Cultural Heritage

SCHEDULE A PRIVATE TOUR OR HIKE

Would you like to schedule a private park tour or hike? Private tours and hikes are free, but please allow eight business days for us to set up for you. Private tour options include park tours of Leigh Farm Park or West Point on the Eno Park, or a selection of our History Hikes. Contact Caitlin Avinger at Caitlin.Avinger@ durhamnc.gov if you have questions or would like to schedule one. Please note, private tours and hikes are dependent on staff availability and are limited to a maximum size of 14 participants. If you would like to register for a regularly scheduled tour or hike, visit us at www.dprplaymore.org.

HERITAGE PARKS

West Point on the Eno Park and Leigh Farm Park make up the City of Durham’s Heritage Parks. These significant natural and historic parks provide opportunities for picnicking, fishing, hiking, outdoor nature study, and cultural history programming.

WEST POINT ON THE ENO

5101 N. Roxboro St., Durham, NC 27704 919-560-4355 This 388-acre natural and historic park is located along a two-mile stretch of the scenic Eno River, six miles north of downtown Durham. Take a step back in time to Durham’s early beginnings by touring the working Grist Mill, the 1850’s McCown-Mangum House, and the Hugh Mangum Museum of Photography. Park tours are offered on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through December. Tours are free, but registration is required. Park tours meet at the mill. Private tours can be arranged in advance by calling 919-560-4355. You can also enjoy a leisurely picnic and stroll around the grounds or take a hike through the woods on one of the park trails. Feel free to bring your canoe or raft and experience the beauty of the Eno River. The park gates are open daily, year-round, from 8 a.m. to dark.

Cog pit in the West Point Mill at West Point on the Eno

Leigh Family House at Leigh Farm Park

LEIGH FARM PARK

370 Leigh Farm Rd. Durham, NC 27707 919-560-4355

This 82.8-acre property located at 370 Leigh Farm Road is anchored by a seven-acre historic core listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The park includes the Leigh House (circa 1835), an early 19th century dairy, a mid-19th century enslaved peoples cabin with notable stick-built chimney, smokehouse, corn crib and a late 19th century well house and carriage house. The property also features a second mid-19th century slave cabin with a 1930 Rustic Revival log addition, an early 20th century tobacco barn and pack house, several mid-20th century residences, and wooded acreage that was historically open agricultural land. Guided tours are offered on Saturdays through December. Admission is free.