Explore the Bull City
Located halfway between the Great Smoky Mountains and the beaches of the Atlantic, Durham is a community that is home to over 300 restaurants, more than 40 annual festivals, Duke and North Carolina Central universities, Durham Bulls Triple-A baseball, art and science museums, and world-class medical facilities just to name a few. With more than 5.2 million visitors annually, Durham is the top destination of arrivals at RDU International Airport.
Durham was nicknamed the “Bull City” in the late 1800s when the Blackwell Tobacco Company named its product “Bull” Durham Tobacco. By the time James B. Duke of the American Tobacco Company purchased the Blackwell Tobacco Company in 1898, Bull Durham was the most famous trademark in the world. The “Bull City” prospered as a manufacturing hub for the tobacco industry and textiles for many decades, but has since transformed itself into a place where shopping thrives and high-tech industry flourishes with upscale housing in the same classic buildings where tobacco giants American Tobacco and Liggett-Meyers once made this City their industrial home.
Getting Around Durham
- Downtown Durham Map
- Duke University Map
- Fare-Free Bus Routes from Duke University
- Campus Bus Routes Map
- Directions from Raleigh-Durham Airport (RDU)
- Directions to Chapel Hill
Take In The Outdoors
- Go to a Durham Bulls game.
- Picnic in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.
- Run or walk on one of the many trails in Duke Forest.
- Visit the Duke Lemur Center.
- Play golf at the Duke University Golf Club.
- Do a self-guided tour.
Shop & Dine In “The Tastiest Town in the South”
- Between conference sessions, grab a bite at the JB Duke Marketplace
- Stroll the downtown districts:
- Or visit Duke’s main campus with great dining options at the Broadhead Center
Be Immersed In History and Art
- Learn more about Durham at the History Hub.
- Catch a performance on or off campus.
- Browse exhibits at the Nasher Museum of Art.
- Take in a show at DPAC.
- Visit the Duke Chapel.
- See internationally renowned performers at the American Dance Festival.
- Catch a critically acclaimed documentary at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.