Durham was listed as one of the ten best places to live – and it’s a wonderful place to raise a family.

Durham is a just-right-sized city, with a lively downtown, lots of new businesses, and lots of choices for schools.   Music festivals run all summer long.  Grownups and kids all love to go downtown for home-made ice cream at the Parlor, or to visit the Scrap Exchange, a wonderful up-cycling warehouse of crafting supplies.  The local children’s museum is a huge favorite!  Hard to beat that classic dinosaurs + trains combination, and there’s also the butterfly pavilion, the mist garden, the room full of building blocks, and the zoo animals. The last time Paul and I were there, we ended up running into pretty much every family we know!

Duke’s botanical gardens are another favorite family spot.  Students studying on the lawn, kids and dogs chasing frisbees, older folks resting on the benches, and everyone enjoying the sunshine and flowers.  I’m really lucky to work right on campus – I can walk through the gardens every day.

And even though it’s a city, Durham is also right in the middle of the woods, and the beautiful Eno River runs right through town, bordered all along by a state park with hiking trails, canoeing, and camping sites.  There’s even a couple of old fashioned swimming holes!