2828 Duke Homestead Rd, Durham, NC

If you are a history buff and like exploring old, historic farm buildings, then I have just the place for you! Duke Homestead State Historic Site and Tobacco Museum includes the home, farm, and factory buildings of tobacco tycoon Washington Duke and his family. They started their business in the late 1800’s and their financial contributions to Trinity College helped transform it into the Duke University we all know (and maybe love 😉🤷).

Visitor’s Center

We visited the homestead during the COVID-19 pandemic so the visitor’s center and buildings were closed. Even though we couldn’t go inside, it was still neat to explore the farm and see history right before our eyes. They had placed some informational brochures outside the visitor’s center, so you could still read up on the buildings during your own personal walking tour.

Exploring the Historic Buildings

Throughout the farm you will see the tobacco curing barn, tobacco pack house, and two tobacco factories. There’s also the family’s main house with a well, smokehouse, and grape arbor out back.

The kids really enjoyed seeing an old wagon at the pack house and wanted to climb on it. It was fun to explain to them how in the olden days people didn’t have cars to drive and had to use a horse to pull their wagon. It’s one thing to explain it to them, but another thing when they can actually see it!

The kids weren’t too thrilled by the tobacco factory buildings, since they didn’t really understand what they were looking at. I was surprised at their excitement with the main house though. All 3 of my kids wanted to look through the windows to see inside. We talked about how the house had a different style of furniture than we did, and with no electricity they had to use their fireplace for light and for cooking.

Accessibility

The path to the farm is gravel so you will have trouble getting a stroller down there. There are lots of picnic tables scattered around at the entrance, so it’s a great spot to have a snack break!

The restroom facility is around back of the visitors center and was open while we were there. You can enter the restrooms without having to go inside the center.

It took us less than an hour to explore and see everything at Duke Homestead, and that’s without being able to go inside the visitor’s center. I’m sure there’s more to read and see in there, so if you really want to know all the history of Washington Duke you may want to wait until it reopens.

It was obviously a little over my 5, 4, and 2 year old’s heads in historic content, but it opened up our conversations to some new topics so I count it as a win. Everything is a learning opportunity! Plus, it got us out of the house! 🙌

While you’re in the area, swing by West Point on the Eno for some outdoor fun. Bring your bathing suit and swim in the river by the dam!

Looking for more history? Try exploring Joyner Park, Historic Yates Mill, or Historic Mordecai.