NEW YORK, NY.- The evolution of Durham from a faded tobacco town to a diverse cultural and culinary destination has been years in the making. But the ongoing development of this central North Carolina city seems to have reached a new stage. The resurgent downtown area — long a transitional neighborhood with pockets of progress — is now brimming with new restaurants, boutiques, bars and breweries. And while construction continues apace amid the historic brick warehouses, tobacco factories and textile mills — for good and ill — visitors today have reason to venture farther afield, to emerging hot spots in East Durham and the Old Five Points neighborhood. This season, only the brilliant fall foliage can compete with all the terrific food, drink and local color there is to discover across Dur’m, as residents affectionately call the dynamic Bull City.
ITINERARY
Friday
3:30 p.m. | Visit a campus museum
People concerned that artificial intelligence will eventually do their job may be put at ease by the new exhibition at Duke University’s Nasher Museum of Art, “Act as if You Are a Curator,” which was organized not by museum staff but by ChatGPT, OpenAI’s popular chatbot (through Jan. 14; free admission). The eclectic AI-generated exhibition spans Mesoamerican stone figures and Salvador Dalí works selected from the museum’s nearly 14,000-piece collection, although many were mislabeled by the chatbot (as noted by a flesh-and-blood curator). More cohesive is the moving — and human-curated — exhibition of photographs and collage installations from artist Lyle Ashton Harris (through Jan. 7). While on campus, stroll through the nearby Sarah P. Duke Gardens, where 5 miles of serene pathways wind past magnolias, blooming roses and a lake reflecting autumnal colors.
6 p.m. | Feast on seafood
Fresh seafood caught off the North Carolina coast is the simple, winning formula at Saltbox Seafood Joint, a restaurant owned by chef Ricky Moore, who earned the 2022 James Beard Award for the best chef in the Southeast. What began as a tiny takeaway shack in the Old Five Points neighborhood is now a spacious, but still frill-free, sit-down locale on Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard. Luckily, the menu hasn’t changed much: You can still get heaping plates of fried oysters, blue crab, mullet and clams with generous portions of fried potatoes and collard greens. My go-to is the fried catfish sandwich topped with citrusy red-cabbage slaw ($14) and a side of Hush-Honeys, the chef’s trademarked take on cornmeal fritters drizzled with honey ($4).
8:30 p.m. | Try a craft beer
The competition is growing among the many craft breweries downtown, where out-of-town brewers — including Asheville, North Carolina’s Dssolvr and Hi-Wire Brewing — have opened Durham taprooms in an area that’s already home to longtime local favorites such as Fullsteam Brewery and the Durty Bull Brewing Co. But on a crisp fall evening, the most atmospheric place for a locally brewed pint is easily Ponysaurus Brewing Co., an independent craft brewery with crackling fire pits in a leafy garden strung with lights. Try the tangerine-tinged Golden Rule Saison ($6) and a scoop of the house snack mixes, such as the pretzel-and-peanutty Bartender’s Blend ($1).
Saturday
9:30 a.m. | Take a history lesson
Swing by Monuts, a Ninth Street bakery and cafe, to pick up a cinnamon-and-molasses-glazed pumpkin-spice doughnut ($2.50) and Hot Apple Chai-der, a steaming blend of apple cider and chai tea ($5.50), before heading out west for a dive into North Carolina history. Beyond Civil War scholars, few are likely to recall what transpired at Bennett Place, a farmstead about 6 miles northwest of downtown. One of the few Civil War sites not associated with battle, this out-of-the-way landmark is where Union Gen. William T. Sherman and Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston negotiated the largest troop surrender of the war — nearly 90,000 soldiers from the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida — inside the home of a local family in 1865. Begin a visit in the small museum, where a short video explains the site’s significance, then head across the lawn to tour the reconstructed farmhouse and surrounding outbuildings where the generals hashed out the terms (free admission).
Noon | Seek sandwiches
A former food desert, East Durham has emerged as a lunchtime destination for hungry diners from across the city. You’ll know you’ve found Ideal’s, a sandwich shop that opened in 2021, by the line snaking down the sidewalk (don’t worry, it moves quickly). Here, freshly baked rolls — sesame-crusted hoagies and rosemary focaccia — are the foundation for superb deli sandwiches. Best is the Philly-style roast pork with provolone and garlicky broccoli raab ($8.50 for a half-hoagie) and the thick-cut garlic-and-onion potato chips ($1.75). Another notable newcomer is Mike D’s BBQ, a barbecue joint that opened nearby in July. Go there for a brisket sandwich doused with the signature smoky-sweet sauce ($10), a side of smoked beans ($5) and sweet tea ($4).
2 p.m. | Enjoy local bourbon
Whatever your preferred spirit, there’s most likely someone in Durham distilling it. Small-production craft booze — from mead and cider to gin and rye — have exploded in popularity recently, and one producer worth seeking out is Mystic Farm & Distillery, about 6 miles east of downtown. Drop in at this bucolic 22-acre bourbon distillery for a free tasting of the full range of spirits, including the award-winning Broken Oak bourbon and a smooth cacao-finished version made with cacao nibs from Raleigh’s Videri Chocolate Factory. Small group tours are also offered on weekends ($20; reserve in advance).
4 p.m. | Flip through records
Supporting local businesses is a point of pride in this fiercely loyal city, as evidenced by the growing number of small independent shops downtown. Start on West Parrish Street at the Durham Vintage Collective, an inviting secondhand boutique that opened in July, where you might find plaid miniskirts, leather jackets or a framed Jean-Michel Basquiat lithograph. Across the street, explore Chet Miller, a well-stocked gift shop with Durham-themed throw pillows, small-press travel guides, cookbooks from local chefs and game-night jigsaw puzzles. Right next door, EUtopia Design opened last year selling exquisite Polish glassware and handcrafted ceramics. Scope out the latest color-splashed exhibition at Ella West Gallery, a sunny space that opened in August showcasing contemporary art from Black, female and other diverse and underrepresented artists. Then continue to East Main Street to browse vinyl albums of jazz, soul, rock and bluegrass at Carolina Soul Records and at the new location of Bull City Records across the street.
7 p.m. | Dine on fresh flavors
Downtown Durham is packed with great restaurants, but head a bit north to the Old Five Points neighborhood where the city’s latest hot spot, Little Bull, opened on a quiet block in June. Chef Oscar Diaz, already well known in Raleigh for his Mexican American cuisine, again tapped his heritage when creating the playful menu. Highlights of a recent meal included crudo with North Carolina tuna, aguachile, wasabi and flying-fish roe ($18), plantain empanadas ($16) and soft dumplings stuffed with goat birria in a bowl of rich consommé ($16). Stick to the small plates as portions are generous, and save room for dessert: The churro balls with chocolate sauce ($9) are divine.
9 p.m. | Alcohol Out in the Open
At the end of 2022, the city designated most of downtown a social district called the Bullpen, where folks are permitted to walk around with alcoholic beverages purchased in the area. So if the bar is packed at the Velvet Hippo, a lively rooftop lounge that opened in August serving fruity slushies and creative cocktails, you can take that frozen Hawaiian Rum Punch ($13) to go and stroll over to Motorco Music Hall, a concert venue that also hosts dance parties, such as a recent Taylor Fest for local Swifties. Or continue to Corpse Reviver, a cocktail bar associated with the Durham Distillery, which opened in 2020 in a former coffin shop and serves dirty martinis garnished with bacon-and-blue-cheese-stuffed olives ($15).
Sunday
9 a.m. | Hike along the river
Catch the season at its most colorful along the Eno River, where there are dozens of trails to choose from in Eno River State Park and in West Point on the Eno, a city park 5 miles north of downtown that is anchored by West Point Mill. One scenic route begins at the mill, then climbs through the forest along the river (follow the yellow trail markers). After about 20 minutes, hop across the rocks crossing a shallow tributary to reach Sennett’s Hole, a natural pool — and popular summertime swimming spot — with small waterfalls and turtles warming themselves on the rocks on sunny days.
11 a.m. | Slurp some noodles
Refuel after a hike with brunch at Rose’s Noodles, Dumplings and Sweets, a former meat market and sweets shop near Brightleaf Square that evolved into a casual East Asian-inspired eatery serving fragrant bowls of beef pho ($17) and Thai rice soup ($14). The selection of cakes, cookies and pastries is impressive, but best are the ice cream sandwiches that easily serve two — my favorite is the white miso flavor between chewy gingersnaps ($7).
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KEY STOPS
The Nasher Museum of Art, on Duke University’s central campus, presents rotating exhibitions, including a current one curated by ChatGPT.
Saltbox Seafood Joint serves fresh seafood caught off the Carolina coast.
Mystic Farm & Distillery is a bourbon distillery with weekend tours and free tastings.
WHERE TO EAT
Ponysaurus Brewing Co. is a downtown craft brewery with crackling fire pits in a leafy garden strung with lights.
Ideal’s is a sandwich shop in East Durham with lines out the door at lunchtime.
Mike D’s BBQ, also in East Durham, serves brisket and smoked beans.
Little Bull is a new restaurant in the Old Five Points neighborhood that serves dumplings stuffed with goat birria in a bowl of rich consommé.
Motorco Music Hall is a concert venue that also hosts dance parties.
Corpse Reviver is a cocktail bar in a former coffin shop.
Monuts is a bustling Ninth Street bakery and cafe that began as a tricycle vendor peddling doughnuts at the Durham Farmers’ Market.
Rose’s Noodles, Dumplings and Sweets is a former meat market and sweets shop that evolved into a casual East Asian-inspired eatery.
WHERE TO STAY
Durham has an impressive selection of cool hotels. Most notable is the Durham, a 53-room boutique property in a landmark building with midcentury modern architecture, mod décor and a scenic rooftop bar. Double rooms from around $240.
Unscripted Durham opened in the former Jack Tar Motel, another 1960s property that is now home to 74 modern guest rooms and a rooftop pool. Doubles from $189.
21c Museum Hotel is a more contemporary option downtown with 125 rooms, an art-filled restaurant and an art gallery. Doubles from $189.
Look for a short-term rental in Trinity Park, a leafy residential district between downtown and Duke’s East Campus, a short walk from restaurants, bars, breweries and music venues.
This article originally appeared in
The New York Times.
