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We just arrived in Durham last weekend! My husband's sons, ages 17 and 21, are coming to visit in a couple of weeks. The 21 year old, in particular, is going to be checking out the region. He is planning to join us, after he graduates from college next spring. (He has successfully interned with my husband's company for the past two summers and will be seeking a job from them.)
So...what fun things can we do with these two? I don't want to know about the great things young adult men can do without their fogey, middle-aged parents. Rather, I'm curious what would be appealing and interesting to the teenaged and just beyond teenaged crowd. If left to us, we'd drag them to museums and art galleries...guaranteed never to engender a return visit. We'd like to show them how interesting and fun the area can be.
What do your teens like and where do they hang out?
We've been here a few months now and have just completed a very successful week visit with our 17 year old, who lives with his mother in another region. So for the benefit of non custodial parents, looking for positive things to do WITH your teenager, here's some local attractions that worked for us...
Bennett Place (Bennett Place). The Young Lad just finished a Civil War unit in school and was genuinely interested in visiting. It can be done rather quickly, say in an hour. However, the things you can learn there are fascinating.
Durham Bulls (2008 Durham Bulls Baseball Club). We had a great time at a Bulls' game! Gotta love the John Deere tractor races with the 3-4 year old tykes. It didn't hurt that the Bulls won and we got to see the "Hit Bull, Eat Steak" bull snort smoke and flash his red eyes.
Carnivore Preservation Trust (Carnivore Preservation Trust). A Big Cat sanctuary that was a huge hit with the Young Lad. He was amazed at how close one is allowed to get to the cats during the tour, and how knowledgeable the docents are. Many anecdotes about the acquisition and personalities of the cats liven up the narrative.
American Tobacco Trail (The American Tobacco Trail). We went hiking and enjoyed some beautiful scenery. A real treasure in this region.
Japanese Steak House and Mongolian BBQ restaurants. Nothing to catch the attention of a teenage boy better than flashing knives! The Young Lad loved Kanki's show and the ability to select his own stir fry ingredients at Crazy Fire.
We also toured two blue universities, played tennis and golf, and--this element is important for 17 year old boys--rented video games to play during down time (preferred over watching TV.) It was cheaper than buying a game for the visit and gave the Young Lad the fun of trying out a couple of new games while on vacation.
I'll also mention that we integrated one of our favorite pastimes, geocaching (Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site), into our other activities. So, after one of our university tours we enjoyed the grounds and found a cache. Similarly, we did so at the Bennett Place, on the ATT, and elsewhere. It's a good way to incorporate some walking and fun into more cerebral activities.
We've been here a few months now and have just completed a very successful week visit with our 17 year old, who lives with his mother in another region. So for the benefit of non custodial parents, looking for positive things to do WITH your teenager, here's some local attractions that worked for us...
Bennett Place (Bennett Place). The Young Lad just finished a Civil War unit in school and was genuinely interested in visiting. It can be done rather quickly, say in an hour. However, the things you can learn there are fascinating.
Durham Bulls (2008 Durham Bulls Baseball Club). We had a great time at a Bulls' game! Gotta love the John Deere tractor races with the 3-4 year old tykes. It didn't hurt that the Bulls won and we got to see the "Hit Bull, Eat Steak" bull snort smoke and flash his red eyes.
Carnivore Preservation Trust (Carnivore Preservation Trust). A Big Cat sanctuary that was a huge hit with the Young Lad. He was amazed at how close one is allowed to get to the cats during the tour, and how knowledgeable the docents are. Many anecdotes about the acquisition and personalities of the cats liven up the narrative.
American Tobacco Trail (The American Tobacco Trail). We went hiking and enjoyed some beautiful scenery. A real treasure in this region.
Japanese Steak House and Mongolian BBQ restaurants. Nothing to catch the attention of a teenage boy better than flashing knives! The Young Lad loved Kanki's show and the ability to select his own stir fry ingredients at Crazy Fire.
We also toured two blue universities, played tennis and golf, and--this element is important for 17 year old boys--rented video games to play during down time (preferred over watching TV.) It was cheaper than buying a game for the visit and gave the Young Lad the fun of trying out a couple of new games while on vacation.
I'll also mention that we integrated one of our favorite pastimes, geocaching (Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site), into our other activities. So, after one of our university tours we enjoyed the grounds and found a cache. Similarly, we did so at the Bennett Place, on the ATT, and elsewhere. It's a good way to incorporate some walking and fun into more cerebral activities.
What a great post. It sounds like you all had a wonderful time.
Are the boys interested in music? There are a number of music venues within driving distance. Also, if they are interested in hiking, there are a number of gorgeous parks to hike around in (Umstead, etc). There is also one of the original (Nascar) speedways in Orange County (not the currently used one, but the historic one). There are events held there from time to time (my husband even remembers the old horse races there!).
I'll try to get links if you are interested but it's called the Occoneechi Speedway I believe.
The other poster has some really great suggestions!
Thought I'd bump this up for the holiday season. We who are non-custodial parents might not automatically know what is out there of appeal to teens.
Since it's winter now, I'll mention the Hurricanes instead of the Durham Bulls. We sat in the last row of the nosebleed seats when attending a game recently and the view was great! We were able to observe all of the action on the entire rink. And, the RBC Center had a special on hot dogs...$1 each. So, it might not be a common activity but it doesn't necessarily have to cost a small fortune to attend.
Great post! I was sorry to see that your original hadn't attracted any responses, yet you came back and gave us all some great information. Rep points for you!
Those activities sound like fun even for an old fogey like me ;-)
I second the 'Canes suggestions. There isn't a bad seat in the RBC center and the upper deck are only about 20 dollars. You prob could find really great seats on Craiglist for the same value.
The Young Lad is now 18 and we've been here 1 1/2 years. We finally made it to Frankie's Fun Place, in its very convenient Brier Creek location, earlier this month. What a hidden surprise!
We started with miniature golf. Frankie's has 3 courses from which to choose. We passed on the go carts and bumper boats that day, although many families seemed to be enjoying them, and headed straight for the arcade. Rocky Hill Guy and the Young Lad battled it out in a variety of testosterone-laden ways, while I returned to younger days playing skee ball. Also available, should you be so inclined, is laser tag and a drop zone.
I wish we found Frankie's Fun Place earlier after our arrival. It was a hit!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ProjectE
I will also say that you are never to old to go to Frankie's and race on the slick track!
Thought I'd bump this up for all of the non-custodial parents who will be enjoying visits with their kids during the holidays.
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Rather, I'm curious what would be appealing and interesting to the teenaged and just beyond teenaged crowd. If left to us, we'd drag them to museums and art galleries...guaranteed never to engender a return visit. 
We'd like to show them how interesting and fun the area can be. 
He was amazed at how close one is allowed to get to the cats during the tour, and how knowledgeable the docents are. Many anecdotes about the acquisition and personalities of the cats liven up the narrative.
