Places To Visit In Durham

By Author: Bonny Kominek
Total Articles: 230
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The Durham Oriental Museum contains an amazing collection of artefacts from the cultures and civilisations of Asia, Egypt, Islamic North Africa, the Near East, and the Middle East, from the prehistoric right up to the twentieth century. Opening hours are ten to five on weekdays and twelve to five on weekends.

Durhams Botanic Garden has an astonishingly wide collection of plants from all over the world, from places such as China, Japan, North America, South Africa, New Zealand and Chile. There are several different areas pertaining to different environments, such as a bamboo grove, an alpine garden, a woodland garden, and glasshouses where plants from warmer countries reside, as well as tarantulas and scorpions.

If you fancy a day out on the farm, the Hall hill farm and petting zoo could be just the ticket, with traditional farmland animals such as lambs, ponies, rabbits, fluffy chicks, pigs, and donkeys, as well as some weird and wonderful creatures such as llamas and highland cattle.

Durham Castle is the foundation college of Durham University, and dates back all the way to 1072. Tours take around three ...
... quarters of an hour, and cost five pounds for adults and three pounds fifty for concessions. Times vary depending on college schedules, so it is best to book in advance.

Durham Cathedral is a beautiful old building that is well worth a visit. The main part of the building is free entry, although donations are welcome, but if you want to climb the tower to see some spectacular aerial views of the city, you have to pay a small charge. Opening hours are usually between nine thirty in the morning and eight at night.

Beamish is an open air museum set in over three hundred acres of picturesque countryside. The aim of the museum is to recreate life in the North of England in the 19th century, and it does this with great aplomb. You can visit an authentic Masonic Hall, watch sweets being made, ride on a replica Puffing Billy steam train, and take a journey down a real drift mine.

For sheer visual splendour, Crook Hall and Gardens is hard to beat, with a wide variety of pretty gardens, including the Cathedral Garden, the Silver and White Garden, the Shakespeare Garden, and the Secret Walled Garden. The hall itself is apparently haunted, and there is also a wildflower meadow, an orchard, and a maze.

Budding Lewis Hamiltons might want to head along to Top Gear Karting, a thrilling go kart track with a nightclub atmosphere, featuring strobe lights, UV tubes, spotlights and smoke machines. Fun for all the family. This guide to visitor attractions in Durham was written by Bonny Kominek. For great deals on Durham hotels, visit the Octopus Travel website.