24 Hours in Durham, North Carolina
Welcome to Durham, N.C., the dining capital of the South. Located in the middle of North Carolina, this city will delight you and leave you wanting more. Home to Duke University, historic Durham also was the headquarters of "Black Wall Street" as well as James Buchanan Duke, the tobacco titan who funded the university and Duke University Medical Center – ignore the irony of the fact that a major hospital is built on a century of cigarette money. Its weather, low cost of living, social conscience, friendly people and a crucible that forged some of the best (and affordable) restaurants have attracted people from all over the country to call Durham home. Taste it, hike it, explore it – and only regret that you only have 24 hours.
Breakfast
Morning is time to discover why Southern Living called us "The South's Tastiest Town." Chefs Lindsay Moriarty and Rob Gillespie started the bakery and café Monuts by selling donuts from a tricycle at the Durham Farmers' Market in 2011; today, they're in their second brick-and-mortar establishment. Everything is locally sourced and made from scratch, they pay a living wage and they kept 100 percent of their employees hired and paid – despite being closed for five weeks during the coronavirus pandemic. The yeast and cake donuts change daily – press your nose against the glass display like a kid to view the eight, unique donut flavors crafted for that day, and you'll almost taste the sweet goodness. Get a few and share – they pair well with a breakfast sandwich or latte.
Hit the outdoors
Time to burn off those just-consumed hundreds of calories and escape to the southern sun. The Duke Gardens are right on campus, literally a two-minute walk from the medical center. The planners' original concept was to turn the land into a lake. When funds ran short, the much-better option of a massive garden was conceived. The 55-acre treasure has five miles of paths and walkways, an Asiatiac arboretum, a garden of native plants, a café and an iconic red bridge that crosses a pond. The gardens are a focal piece of the Duke campus. Admission is free.
Lunch
Chef Ricky Moore founded Saltbox Seafood in 2012 to redefine how a city thinks of fish. He modeled his walkup seafood stand on waterside seafood shacks and drove each morning to the N.C. coast to purchase a fresh catch. You can order whatever's in season – with today's offerings (shrimp, flounder, catfish, grouper, scallops) scrawled on a chalkboard on the counter. An official closing time exists, but Saltbox packs up when the last fish is sold, usually in the early afternoon – a testament to its quality. Chef Moore's efforts landed him a 2020 James Beard nomination for best chef in the southeast. (Chef award-winners were to be announced May 4, but ceremonies have been postponed, with no new date determined at PSR press time.)
Coffee
Even though this may be your first time in Durham, you may have tasted it before. Durham is home to Counter Culture, one of the "Big 3" roasters of Third Wave coffee in the United States. "Third wave" is where we are on our coffee timeline, a chapter that seeks to source coffee from hyper-specific international locations – such as individual farms – to showcase the unique flavor profiles offered by climates and soils across the globe. In the afternoon, head to Cocoa Cinnamon, a Durham staple with three locations and their own roastery. If a single-origin pour-over isn't your thing, try their incredible real hot chocolate and peruse the innovative "wonder menu" with unique ingredients (think cardamom and crushed rose petals). If you visit their Lakewood location, watch them pour and fry a paquete of churros, dusted in a sugar of your choice.
Afternoon
If you're lucky enough to visit Durham in spring or summer, make sure to catch a Durham Bulls minor league baseball game. As the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, the Bulls have a national following attributed to the 1988 cult-classic Bull Durham, starring Kevin
Costner and Susan Sarandon. Even if you're not an avid baseball fan, the newly renovated Durham Bulls Athletic Park offers a downtown location, local food options and even an in-stadium brewery (Beer Durham), making it an enjoyable evening for all. If the Bulls happen to be out of town, Durhamites can enjoy nearly a dozen breweries within city limits; some favorites include Ponysaurus, Fullsteam and the Durty Bull.
Evening
Dubbed "America's Foodiest Small Town" by Bon Appétit, Durham boasts a long list of must-try restaurants. On that list is Viceroy, an Indian restaurant set in a British colonial-themed pub. Viceroy's fare beautifully flaunts bold Indian flavors with a British flare – come for the curry, stay for a pint. Once you've had your fill, walk around the block for a nightcap at Alley Twenty-Six and enjoy a craft cocktail. While the bartenders can certainly execute classics to perfection, Alley Twenty-Six brandishes more eclectic options for the bold (Ask for their Tiki-themed menu or the Mexican Herbalist).
Finally, end your night with a delicious scoop of ice cream from The Parlour. Originating as a food truck, the brick-and-mortar location downtown is a perfect spot to enjoy a scoop of the house-made favorite: salted caramel. Savoring this cool treat is a fitting way to close a busy – and tasty – day.
Dr. Blau is PGY4, and Dr. Glener is PGY3, in the Duke University School of Medicine Division of Plastic, Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery.