Will Be in Durham This Weekend (Raleigh, Chapel Hill: chapel, homes, weddings)

[aubandit]

Coming to the Durham area this weekend for the Alabama vs Duke football game. Bringing my wife (Alabama grad.. I"m an Auburn grad). What are the must see places? Where are the must eat places (casual dining to eat and drink a beer). Thanks for any help you can give me!! Go Duke and War Eagle!

[amber598]

A neat place to go is Brightleaf Square where there are some good restaurants. A favorite of mine is the El Rodeo mexican restaurant where the staff is super friendly and they have great food. You can get huge margaritas for cheap too!

Brightleaf Square :: Fine Dining and Shopping in Downtown Durham

And right up the road is Ninth Street where there are some cool local shops and more places to eat.

ninth st durham nc - Google Maps

If you like pizza you have to try out the Mellow Mushroom....best pizza hands down!

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers - Durham

Be carfeul about just exploring Durham because there are some bad and scary places that you can end up. Just stick to the Brightleaf area and you will be fine.

[aubandit]

Thanks for the info. What about historic areas like civil war homes, tours, etc..?

[NCGator]

Duke Homestead is a nice place if you like old homes. It also has a tobacco museum there.

Duke Gardens is the obvious place I take all of my out-of-town guests to. It's beautiful there.

[jmellc]

Bennett Place off Hillsborough Road, where Johnson surrendered to Sherman. They often have reenactments.

If you like steak, Texas Roadhouse at North Point, off Guess Road is great.

Yamato's at Northgate is a great Japanese steakhouse.

Ole NC BBQ, Bullocks & Dillard's BBQ are all great for BBQ, fried chicken, etc.

[Francois]

Where in Durham are you staying, and for how long? Where is the game you're going to? Both the Duke and UNC (in Chapel Hill) campuses are gorgeous to walk around in at this time of year.

[MrsSteel]

For my out-of-town guests, Duke Gardens and Duke Chapel are can't-miss stops. However, if you're just here for the weekend, you might not get to tour the chapel (weddings, religious services, etc.). Call ahead if you want to go.
Welcome to Duke University Chapel (http://www.chapel.duke.edu/visit.html - broken link)
The Sarah P. Duke Gardens

Here's some info about Duke Homestead.
NC Historic Sites - Duke Homestead

My first thought on beer with food is The Federal, just north of Brightleaf Square. Good burgers, but they also offer some entrees that are better than your traditional pub fare. Couldn't find their website, but Yelp has all the important info.
The Federal - Durham, NC

Another option that's a favorite with Blue Devil fans is Dain's Place on 9th Street.
Dain's Place

Or you could check out Tyler's Taproom at the American Tobacco Campus (just west of the new Bulls stadium and the Durham Performing Arts Center).
Tyler's Restaurant & Taproom


I also strongly suggest that you take a few minutes and stop by Locopops! Wonderful paletas (Mexican popsicles) in amazing flavors. It's a Durham tradition. Just remember to bring cash.
Locopops. Hand-crafted, locally-made gourmet frozen pops in a world of flavors.

[whiteboyslo]

My take on Durham / Chapel Hill food:

BBQ: Q-Shack on University
Sushi: Shikhi Sushi off 54
Burger: 5 Guys (any location) or BUNS in Chapel Hill
Steak: Hmm....... toughie. For non-chain restaurants I really like Metro 8 on 9th Street
Pizza: Mellow Mushroom in the American Tobacco Campus
French: Vin Rouge (near 9th Street)
Taco Stand: Chubby's (9th Street or Hope Valley Commons)
Brazilian: Chamas in Brightleaf (pricey, but worth it IMO)
Nice Dress-Up Place: Nana's off University

To Do:

All mentioned above, plus Farmer's Market (either the one in Durham Saturday morning or the big one in Raleigh)

Hope this helps,

Mike

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by aubandit

Coming to the Durham area this weekend for the Alabama vs Duke football game. Bringing my wife (Alabama grad.. I"m an Auburn grad).

I don't want you to be dissapointed so I feel the need to point out that the Duke vs. Alabama game is not this weekend ... it is next weekend (Sat 9/18).

Alabama plays Penn State and Duke plays Wake Forest this weekend (Sat 9/11)

[PDXmom]

Originally Posted by amber598

Be carfeul about just exploring Durham because there are some bad and scary places that you can end up. Just stick to the Brightleaf area and you will be fine.

Sigh. There are very MANY wonderful and safe places in Durham to explore and not just Brightleaf.

You might need to be careful right around Duke if you are wearing Alabama gear. But the worst you will get is a boo or two.