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Attractions in Research Triangle Park
Bennett Place State Historic Site
4409 Bennett Memorial Road.
919-383-4345
Open Monday through Friday from 9 - 5
Perhaps the official end of the Civil War was General Lee's surrender at Appomattox, but the big surrender was at the Bennett farmstead where Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to Union General William T. Sherman 17 days after Lee's Appomattox surrender.
Here you can view the reconstructed farmhouse and outbuildings and visit the interpretive center and museum.
Duke Homestead State Historic Site
2828 Duke Homestead Road
Durham, North Carolina
919-477-5498
919-489-3364
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm. Hours may vary.
Admission Free
As a Confederate soldier (circa mid-1800's), Duke learned about the Union soldiers' love of Bright Leaf tobacco, and he returned home to begin the enterprise that would one day establish North Carolina as the heart of a worldwide tobacco empire. National Historic Landmark of the Duke family's home, this historic site includes authentic tobacco barns and original factories, as well as a museum filled with cigarette manufacturing and marketing memorabilia. Living history demonstrations of life on a typical yeoman farm in the 1800's are regularly performed.
Rosenzweig Gallery
2115 Cornwallis Road
Durham, NC 27705,
Judea Reform Congregation Building, 919-932-1844, Dedicated to presenting exhibits of Jewish religious and creative arts and crafts, this gallery features traveling exhibits of highly acclaimed Israeli and regional artists, as well as original programs of Judaica and religious prints and books from the Rosenzweig Collection.
Sarah P. Duke Gardens
418 Anderson Street
919-684-3698
Open daily from 8am to dusk.
Admission Free
55 acres of landscaped and wooded gardens featuring over 2,000 kinds of plants. Of special interest is their 20-acre Culberson Asiatic Arboretum. About 550 species and cultivars of Asian plants present a living example of the close relationship between the flora of the Eastern U.S. and the flora of eastern Asia. Five miles of pathways with landscaped bridges, courts, lawns, ponds and waterfalls help create a very enjoyable experience for the visitor. Docent-led tours are also available by advance arrangement.
West Point on the Eno
5101 North Roxboro Road,
Durham, NC 27701
919-471-1623
Located along a two mile stretch on the scenic Eno River, this 388 acre city park offers a variety of recreational activities such as picnicking, hiking, canoeing, and rafting. An amphitheater is also inside the park, as well as many historic buildings such as a reconstructed 1778 working gristmill, the McCown-Mangum House built in the 1880s, the Hugh Manhum Museum of Photography, and a recreation of a 19th century blacksmith shop.
Museum of Life and Science
433 Murray Avenue just beyond the State Museum of Life and Science and adjacent to the NC Museum of Life and Science.
919-220-5429
Family Fun magazine wrote that the NC Museum of Life and Science is among the top four family-friendly museums in the Southeast.
This 78-acre, 50,000 square foot regional science-technology campus offers user-friendly learning experiences and a sense of discovery.
Includes renowned Magic Wings Butterfly House, new interactive outdoor exhibit Catch the Wind, Bayer CropScience Insectarium, Ellerbee Creek Railway, weather and aerospace, daily science shows and ever-changing traveling hands-on exhibits.
Magic Wings Butterfly House and Bayer Crop Science Insectarium
433 Murray Avenue
Durham, NC
919-220-5429
The Butterfly House is just beyond the State Museum of Life and Science and adjacent to the NC Museum of Life and Science.
This 3-story, tropical conservatory, largest museum butterfly house east of the Mississippi, features over 1,000 tropical butterflies in free flight including many rare species from Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. Butterflies are drawn to certain plants and blooms. This butterfly-friendly vegetation is available here with beds of exotic flowers, tropical fruit trees and a flowering meadow in a rainforest area (that even includes a stream garden).
The Insectarium presently has more than 25 live exotic and native species of insects and insect predators plus an extensive collection of mounted specimens.
Duke University Chapel
Chapel Drive
Duke University West Campus
919-684-2572
The Chapel is normally open to tourists daily from 8a to 5p. Tourists are also invited to attend Sunday service at 11am.
Durham's most popular tourist attraction, the Duke University Chapel (built in 1930) is a prime example of English-Gothic architecture and represents one of the last great collegiate Gothic projects in the United States. It features the only significant Ĉolian Organ built for a church. This 4-manual, 5,200 pipe instrument is being restored to its original condition and has a pleasant tone. In the 210-foot tower of the chapel is installed a 50-bell carillon; the bells range up to 5 tons in size. The beautiful, stained-glass windows accent the aesthetic impact of the chapel.
The Inter-denominational chapel serves the university community and holds Sunday morning worship at 11am to which all are welcome. During the fall and spring semesters, there are numerous recitals and concerts by the university organists and guest performers. The carillonneur gives a recital at 5pm weekdays, and before and after the Sunday worship service.
Historic Stagsville (circa 1787)
5825 Old Oxford Highway
Durham, NC 27722,
919-620-0120
One of the largest pre-Civil War plantations, this historic plantation offers visitors a glimpse into the past, particularly of the African American slaves who worked the plantation. Two beautifully restored historic buildings and an old barn are on site and self guided tours of the extensive grounds are available, as well as an array of learning opportunities.
Patterson's Mill Country Store
5109 Farrington Road
Durham, NC 2751
919-493-8149
An authentic turn-of-the-century country store and doctor's office/pharmacy that features relics from the Patterson's Mill community, as well as extensive pharmaceutical exhibits and tobacco paraphernalia.
St. Joseph's AME Church (circa 1869)
804 Old Fayetteville Street
Durham, NC 27412
919-683-1709
One of the first autonomous African-American churches in America, this beautiful church was converted into a performance hall in 2001 and features an 1891 brick sanctuary that includes a stained glass portrait of Washington Duke.
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