Visit Culture-Rich Durham, North Carolina for More than Baseball

by Jeff Voth

The last line in the 1988 movie, "Bull Durham" sums up in many ways the current renaissance of the city of Durham, North Carolina. Annie Savoy, the sultry female fan played by actor Susan Sarandon, puts it this way.

"Walt Whitman once said, 'I see great things in baseball. It's our game. The American game. It will repair our losses and be a blessing to us'."

Durham and the neighboring city of Raleigh, North Carolina were built on the foundations of tobacco manufacturing. With a changing attitude in society towards cigarettes, the city was in need of transformation. Durham continues to reinvent itself changing from a farming community to manufacturing town to medical center, etc.

Durham Bulls Athletic Park

In many ways, America's favorite pastime was the catalyst Durham required to enter the 21st century. You could say baseball is to Durham, as mustard is to a hot dog. Without it, the flavor of a foot long ballpark frank is still a culinary treat to be savored. But add the tangy tasting yellow condiment to the top of a wiener and you have an instant all-American gastronomic experience par excellence.

This is not to say that baseball is the only draw for a city whose population and desirability as a vacation destination continues to grow year over year.

With a year-round moderate climate and enough trees to fill a national park, Durham has more to offer than baseball. It is also home to many important landmarks such as Duke University and Research Triangle Park. But for many, the Triple-A Baseball Durham Bulls will always be at the heart of what makes this area such a treat to visit.

Located halfway between Philadelphia and Atlanta at the intersection of I-85 and I-40, Durham has embraced change, while at the same time firmly holding to its roots. Durham is unique in North America, due in part to their particular sense of place. The citizens choose to keep the beautiful old buildings of the town and find new ways to put them to current use. In this way the past becomes an integral part of the future, ensuring the many charming "red brick" buildings will remain for generations to come.

Everywhere you look, the sights and sounds of construction are bringing new life to the downtown core. Vacant office buildings are being converted into luxury condominiums and premium office space. New retail shops are popping up at every corner and ethnically diverse restaurants are brimming with patrons.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the area surrounding Durham Bulls Athletic Park. A major investment by the current team owner has melded state-of-the-art technology with turn of the century appeal. Here the stale remnants of the former Lucky Strike cigarette factory are slowly being replaced with the heady scent of a vibrant rebirth.

Duke University basketball alumni Christian Laettner and Brian Davis are just a few of the several local celebrities to put their own unique stamp on the burgeoning reconstruction going on in and around the city center. Even student housing is reaping the benefits of this massive investment, as dilapidated factories and warehouses are turned into elegant multi-unit apartments.

Durham has a rich African-American heritage. It was here an entrepreneurial enclave developed on Parrish Street at the turn of the century, causing it to become known as "Black Wall Street". Durham is the first city in America to host organized civil rights sit-ins to protest segregation. The earliest inter-racial basketball game was played, while the fast break and zone defense first found their feet on the hallowed courts of Duke University.

Bull Durham Blues Festival

The blues run deep in Durham, with the acclaimed Bull Durham Blues Festival taking center stage in early September. The Piedmont Blues style of music is rooted in the tobacco history of the city. A unique two-finger style of guitar picking, the lyrics harkens back to a time of hard work, hard drinking and loves lost and found. Musicians such as "Blind Boy" Fuller, the Rev. Gary Davis and Sonny Terry made their mark in Durham, sometimes earning as much in an evening's work as they did working a full day in the factories.

Dining in Durham takes on new heights, with the available cuisine being both multi-cultural and superb.

For burgers, try the famous Elmo's Diner, or should your tastes be a little more exotic, head down to Old Chapel Hill Road and secure a table at the Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine. Whether it is pizza, barbeque, Cajun, Caribbean or fine dining, there is sure to be a restaurant that will more than satisfy your appetite.

Durham, commonly referred to as the City of Medicine, USA, is also home to the renowned Research Triangle Park. Home to half of the biotech companies based in North Carolina, the city also boasts one of the largest collections of weight loss clinics in North America. With its close proximity to the finest medical facilities, celebrities and the wealthy of America consider Durham the place to get in shape both mentally and physically.

Of course you couldn't vacation in Durham, North Carolina without taking time to visit the Duke University campus. A stay at the 4-star, 4-diamond Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club is the ideal location from which to walk to the campus and explore. Once on the property, a canopy of trees lines the various sidewalks as you absorb the timeless character of the Duke University Chapel, Duke Forest and the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.

Where other cities have struggled to meet the challenge of a new millennium, Durham has found its swing and hit a homerun. By embracing the present, while maintaining the richness of the past, the future looks blessed for many years to come.

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