, highlighting North Carolina ingredients. However, the private event spaces are not wheelchair accessible.
- Tobacco Road Sports Cafe’s location on the American Tobacco Campus makes it an easy stop if your headed to a Durham Bulls baseball game, and event at the Durham Performing Arts Center or walking along the American Tobacco Trail. The variety of burgers, salads, sandwiches and soups on the menu may prove hard to make just one choice.
For more restaurant suggestions, check out these vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Durham as well as this full list of Durham's restaurants with patios.
Play at Durham's Top Attractions
With so many options for fun, your biggest problem may be packing in all the activities you want to do while in Durham. Whether you or your traveling companions prefer art, athletic events, outdoor activities, music, science, theater or want to catch the latest Blockbuster movie, there’s a destination with accessible options in Durham.
Get Creative
Durham Performing Arts Center
Durham Performing Arts Center or “DPAC” to locals, hosts touring Broadway productions, high-profile concert and comedy events, family shows and festivals. Find details about DPAC’s accessible services such as parking, restrooms, seating and courtesy wheelchairs here.
Golden Belt Campus
Golden Belt Campus, one of Durham’s latest revitalized historic textile mills, provides space for the local arts community to show off work in galleries and studios. Visit during the Third Fridays, Durham’s monthly art walk and gallery crawl, or explore the campus during open hours. Refuel at Cugino Forno for pizza, Two Roosters for ice cream and Hi-Wire Brewing for craft beer around an open-air courtyard with a fire pit.
Motorco Music Hall
Motorco Music Hall offers dance and music performances in a former mid-century car dealership in Durham’s Central Park District. The venue is ADA-compliant and requests people who need help with accessibility arrive 15 minutes before the doors are scheduled to open. The venue’s Parts & Labor Kitchen offers drinks and casual dining with indoor and outdoor tables, all accessible by wheelchair.
Nasher Museum of Art
Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University includes rotating exhibits and a permanent collection featuring underrepresented artists, artists of African descent and exhibitions featuring Medieval art, pre-Columbian American and more.
Through the fall of 2025, while the Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family Sculpture Garden is being constructed, the ADA guest access is at the back of the building; signs mark the way to the ramp at the loading dock. This Nasher Museum of Art’s website page is updated with the most recent information about construction and parking. Detailed information for Nasher Museum of Art’s ADA access, bathrooms, parking, service animals and wheelchair availability are listed here.
The Scrap Exchange
The Scrap Exchange, in the Lakewood Shopping Center, is dedicated to promoting creativity and keeping items out of the landfill. Search for craft-making supplies, home renovations and art materials.
UHill Walls
UHill Walls features more than 40 murals by regional, national and international artists painted inside and outside the UHill Apartments, near Duke University’s West Campus. Pose for photos, share them on your platforms and learn a bit about Durham’s history.
Bring the Family
AMC Theater Southpoint 17
AMC Theater Southpoint 17 offers sensory-friendly films where staff turn the lights up and turn the sound down. Guests are welcome to dance, walk around, sing and shout. During regularly scheduled shows, closed captioning devices, audio boosters and descriptive videos are available at guest services for free. Open captions may be viewed on the screen.
Carolina Theatre
Carolina Theatre in downtown Durham provides an accessibility guide highlighting parking, seating and services for visitors. For visual and hearing accommodations, the theater offers seats close to the stage in its reservation system. An ASL interpreter may be brought in, if requested. Closed caption devices, headphones and telecoils are available.
A sensory-friendly film series, geared for people of all ages on the spectrum or who need sensory accommodations, is held one Saturday a month at Carolina Theatre. This free event requires reservations. Capacity is reduced, lights are dimmed, volume is decreased and noise-canceling headphones are available. Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development partners with the theatre to provide coloring books, stickers, fidget spinners and other sensory toys. Visitors can bring food for preference and dietary restrictions. A cool-down space is available. Detailed information about assistive listening devices, accessible seating and restrooms at the Carolina Theatre are available here.
The Durham County Library
The Durham County Library boasts seven branches across the region. The Main Branch, close to downtown Durham, can be a great place for a break: Find a quiet space to read a book or reserve time in the Multi Sensory Environment, “a specialized space that lets you control and manipulate aspects of the world around you, including light, sound, smell, and touch.”
A variety of low and high sensory programming is offered each month at the Durham County Library. The calendar is the best way to find what you need by using the “Filter By” option on the left. For more information about the Durham County Library’s accessibility services including assistive technology, audiobooks and sensory support, look here.
Duke Lemur Center
Duke Lemur Center welcomes guests with a reservation for general tours, behind the scenes tours, workshops and private tours. The general tour path and gift shop are ADA accessible. Let staff know about any special accommodation requests when tickets are ordered.
Detailed information about the Duke Lemur Center’s accessibility, service dogs and wheelchairs, check here.
Expand Your Mind
African American Heritage Guide
Start with Durham’s African American Heritage Guide, a self-guided tour through the region’s historic places: Hayti Heritage Center, Dr. James Shepard House, James E. Shepard Memorial Library, North Carolina Central University’s Art Museum, Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice and Stagville State Historic Site. Districts and neighborhoods such as Black Wall Street, East Durham and West End offer views of historic homes and access to restaurants and shops. Download the African American Heritage Guide or request a printed version mailed to you.
Museum of Life and Science
The Museum of Life and Science's indoor and outdoor paths are ADA compliant. Exhibits, outdoor elements and the train ride are accessible to someone in a wheelchair. Activity systems, sensory-friendly kits, visual schedules and other aids are provided. Inside the Aerospace Gallery is a calming room for visitors who need a break and may be experiencing a sensory overload. The University of North Carolina’s TEACCH Autism Program has trained 60 to 70 percent of the staff at the museum. The Museum of Life and Science shares details about accessibility, cool down room, mobility, sensory friendly kits and service animals here.
Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice
Pauli Murray, an activist, author, reverend and teacher, lived in Durham’s West End neighborhood from ages 5 to 17. In 2024, the 1898 home was restored to include exhibits, programs and tours to share Murray’s powerful story.
To learn about the accessible bathrooms, entrance into the building and accommodations for those who are neurodiverse, read here.
Be a Fan
Duke Basketball Museum and Sports Hall of Fame
In 2022, Duke University added the Duke Basketball Museum and Sports Hall of Fame in the Schwartz-Butters Athletic Center, an ADA accessible facility. Exhibits tell the story of Duke Basketball with trophies, memorabilia, videos and more. The Duke Sports Hall of Fame celebrates all 26 athletic teams and the combined 13 national championships.
The Durham Bulls Athletic Park
The Durham Bulls Athletic Park is a favorite among baseball fans – and movie buffs who remember Kevin Costner in “Bull Durham.” Sensory bags with noise-canceling headphones and fidget toys are available at Lowes Foods Guest Services on the main concourse. Prepare for your visit by reading the Durham Bulls Athletic Park’s Sensory Guide and social story, including into sensory bags, quiet areas, weighted lap pads and a social story.
Before the game, check out the American Tobacco Campus for gifts, photo opportunities and a bite to eat. Check out “The Good of the Hive” mural my Matt Willey near the Burt’s Bees headquarters.
Miracle League Field
Catch a game at Miracle League Field, a baseball field built for children with mental and physical disabilities who want to play the game. Although teams are set, visitors of all abilities are welcome to cheer them on. Check the Miracle League’s season schedule for an upcoming game.
Get Outdoors
Our family thrives on outdoor activities and Durham gives us the opportunity to be in nature, view wildlife and then enjoy city amenities when we’re ready to grab a bite to eat. Durham’s paved paths and inclusive playgrounds give everyone in our family something to do, no matter their abilities.
Durham County’s greenway and trail system provides multiple options for people with mobility issues. Choose a short nature trail, an interpretive loop or a long hike on a greenway:
- American Tobacco Trail, 11 miles, paved
- Ellerbee Creek Trail, 1.2 miles, paved
- Warren Creek Trail, .75 miles, paved
- Third Fork Creek Greenway, 3.6, paved
Plan a picnic at one of the Durham Parks and Recreation parks. Each feature something different, from gardens and trails to art and inclusive playgrounds.
- C.R. Wood Park features an inclusive playground with wheelchair accessible features including a unitary surface (a smooth uniform layer).
- Durham Central Park is a 5-acre urban green space in downtown Durham with paved paths.
- Merrick-Moore Park is Durham’s newest inclusive playground with a unitary surface.
- Morreene Road Park’s inclusive playground has engineered wood fiber, a wood mulch, for the surface. A new smooth surface is being planned for this park.
- Whippoorwill Park includes a ramp to the play areas and a unitary surface.
Sarah P. Duke Gardens
The 55-acre Sarah B. Duke Gardens is undergoing an exciting renovation: The Garden Gateway will increase accessibility once completed. Right now, parking is difficult during weekdays. On the weekends, visitors may park in the H Lot on Duke University’s campus where there are accessible spots. During construction, visitors enter through Louis Street. Check the website for up-to-date information about parking.
Durham’s Guide to Accessible Outdoor Activities highlights the county’s greenways, historic sites, kayaking, parks, a science center, sporting events and trails.
Resources
Resources Looking for more information? These posts on Discover Durham will help you plan your visit:
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Parking in Durham: What to Know Before You Go
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