In my limited racing career, the Florence Forth Road Race definitely ranks at the top of the list…read more This is a very local race with not many bells and whistles, but that's what makes it so great. Sign up early for a discounted rate but the most you'll ever pay is around $50.00 after fees (for the 10k). Registration is quick and easy and this year, in addition to the athletic tee, they included post-race metals. Race options include a 5k and 10k, both starting simultaneously at 8am on the first Saturday in March. The weather is usually chilly, but very manageable for the later morning start and the course is wonderful. With small rolling hills and a path that takes you through some of the hot spots around Durham including Trinity Neighborhood, Duke East Campus (running parallel, not the actual trail), past Brightleaf Square and into Lakewood passing by Lakewood Montessori School and up past the Nasher Museum and Sarah P. Duke Gardens. You begin and end the race on Ninth Street and it's hard not to feel part of the great community that comes together each year to remember a little six year old who lost her battle to autoimmune encephalitis disease and may others who are still fighting. As you race you'll see your fellow racers in capes and super-hero gear, because we're fighting this disease together. Race-packet pick-up takes place at the Hilton Gardens Inn just off Ninth Street, where you're in and our with nothing fancy (no vendors, just bibs here). Post-race you'll find a small assortment of vendors (Big Spoon Peanut Butter, H&R Block and some fitness studios). This is one of the best organized races I've attended, I was able to easily arrive and park within less than 30 minutes to race time and the course is lined with volunteers and police officers. Two aid stations at mile 2 and 4 offer water and power-aid and you can even choose to compete for the USATF NC 2016 10K State Championship. Highly recommend the Florence Forth if you're looking to be apart of a great community race!

This was a very nice race (I ran the half). It's not too big, so the most awesome thing is that I…read morewas able to leave my hotel and be in my corral in five minutes. Also, the race ended right at my hotel so that was great. Corrals were very orderly. Music along the course was good but not as much as other Rock N Roll events I've run. Volunteers everywhere were outstanding. They really did a good job there. Plenty of course support from spectators, policy and EMTs. Really pretty well organized. The weather was perfect the day I ran so I won't even bother to complain about the hills, although the one before mile 7 and the little one right before mile 12 I thought would kill me. Expo was small but efficient. On the not so great side, I don't like the company that did the timing for this race. It was hard to navigate on mobile and if you were a runner they made you sign up to get data (so just pretend you're a specator) and even then, the data was bare minimum. They need to look at how timing is done at other races to see it done correctly. Another thing I have to say is that Rock N Roll races make their websites overly complex and hard to navigate. To find info about the start corrals, I had to click a lot and then I just got a map. There were no instructions that said how you should enter the corrals, which would have been helpful since the bag check was in front of the start line across the course and the corrals went around the block. Make the logistics easy to find with one or two clicks. Especially on mobile. When people are traveling around they are more likely to have a phone or tablet than a full PC so optimize your website for mobile. Very poor mobile experience. I don't advocate traveling to NC due to their regressive and repressive governor but if they ever get their act together and decide to join the 21st century, this would be a fun race for everyone.

3/15 runs for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame 2015!…read more WHERE IS RALEIGH? jk. If it weren't for this Rock n Roll thing, I would have never even considered Raleigh as a travel destination, running destination, or anything destination. I'm from sunny San Diego, and we have everything. lol. jk. THE EXPO If you've been to one RnR Expo, you've been to them all. There were a bunch of booths promoting some type of fitness food, gadget, destination, ect. Outside of the convention center, I loved how they dressed up the statue of Sir Walter Raleigh with racing gear. It was cute. I love the community spirit. THE SHIRT Also cute. Loved the squirrel! Wish the medal and the shirt would coordinate because they were two completely different designs. RnR should probably consider that for all its races. And you Raleigh folks, someone should have dressed up as a squirrel, or even Sir Walter Raleigh. Show your pride in your city. lol. THE ROUTE It was a little challenging, but doable. There were hills, and a lot of trees. Raleigh is known for being "The City of Oaks" thus a piece of bark flew into my mouth and it made me choke during the race. lol. Considering that this was a spring race, and with things starting to bloom... hello allergies! Pollen levels were HIGH. In addition to choking, I was sneezing a lot, and my eyes kept watering up. To my allergy-friendly friends -- start taking some allergy medicine prior to the race, and make sure it's the non-drowsy kind. You don't want to look drunk on the course. Despite the hills and the allergy attacks, I actually did fairly well. THE SOUTH You need to remember, you are in the South, home of the Chick-Fil-A. lol. jk. (They were everywhere though!) Sunday's in the South... prepare for closure! A lot of restaurants, grocery stores, sightseeing places were closed. Surprisingly, the half marathon was on a Sunday, as opposed to the typical South hosting races on Saturday's. The places I had in mind to check-out were all closed -- especially the restaurant I had plans to pig out at after the race, and unexpectedly, convenience stores for allergy medicine. I was hungry with a runny nose. Luckily Jimmy John's (gourmet sandwich joint like Quiznos) were handing out free sandwiches after the race, so half my problems were solved. It may not seem like I had a good time in Raleigh, but I did. A lot of funny stories came out from this mini vacation. (ie I ALMOST DIED VIA UBER. Well not really, but I had the potential to. And, weird people asking for my number... are Asians non-existent in the South or something? lol. jk.) Would I probably do it again? No, but you gotta do what you gotta do for the bling-age. lol. **If you run the 3 out of the 4 Rock n Roll marathon/half marathons in the same calendar year - New Orleans, Raleigh, St. Jude Country or Savannah you will earn the Southern Charm medal!

As my family and I were visiting my sister, we had heard that Durham Central Park was hosting a…read moreReggae Event. We decided to go to get a taste of the Caribbean in the South. We arrived and there was a live DJ playing Dancehall and Reggae, which had a great selection of music. There were tents and food trucks around the perimeter which had long lines and for good reason. There was good food and great merchants which my sister bought a shirt and I got a bucket hat with the Panamanian flag on it. My sister told me that there were a couple events being hosted in the coming weeks. I would definitely return when I go visit my sister.

Downtown Durham is cool and Durham Central Park is a big reason why. When I think of Durham Central…read morePark, I mainly think of The Pavilion and Foster Street, which hosts the Durham Farmers' Market (https://www.yelp.com/biz/durham-farmers-market-durham), and the adjacent public greenspace, playground, and skate park located between Foster Street and Rigsbee Avenue. However, Durham Central Park extends well beyond that. It's really a neighborhood, encompassing some of the coolest spots in the city. Aside from the aforementioned farmers' market, highlights at Central Park for me have included: * Boxcar Bar & Arcade: https://www.yelp.com/biz/boxcar-bar-arcade-durham * Durham Food Hall: https://www.yelp.com/biz/durham-food-hall-durham * Foster Street Coffee: https://www.yelp.com/biz/foster-street-coffee-durham Additionally, my wife and her co-residents are big fans of: * The Glass Jug (bar): https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-glass-jug-durham-3 There's also a lot of great stuff around Central Park like: * M Sushi: https://www.yelp.com/biz/m-sushi-durham * Pizzeria Toro: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pizzeria-toro-durham * The Blue Note Grill (barbecue and live music): https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-blue-note-grill-durham-2 * The Parlour (ice cream): https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-parlour-durham-2 * Viceroy (Indian restaurant): https://www.yelp.com/biz/viceroy-durham My wife likes to get her hair cut and styled at: * Rock Paper Scissors Salon: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rock-paper-scissors-salon-and-gallery-durham-2 The neighborhood also includes the DAP (Durham Athletic Park), former home of the Minor League Durham Bulls baseball team. According to artwork on the south side of the Liberty Warehouse Apartments, Durham Central Park was established in 2001. The Pavilion opened in 2007. There's lots of amazing public art in the neighborhood too. The municipal space is ideal for events like the farmers' market, festivals, live entertainment, food trucks, etc. It's perfect for the community.

Just under 1.5 mile hike from the parking area. Easy trail with signs and well maintained. This…read moreoriginal track was a half mile horse track built by Julian Carr for okonochee farms. It was later expanded and used by NASCAR, active from 1948 -1968. It is the only surviving dirt speedway from NASCAR's inaugural 1949 season! Such a fun adventure to explore this site and see what remains!

This is a great place to go for a walk. It's a loop so you don't have to worry about getting lost…read more The path is well maintained and you can take a stroller on it with no problem. There is some bits of history that will surprise you along the way. Lots of free and easy access parking.

This is Duke! It's old, prestigious and has a gorgeous campus. My visit was late Summer of 2019 for…read morea swim recruiting visit that my son attended. The Wilson Rec Center is pretty central to campus and has student recreational activities. The pool is in the rear and is the only thing I saw. You can enter in front or rear for the aquatic complex. The building itself looks like "Duke". The brownstones are spectacular. Parking is reserved pretty much all around the building I found the visitors lot which is about a 3/4 mile walk. The area was clean and impeccably maintained. The aquatic complex is not as old as the building dating to possibly turn of the century. However it's no spring chicken either. Possibly built in the late 60's, not ruling out 70's. The pool and deck are maintained. Only faculty, staff and the swim and dive are permitted to use outside of special permission. My son enjoyed the pool. Although not a new pool it has underwent a couple of renovation projects over the decades. The most recent was around 11 years ago. The 25 yard pool with diving well is a nice set up for competition. Duke competes in the ACC Conference. The complex offers a compact spectator area on one side. Most reading this review will never get the opportunity to use the pool and probably never even see it. My son absolutely loved his time on campus and who knows could be a Blue Devil.

This gym has open gym basketball got into a pick up game and i had my career high 61 pointsread more

The greenway is not an area where you'd forget that your surroundings are urban, but there are…read moreminimal road crossings for the slightly over 2 miles that it runs, and the environs are pleasant. It is generally wide enough to accommodate the runners and occasional bikers that share the space. I prefer the NC state forest for a wilder experience or the botanical garden for a more manicured setting, but the greenway is an asset to its immediate surroundings.

This is such a beautiful greenway! You can enter from the start of the Tanyard Branch Trail,…read moreUmstead Park, or a variety of other entrances the further you get into the trail. North Carolina does it right with beautiful greenways that are clearly marked, well paved, and lush with nature. Bolin Creek is no different - I loved the multiple access points to the water, to playgrounds, to different shopping plazas. This trail is safe for children and folks with different accessibility needs too.

Trinity Park is one of my favorite parks in Durham. It's safely located directly off Trinity Street…read morein "Trinity Neighborhood" (around the corner from Duke East Campus). It has two playgrounds, one that is enclosed by a gate for younger children, while the other is open and has features that would interested 5+ ages (i.e. slides, monkey bars, fireman's pole, etc). Several swings, picnic tables, two grills and a water fountain are also on site, as well as a lovely gazebo. I've seen lots of birthday parties hosted here and it draws in a large neighborhood crowd as well. The only real downside to the park are the missing bathrooms. This is a problem if you're making this a destination spot, but it also keeps the crowd more neighborhood only. You can find parking on the street off Watts or Trinity and there's a "Little Free Library" right off Watts that you won't want to miss! This is a great spot for an afternoon (especially if your child is in diapers...), they also do a wonderful job of keeping up the landscaping and have some lovely flower gardens and herbs on site.

....my favorite place after work!!!!....today's 5 on 5 was great!!!!....time to get some shots up!read more

Decent park located right next to Fayetteville Elementary, so be warned it gets noisy during…read morerecess. The park includes two gated basketball courts, a grill and small picnic shelter with picnic tables. Field lights and eight gated tennis courts with bathroom and water fountain. A small playground which is slightly separated from the rest of the park (by trees). If you don't live ON the American Tobacco Trail, it might seem overwhelming to find an access point. However, Elmira Avenue Park could make for a convenient place to park and run. There's direct greenway access to Rocky Creek Trail, which will lead you to about the 2 mile point on the ATT. What makes me second guess this park is it's location. There are so many regularly trafficked very safe feeling parks, and Elmira isn't one of them. It's proximity to a lower socioeconomic demographic leaves me feeling slightly on edge and very aware of my surroundings. Overall, this wouldn't be a park I'd spend a lot of time at, but makes for a good spot to know about if you need to stop along the ATT in case of bathroom, water or parking needs.