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Right around finals time, students can wear themselves out with the hours and hours of studying… so every year I make it a habit to take a study break to enjoy Durham at its Holiday best!

Before my junior year, I bought a bike so that I could get out and explore Durham more — and my only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner! Durham has become a place very near and dear to my heart in my time at Duke, and I’m trying to explore as many of its hidden treasures as I can before I (sadly) must graduate this May.

One of my favorite places is the Tobacco District. This area of Durham is full of beautiful architecture and lots of history. Every winter, the area is transformed into quite a winter wonderland: twinkling lights, garlands, and decorated trees. This year I made sure to take an evening away from the books to stop by! On this particular trip we stopped at Tyler’s, a yummy restaurant/taproom right in the heart of the historic district.

My Durham escapades didn’t end there! Once all of my exams were done and papers turned in, I decided to celebrate with a friend by going to see The Carolina Ballet perform “The Nutcracker” at the Durham Performing Arts Center. DPAC brings all kinds of awesome performances, concerts, and productions through Durham, and students can get tickets at a discounted price from the Duke Box Office. Past DPAC shows have included Wicked, Billy Elliot, The Lion King, comedian Louis CK, Carolina Chocolate Drops…the list is endless, and everything I’ve seen there has been spectacular!

On this particular occasion, we took advantage of a great bus called the Bull City Connector. This bus–which is FREE!–has several stops conveniently located near campus (one being just a minute walk from my Central Campus apartment). You can ride the BCC to all kinds of fun downtown Durham locations, so it’s a great way to go out with friends on the weekend without having to pay for cabs.

Anyways, The Nutcracker performance was the perfect way to end the semester! The best part? The surprise of seeing President Brodhead magically appear onstage in one of the wily Drosselmeyer’s magic tricks! Who knew that the President of Duke University was such a performer?!

Happy Holidays, everyone!