Your Guide to Baseball – and Softball – in Durham
With a rich athletic history and a robust present day culture, Durham is an excellent destination for baseball fans, and now softball fans, of all kinds.
Durham is a city that’s as synonymous with baseball as it is with its historic tobacco roots.
From the iconic Durham Bulls, immortalized in the 1988 movie Bull Durham, to the Negro League teams that competed in Durham for over 40 years. It’s more than just a pastime here. It’s a way of life.
Whether you’re a baseball historian, a fan of the current game or just someone looking for a fun activity for friends or the whole family, Durham is the place for you.
History of Baseball in Durham
Baseball in Durham goes back to 1902, when the Durham Tobacconists, Durham’s first minor league baseball team, was formed. Eleven years later, the team’s name was changed to the Durham Bulls. But Durham’s baseball history goes beyond the world-famous Bulls.
The Durham Black Sox were one of several Negro League baseball teams in Durham from the 1920s through 1963 – along with the Durham Eagles and Durham Rams. The team played at El Toro Park, first built in 1926 and later renamed Durham Athletic Park (DAP), now the Historic Durham Athletic Park. The Durham Black Sox have been recognized by Major League Baseball as part of an initiative called The Nine which honors and celebrates Black pioneers through ceremonies and events at Minor League Baseball ballparks and communities. Today, DAP hosts travel baseball tournaments throughout the year, as well as annual events like the Sandlot Revival Series.
From 1945 through 1968, the Bulls played at DAP until merging with Raleigh to form the Raleigh-Durham Mets. But after four seasons, the team folded, and there was no baseball in Durham. After this hiatus, the Bulls returned to Durham in 1980 thanks to 2025 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame inductee Miles Wolff, who bought the team in 1980 for just over $2,400.
Less than 10 years later, the movie Bull Durham, starring Kevin Costner, was released. Bull Durham was filmed at Historic Durham Athletic Park and put the Durham Bulls on the map as America’s most famous minor-league team. Bull Durham is the eighth highest grossing baseball movie of all time and, in 2023, MLB.com ranked it number one in their list of the “25 best baseball movies ever.” Fans of the movie still today come and see where the lollygaggers played, and the iconic “smoking bull” at the modern-day Durham Bulls Athletic Park. In addition to the Historic Athletic Park, you can check out sites around town like The Green Room where scenes from the movie were filmed.
Experience Durham Bulls Baseball
In 1995, the Bulls moved from the Historic Durham Athletic Park to Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DBAP). The DBAP is nationally recognized as one of the top minor league stadiums in the country, with USA Today recognizing it as a top 10 minor league ballpark in the country, and Stadium Journey ranking it the number 2 Triple-A ballpark.
DBAP is located on the south side of downtown Durham, walkable from the City Center and in the heart of the American Tobacco Campus, a revitalized tobacco warehouse complex with restaurants, retail stores, Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC), a hotel, apartments, green space and more. You can also get concession items from local restaurants like Pie Pushers, as well as try the Bull Durham Beer, which was originally brewed inside the ballpark.
Throughout the season, the Bulls have weekly promotional deals that you won’t want to miss. For the animal lovers, there’s Bark in the Park night, where you can bring your dog to the game. Throughout the season, Champ the Bat Dog will fetch bats during the game. During every game, there’s on-field activations and competitions, and there’s even a Bull Durham themed mascot race. And we can’t forget Minor League Baseball’s greatest mascot, Wool E. Bull, who is sure to keep you entertained all game with his Go-Kart laps around the field and other antics.
The Bulls also have endless fun themed nights like Star Wars Night, Dino Night, Stranger Things Night and so much more. They also have games throughout the season honoring the former Durham Black Sox and Latin American heritage. Every Friday and Saturday, a breathtaking fireworks show follows the game, and Sundays are the perfect day for the whole family, when kids run the bases on the field after the game.
For more information, check out our blog on the Best Ways to enjoy a Durham Bulls Game, and the Bulls' schedule to plan to attend one of more than 70 home games each year.
Softball Makes its Mark in Durham
Durham's long baseball legacy has always made room for new chapters, and 2026 brings one worth watching. The Carolina Blaze are one of four inaugural teams in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, a new professional softball league. North Carolina's newest women's pro team is calling Durham home with games at Smith Family Stadium at Duke University starting June 9. And for a true Durham ballpark experience, catch the Blaze during their three-game series at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, June 25-27, the only time pro softball comes to DBAP. Check out season tickets, four-game flex plans and group packages, with season ticket packages covering all home games at Smith Family Stadium plus the DBAP series.
More Baseball in Durham
Duke Baseball
Right down the road from the DBAP, Duke University’s baseball team competes at the newly renovated Jack Coombs Field. In 2024, Duke University enhanced the home of Duke baseball, which included upgrades to the seating and general fan experience. Duke baseball is one of the top programs in the ACC, having made six NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 10 years, including two ACC Championships. With over 30 home games every spring from February through May, attending a Duke Baseball game is a great way to spend a spring afternoon or evening.
ACC Baseball Championships
Durham, both in the past and into the future, has been a consistent home to the ACC Baseball Championship. Dating back to 1984, Durham has played host to the championship event 13 times. It was hosted most recently in 2025 and is scheduled to be back in Durham in 2027 and 2029. There’s no better place to watch some of the best college baseball teams in the country compete for the ACC title.
Check out the Durham Sports Comission's fan guide to the ACC Baseball Tournament here.
Special Baseball Events in Durham
Durham has also hosted other nationally renowned baseball events over the years. In 2023 and 2024, the world-famous Savannah Bananas came to DBAP and played in front of sold-out crowds for three days. In 2025, the first ever Cosmic Baseball Takeover Tour came to Durham, bringing sold out crowds to Durham to watch the one-of-a-kind glow in the dark baseball experience. It was so popular, in fact, that the tour will be returning for three sold-out nights in 2026. You can still join the waitlist for suites and picnic packages.
So, as the weather warms and the pollen clears, experience baseball in Durham all spring and summer long.
