Today I visited three very different attractions, in three North Carolina cities, that were all interesting.

I started off driving less than two miles from my Durham hotel to Duke University where my first target was the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Although they were neither as extensive nor as varied as other formal gardens I have visited they contained a delightful splash of colorful spring flowers and plenty of cherry blossoms in bloom. The weather was cloudy but pleasantly warm and the contrast with Washington, where the date for peak bloom of the cherry blossoms keeps getting pushed later due to the cold, was obvious.

The gardens provided a delightful route to access my second target, the university quad and chapel. Although simply called Duke Chapel the proportions, size and style are those of a Gothic cathedral. The interior is embellished with impressive stained glass and a magnificent organ but is, otherwise, quite simple. However it is the setting of the chapel, near the center of a huge grassy quadrangle surrounded by large stone academic buildings, that creates a spectacular scene and an incredible environment for learning.

I then headed to Greensboro which is the city where non-violent protests at segregated lunch counters began in 1960. Four black students went to the Woolworth’s store, sat down at the lunch counter and ordered food. At the time only whites were served at these counters and so the students simply stayed there, occupying seats, until closing time. The next day more than 20 students joined the sit-in and the movement quickly grew across the south and became a powerful economic incentive for companies to desegregate. The Woolworth store, originally built in 1929, has been converted to the International Civil Right Museum and the original  lunch counter has been preserved. This museum tells a powerful story that focuses on the daily humiliation of blacks in the south. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed inside the museum.

My final stop was in Charlotte at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Although I do not follow or have any particular interest in NASCAR motor racing I enjoyed the visit. It was more museum than hall of fame but most motorsports museums mainly display and describe the history of cars, drivers and races. This museum did that, of course, but it also tried to bring the visitor into the daily world of NASCAR with interactive experiences covering all aspects of running a team and organizing races.  There were many simulators, including a driving simulator where visitors could race each other, with the results shown as a very realistic simulated TV broadcast on a huge display for all to see. Needless to say, I and my fellow racers helped to create carnage on the track.

Road video and Map

Cherry blossoms and colorful flowers at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.

Just a quarter of the huge Duke University Quad.

Duke Chapel exterior and interior.

The International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro.

The sweeping exterior of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.