7 Fun Things to Do with Kids in Durham NC
One of the Cosmos Mariners kids at West Point on the Eno River in Durham NC
Plan some quality family time with these fun things to do with kids in Durham!
Known for its elite universities and tech scene, Durham, North Carolina is also a great place to explore with your family.
Here, you’ll find lots of learning opportunities as your little traveler experiences everything from a thriving farmers’ market to a kid-centric science museum.
Plus, Durham’s location in central North Carolina means that it is easily accessible from other areas in the state.
Let’s dive into the best things to do with kids in Durham and see what Bull City has to offer.
This post contains affiliates. If you choose to purchase through the links, I will receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.
This post was written in conjunction with the Durham CVB, who provided us with tickets to some of the attractions. All opinions are my own.
Updated 6/2022 | Written 6/2017
Video Tour of Kids Activities in Durham NC
See an overview of our time exploring the Bull City with the video below!
You can find details on all of the places and activities featured further down in the post.
7 Things to Do with Kids in Durham
Durham is a spread out city, so you’ll need a rental car to access all of these sites.
While some are close—the Duke campus and Sarah P. Duke gardens are walkable, for example—most require transportation between them.
1. Duke University Campus
Everyone knows that you have to wear a backpack when you're visiting a college campus!
While a college campus might not be the first place you'd think of to take two small kids, I'm here to assure you that Duke really does need to be on your list of the best kids' activities in Durham.
The grounds of West Campus are absolutely stunning with their neo-Gothic architecture, and the buildings will remind you of much older European campuses like Oxford and Cambridge.
My daughter kept asking me if Harry Potter lived there since the campus draws from the same architectural history as the movies' set design.
The school’s earliest iteration was founded in 1832 in Randolph County, though Duke University as we know it today wasn’t in existence until 1924.
After multiple name changes and 1 major property move in the late 1800s, Duke University has grown into one of the preeminent private institutions of higher education in the South.
But how does all of this apply to your family if you don’t have a teen going through a college search?
Well, use this property to jump start some great educational conversation with your kids!
Interior of Duke University Chapel
For example:
The Duke Chapel is an excellent place to introduce the concept of Gothic architecture to your kids. You can talk about the barrel vault ceilings and how that allowed for much taller, bigger cathedrals than ever before, the stained glass windows, and the intricate carvings in and outside the chapel.
The entire campus is a good way to bring up the American college and university system, and how different types of colleges are looking for different students. Duke University, for example, is an R1 school, which means it is focused on research first and foremost. UNC-Charlotte is an R2 school, which means it more evenly balances research and teaching. [NOTE: if you have other questions about college rankings, email me! I work as a full-time English professor at a teaching-based college, and I’m happy to help you navigate higher ed questions.]
You can also explore major differences between the American and British higher education systems. Duke University looks like a European campus, but the methodology and structure of the degrees are from the American system.
Learn about the archival process and North Carolina’s history at the Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Visitors are welcomed into the rotating exhibits, but you will need to call ahead for an arrival time. Same-day appointments are available.
If you get hungry while you’re exploring campus, grab some lunch from the West Campus student center, the Brodhead Center.
Here, you’ll find grab-and-go options like Panera, an Asian grill station, a meat-based grill station, a vegan bowl station, and more.
The Bryan University Center is next door to the Brodhead Center and offers up more lunch options like McDonald’s, Panda Express, and a pizza station.
Before you leave campus, stop by the bookstore in the Bryan University Center to pick up a Duke sweatshirt, notebooks, or office supplies.
There’s a small but nicely curated children’s book section as well.
Admission: the campus grounds, manuscript library, and the chapel are free and open to the public.
Hours: the campus grounds are open 24 hours a day. The manuscript library is open Tuesday-Thursday 10 AM-5 PM, Friday 10 AM-3 PM and most Saturdays 1-5 PM. The chapel is open daily 10 AM-8 PM.
NOTE: The closest parking to all of the West Campus sights is the Bryan Center garage, which is $2 per hour.
2. Sarah P. Duke Gardens
The entrance way to the Asian Arboretum
We could've easily spent hours wandering the massive gardens, so pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the gorgeous surroundings on your visit.
The Gardens are divided into four major areas:
the Doris Duke Center and surrounding gardens,
the Asiatic Arboretum,
the Historic Gardens, and
the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants.
Roney Fountain in Duke Gardens
Inside the Asiatic Arboretum
Taking a break while exploring!
You'll want to choose one or two of the sections and focus on those since the gardens cover 55 acres, and you won't be able to see it all in one go.
As a way to get oriented to everything the garden has to offer, I recommend hopping on one of the free overview walking tours.
These tours take about 30 minutes and don’t require reservations. Just show up at the Gothic Gate behind the Doris Duke Center at 10:30 AM or 1:30 PM Tuesday-Friday to meet your guide.
High points in the gardens for young visitors include the Steve Church endangered species garden in the Blomquist Garden, where kids can see rare native plants, and the Sundial and Butterfly garden in the Historic Garden section.
Check the Duke Gardens website for dates of the regularly scheduled family programs in the garden. You’ll find storytimes, hands on gardening projects, and more.
Summer Concerts
During the summer, there are outdoor concerts held at the Doris Duke Center.
Families are welcome to these evening concerts, so bring a few lawn chairs for a fun night out.
Amenities
If you get hungry while walking the garden, head to the Bartter Family Terrace House at the heart of the Historic Gardens where you’ll find a small cafe.
Visitors are also welcome to bring a picnic blanket and boxed lunch and eat at any open area in the gardens.
The gardens have public restrooms and water fountains in the Doris Duke Center and at stations in the Asiatic Arborteum and Historic Gardens.
Address: 420 Anderson Street, Durham, NC
Hours: dusk to dawn daily
Parking: lot available near Doris Duke Center for $1 hour/hour. Parking is free after 5 PM.
3. West Point on the Eno River
Located off bustling Roxboro Road, this city park covers 400 acres for plenty of family activities in Durham NC.
It’s a perfect place to introduce your kids to the lush greenery of central North Carolina!
There are plenty of easy, kid-friendly trails winding along the Eno River, as well as picnic tables for snacks and lunch.
If you're there on the weekends, learn about the area's history through the property's 3 historic buildings.
Old tobacco barn at West Point on the Eno
The West Point Mill served the community continuously from 1778 to 1942, when it was damaged in a flood.
By the early 1970s, the building had collapsed, but was carefully rebuilt using local stones from other mills and guidance from old photographs.
Today, the mill is back in operation, and you can even take home corn meal and flour that was ground here.
The McCown-Mangum House was built by the mill's owner and later sold to a local postmaster.
Nearby, you can view captures from local photographers at the Packhouse and Hugh Mangum Museum of Photography.
This structure once was used in tobacco production, a major industry for Durham in the first half of the 20th century.
Address: 5101 N Roxbury Street, Durham, NC
Hours: 8 a.m. to dark daily for hiking trails; historic homes are open 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from April to December.
Parking: free and on-site
4. Durham Farmers Market
If you enjoy supporting local restaurants and shops when traveling, take that one step further and support the local farmers!
All of the vendors at the Durham Farmers Market come from a 70 mile radius around the city center, so you know that you're buying locally sourced produce, meats, flowers, and baked goods.
This is a great place to teach kids about food supply chains and how farmers are crucial to our well being.
We had a quick snack of peach ice cream made with the peaches from Kalawi Farms to kick off our time there.
Then, we wandered around looking at the handmade cheeses, freshly baked muffins, gorgeous bouquets of wildflowers, and pints of plump blueberries.
The selection of items varies each week, but you’ll always have more than 60 vendors to purchase from.
At the Durham Farmers Market
In the summer, the Farmers Market hosts the Sprouts Kids Club.
This free activity helps visitors ages 5-12 learn about the importance of healthy, locally grown foods, which makes it one of the top fun and educational kids' activities in Durham.
Once kids complete the daily activity and sample a few fruits and veggies in the 2-Bite Club, they will get a $3 voucher to spend on their own healthy foods from the market.
Sign up at the Kids Club table next to the Market's info booth between 3 and 5 p.m. each Wednesday.
Address: 501 Foster Street, Durham, NC
Admission: Free.
Hours: Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon year-round, with an additional market on Wednesday afternoons from 3-6 p.m. during the summer.
Parking: Free parking is available along Roney Street.
>> Check out even more things to do in Durham! <<
5. Durham Central Park
Once you’ve had your fill of fresh ice cream and you’ve purchased your fruits and veggies, set out to explore the rest of the Central Park area.
There's a massive playground for little ones at Mount Merrill, as well as 3 beautiful interlinked gardens just behind the Farmers Market shed.
Older kids might enjoy the 10,000 square foot skate park.
You should also visit the Garden of Eatin', a free public garden that invites residents to pick their own fruits, herbs, and vegetables from the bushes and trees here.
This is a great way to tie in what you learned at the Farmers Market!
Address: at the corner of Foster and Hunt Streets
Hours: Wednesday market 3-6 PM, Saturday market 8 AM-12 PM
Admission: Free.
Parking: Meter parking is available along Roney, Foster, Hunt, and Rigby Streets.
6. Museum of Life and Science
Come prepared to stay awhile because once you arrive, your kids aren't going to want to leave!
I've been to my fair share of kid's museums while traveling, and this is definitely one of the coolest ones I've seen yet.
Learning about butterflies in the Butterfly Pavilion
Once you're inside, you can find interactive indoor exhibits on everything from allergies to hurricanes.
My 4 year old loved running around the dance floor at Soundspace, playing with fog at the Weather exhibit, and learning about moon missions in the Aerospace area.
In addition to the indoor space, the museum also has an incredible 84-acre outdoor space that could easily fill up a visit on its own.
You cannot miss a visit to the Butterfly PavilionI
Try to make it to one of the daily butterfly releases for an up close look at these beautiful creatures, the largest of its kind in the U.S.
My dino-loving kid had a great time learning about prehistoric giants on the Dino Walk.
Be sure to leave time so your kid can play into the paleontological dig site towards the end.
Hideaway Woods has a wading stream and giant treehouses (even I could get in the Treehouse Village!).
My preschooler loved the treehouses for big kids, but was a little apprehensive about the rope bridges, so younger kids might enjoy the nearby Young Explorers treehouses better.
The Museum also has a miniature 10-minute train ride around the outdoor space, a farmyard where kids can see alpacas, pigs, and miniature Hereford Cattle.
There’s also a boardwalk area where black bears roam.
Amenities
There are restrooms and water fountains throughout this sprawling property.
For lunch, head to the Sprout Cafe. We ate here on our visit, and the food options were plentiful and kid friendly.
There’s also the Elements Coffee Bar for drinks, smoothies, and snacks.
Address: 433 West Murray Avenue, Durham, NC
Admission: $23/adult, $21 seniors and military, $18/ child (3-12), free under 3. Train rides are $5 per person.
Hours: 10 AM-5 PM daily
Parking: free on-site
7. Major the Bull
Durham’s nickname is the Bull City, so your visit won’t be complete without grabbing a picture with Major the Bull!
Located in downtown Durham near the Convention Center, this large bronze statue has been a symbol of Durham since 2004.
Major is the work of two North Carolina artists, Michael Waller and Leah Foushee, who sculpted the piece in remembrance of a local bank president.
The statue is big: it stands nearly 10 feet tall and weighs over a ton.
Address: 211 West Parrish Street, Durham, NC
Hours: 24 hours a day
Admission: Free
Parking: ample metered parking nearby
Which of these fun things to do with kids in Durham would your family like the best?
