Things To Do

Nasher Museum of Art

Nasher Museum of Art, designed by renowned architect Rafael Viñoly, focuses on modern and contemporary art. The permanent collection includes selections of medieval art and also African, ancient American and contemporary art. Also on view are 60 works of art from the ancient Mediterranean world ranging in date from about 2800 BCE to 300 CE, part of a major anonymous gift. The 65,000-square-foot museum houses three large gallery spaces, a lecture hall, university and community classrooms, a café and store.


Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club

Located on the edge of campus, the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club features a four-diamond hotel and restaurant, meeting and ballroom facilities. An expansion, completed in 2005, added 100 rooms, a conference center, a fitness center, a driving range and a new golf facility for the Duke men’s and women’s golf teams.


Sarah P. Duke Gardens

The Sarah P. Duke Gardens is recognized as one of the premiere public gardens in the United States, renowned both for its landscape design and quality of horticulture.  It comprises 55 acres of landscaped and woodland gardens immediately adjacent to Duke University Medical Center. Some of its five miles of allées and pathways are accessible to people with physical challenges. Admission is free, and each year it attracts more than 300,000 visitors from all over the world.

Garden Hours

Daily, 8 AM to Dusk

Monday – Friday, 8 AM – 5 PM, and 1– 5 PM Saturday and Sunday.


Duke Forest

The Duke Forest comprises 7,060 acres of land in Durham, Orange, and Alamance counties and has been managed for research and teaching purposes since 1931. Its mission is to facilitate research that addresses questions concerning forested and aquatic ecosystems and to help students become informed citizens and effective stewards of our natural resources. In addition to supporting education at Duke and other local universities, the Forest participates in outreach through tours and other events.


Duke Lemur Center

The Duke Lemur Center was established in 1966 and today is the world’s largest sanctuary for rare and endangered prosimian primates. Nestled on 85 acres in Duke Forest, the Lemur Center houses about 250 animals, including 233 lemurs encompassing 20 species, along with lorises from India and Southeast Asia and bushbabies from Africa.

The Mission of the Duke Lemur Center is to promote research and understanding of prosimians and their natural habitat as a means of advancing the frontiers of knowledge, to contribute to the educational development of future leaders in international scholarship and conservation, and to enhance the human condition by stimulating intellectual growth and sustaining global biodiversity.

Tours are conducted daily seven days a week by appointment only.  Please call (919) 401-7240 to schedule your tour.


In and Around Durham

Durham’s dynamic neighborhoods and thriving businesses celebrate the combination of old and new, and will enrich your cultural, social, and educational experience. Life here is part cosmopolitan, part small town. For more information about the region, visit the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau.