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24 hours in Durham What to do and where to eat

Photo Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios. Photo: Discover Durham Are your parents or friends visiting Durham, and you don’t know what to do with them? Here's what we recommend for a quick trip. Where to stay: There are a lot of options in downtown Durham, but and get high praises. Both have great bars and restaurants. Breakfast: One of the most popular places for breakfast on weekends right now is , where multiple vendors are now serving up delicious options for the morning hours. You can grab a coffee at one of Durham's best new entries to the coffee game, . Zach's take: Liturgy and Joe Van Gogh currently serve the best cold brews in town, if that's your thing. For food: Try the breakfast burritos at , the purple sweet potato bagel (yes, really!) at , or the breakfast sandwich at . Shop: If it's Saturday, stroll the across the street in Durham Central Park. In addition to a great collection of local bakeries (shout out to the focaccia bread from ) and farmers, artisans set up tents here, too. Next, take a tour of Durham's thriving local bookstores. There's downtown, in East Durham, on 9th Street and in the Rockwood neighborhood. Zach's take: All four bookstores have great shops and restaurants nearby, so you can’t go wrong picking one. The Eno River during the fall. Photo: Zachery Eanes/Axios. Hike: Eno River State Park.You don't need to go far from downtown — around a 15-minute drive — to find a little oasis and several short, peaceful hikes. While you're there, go ahead and make a stop at , one of the . Next: Check out the on Duke University's campus, especially now that . There's always an interesting/thought-provoking exhibition at Nasher. One of my favorite museum memories was seeing Richard Mosse's “” there. Lunch: Would be hard to pick a better place than Saltbox Seafood Joint, whose chef, Ricky Moore, just . Other good options: , , and . Stroll: As a , I hate to keep recommending things on Duke's campus, but the really are great. (Chapel Hill isn't a far drive, if you also want to check out UNC's and .)Little Feat playing the Carolina Theatre in Durham. Photo: Zachery Eanes/Axios. Catch a show or a game: In the summer, it's hard to beat a . But Durham also boasts one of the best arts venues in the Southeast, with the , which routinely lands great music, theater and musicals. , , and are local venues that also land some great touring acts. A negroni cocktail at The Corpse Reviver. Photo: Zachery Eanes/Axios. Pre-dinner cocktail: The , a gin-focused bar under the Durham Distillery, or , the first North Carolina bar to become a . Dinner: Try a , like Mateo or Saint James. The Asian tapas restaurant , which has great vegetarian-friendly options. Or . Don't have a reservation? You might be able to squeeze into the delightful first-come, first-serve Korean restaurant , the little sibling of top-class sushi restaurant .Been a long day and already want to crash? Get takeout from Banh's, who serves great Vietnamese and Chinese food. Nightcap: Take in a near-360° view of downtown Durham with a drink on . Looking for something a bit livelier? Walk a few blocks north of downtown and grab a drink at . And for breakfast before you head out, there are plenty of options, like the always-popular , or . In a hurry? You can always grab something quick at the Durham Co-op Market cafe. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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