Durham, Off the Script

The art, music and history behind a trip you'll be talking about.

Come see a city where culture is the whole point of the trip. Catch a set at a small stage downtown and walk out with a new favorite band. Browse a working artist's studio and buy a piece straight from the person who made it. Or go bigger: DPAC for a touring Broadway show, the Nasher Museum for a major exhibition, the Carolina Theatre for a night that's been drawing crowds for a century. Durham holds both ends of that range at once, intimate and world-class, often a few blocks apart. Stay long enough and you'll leave with more to talk about than you expected, and more reasons to come back. 

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The entrance of Durham's Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club
Places to Stay
From dog-friendly hotels to stylish boutiques with rooftop pools, golf resorts and points-earning stays, Durham's places to stay deliver exactly what you need –…
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Welcome to the Bull City 

Never been to Durham, NC? You might know it as the City of Medicine, the City of Champions, a name built on research, sports and a steady stream of people starting something new. Durham's arts scene runs deep, from contemporary galleries and a nationally ranked performing arts venue to a historic theater with 100 years of stories to tell. Woven through all of it is one of the most storied Black communities in the country, from the entrepreneurs who built Black Wall Street to the artists, musicians and business owners carrying that legacy forward today. Learn more about that story with the African American Heritage Guide, written by Durham's own poets, writers and artists. Come curious. This city has a lot to show you. 

Things To DoDiningPlaces to Stay

The Culture Seeker's Map to Durham

Things to Do

Durham's culture doesn't sit still, and neither should you. This itinerary moves between intimate and grand, history and present tense, so pace it however fits the kind of trip you're after. 

Visit the Pauli Murray Center to learn about one of Durham's most storied residents.

Civil Rights and Black History in Durham

Start at the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice, the West End childhood home of a civil rights attorney, priest and legal scholar whose arguments helped shape Brown v. Board of Education decades before most people knew her name. Then, head downtown to Parrish Street, once known as Black Wall Street, where historic markers trace a stretch of Black-owned banks and businesses that thrived beginning in Durham’s earliest years. In the Hayti neighborhood, the Hayti Heritage Center carries that legacy forward with a full season of performances and programming inside the former sanctuary of St. Joseph’s AME Church. North of the city, Stagville preserves the site where hundreds of enslaved people lived and worked, and it asks visitors to sit with that history as it centers their experiences. Grab a plate at Bullock's Bar-B-Cue on the way, Durham's oldest continuously operating restaurant, cash only, family-run since the 1940s. 

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Stroll through Cecy's Gallery to admire the artwork or purchase something for yourself.

Contemporary Art and Working Studios

Durham's gallery scene is small enough to see in a weekend and varied enough to surprise you time after time. Five Points Gallery, downtown, rotates work from local contemporary artists across painting, sculpture and mixed media. Cecy's Gallery and Studios, in the Central Park District, gathers multiple artists under one roof, part gallery and part working studio space. Golden Belt Artist Studios, inside a converted textile mill in the Golden Belt District, opens its doors for Third Friday, one night a month when the open studios fill with visitors and new work. On Duke's campus, the Nasher Museum of Art rounds out the day with a rotating slate of contemporary exhibitions and a permanent contemporary collection centered on underrepresented and Black artists. Grab a bite at Aaktun in Golden Belt beforehand, one of chef Oscar Diaz's Durham restaurants, or Cheeni downtown, a homestyle Indian restaurant from James Beard semifinalist Preeti Waas. 

Live Performance and Theater in Durham

The 100-year-old Carolina Theatre downtown holds its own Civil Rights history inside its walls. A false ceiling once hid the balcony where Black patrons were required to sit for nearly four decades, and the theater's Confronting Change exhibit now tells that story permanently, alongside a regular lineup of film, comedy and live music. A short walk to American Tobacco Campus puts you at DPAC, Durham Performing Arts Center, consistently ranked among the top performing arts venues in the country, with touring Broadway shows and concerts throughout the year. Grab dinner beforehand at Ekhaya, serving small plates built around the flavors of southern Africa, or a drink at The Waiting Room next door before the show starts. 

Get yourself a Durham candle at Bright Black Candles. Photo: Discover Durham

Sensory Experiences to Slow Down and Relax

Bright Black, in the Lakewood neighborhood, was founded by Tiffany Griffin around candles and custom scents that pay tribute to Black history and identity, and on Sunday afternoons you can book a session to blend your own fragrance from scratch. Across town, Sauna House offers a different kind of pause, communal sauna and cold plunge sessions that will help you enter a zen state. Stop by Narrative Coffee nearby afterward, a Durham coffee shop that started as a cart before opening its first storefront, or have a glass of wine at LouElla Wine, Beer and Beverage next door. 

The Duke Lemur Center offers a one-of-a-kind wildlife viewing experience.

Meet Duke's Lemurs

The Duke Lemur Center, tucked into Duke Forest, is the largest sanctuary for lemurs outside Madagascar, and a guided tour, available May through September, weather permitting, gets you close enough to watch them move through the trees. It pairs easily with a quieter afternoon on Duke's campus exploring architecture, art, and getting lost in Sarah P. Duke Gardens’ 55-acres of botanical beauty. 

The 45th Annual CenterFest celebrates Durham's arts culture with a street festival and fair in the heart of downtown.
Do It In A Crowd
Events Happening in Durham

Durham’s Global Table

Durham's food scene reflects the same range as its art and history, told through the people cooking it. Kitchens rooted in global cuisines sit alongside chefs reworking Southern classics with international training and family businesses that have earned national recognition along the way. Come find out for yourself why Durham's food scene keeps getting talked about. 

Coffee and Something Sweet

Start your day with something inspired. And inspiring. 

An Asian-owned dessert and tea shop
The Bean Flower
A coffeehouse built around community over speed
Narrative Coffee
Grab a coffee surrounded by mid-century modern design
The Lobby Bar at The Durham Hotel
Browse a gallery of local art while you relax
The Daily Beer Bar

Dinner

Experience the cultures and cuisines that make up Durham's award-winning restaurant scene. 

Family-style Ethiopian food
Goorsha
Small plates built around the flavors of southern Africa
Ekhaya
Chef Oscar Diaz's MICHELIN Guide-recognized restaurant
Little Bull
A Durham institution MICHELIN-recognized for its seasonal, ingredient-driven menu
Nanas
Homestyle regional Indian cooking from James Beard semifinalist Preeti Waas
Cheeni
Oscar Diaz’s Tulum-inspired Golden Belt district neighborhood
Aaktun
A MICHELIN Guide-recognized Greek restaurant inside Brightleaf Square
Nikos

Nightlife and Bars

Durham takes its cocktails and beverages as seriously as it does its restaurants. 

A rooftop neighborhood bar known for inclusive, LGBTQ-friendly events
The Velvet Hippo
A Black-owned, floral-themed cocktail lounge
Primrose Bar & Lounge
Equal parts wine shop, bar and community hangout
LouElla Wine, Beer, & Beverage
Make a night of it with signature cocktails and satisfying small plates
The Waiting Room
Enjoy a cocktail along with shareable snacks made by local chefs and bakers
Conniption Bar & Lounge

Places to Stay 

Morehead Manor, 21c, and the Washington Duke Inn all put you inside a piece of Durham's history. Morehead Manor is a Black-owned bed and breakfast inside a preserved 1910 home in the West End, walking distance from the Pauli Murray Center. 21c Museum Hotel downtown pairs a boutique hotel with a full contemporary art museum that's free and open to the public, 24/7. The Washington Duke Inn sits on Duke's campus, a traditional, elegant stay with its own golf course and miles of trails surrounding the property. These are three picks out of more than 65 hotels in Durham, so if none of these fit, browse the rest at our hotels and inns page.

Find Your Stay

Plan Your Trip 

This is one route through Durham, not the only one. Explore more of the history, art, and neighborhoods that didn't make it into this itinerary, or grab the African American Heritage Guide before you go. 

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Itineraries
We've got you covered on weekend plans in Durham according to your interest. As we like to say, whatever your passion, you can find it here.
African American Heritage Guide
Home to North Carolina Central and Duke Universities, and Research Triangle Park, Durham has always been one of North Carolina’s most ethnically diverse communities.
Museums & Galleries
Durham's art scene doesn't pick sides between past and present: celebrated works share space with emerging local voices, and both demand your attention.
Performing Arts
Durham's performing arts scene thrives on contrast: world-class productions meet scrappy DIY energy, and both get standing ovations.