Winter can be a difficult time to move if you are battling ice and snow. Your Durham movers will be mindful of the hazards and will pay attention to the road conditions. On the other hand, moving to Durham in the winter provides you with great things to experience.

1. Holiday shopping on Ninth Street. This is called “Durham’s alternative shopping district.” It’s located in historic Old West Durham, two blocks from Duke University’s East Campus. Get in the holiday spirit and enjoy the decorated windows. There are clothing and jewelry stores, the Regulator Bookshop and Java Cafe, and an old fashioned drug store where you can get a fountain drink. There are many eating establishments from the upper end of dining, to the places where the locals eat.

2. KwanzaaFest at the Durham Armory, starting January 1, 2012. There will be a nightly candle lighting celebration which will include musical entertainment and performances by artists from throughout the Triangle, each representing the evening’s Kwanzaa theme. This is an event for the whole family, with interactive programming, audience participation, and lots of vendors. The event is free and open to all. Come and celebrate the heritage and unity of the Durham Community through song and dance. Donations accepted.

3. Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade, January 14, 2012 at 12 pm. The parade will start at W.D. Pearson Elementary at 3501 Fayetteville Street. This parade has been named “one of the top 20 events in the Southeast,” and can’t be missed! Featuring floats, marching bands, steppers, horses, motorcycles, school groups, and more, it’s a family-friendly, multi-cultural event. The parade is free and open to all.

Once your Durham movers are gone, and you have settled in, try these winter excursions and get to know your new community.


(Photo attributed to Flickr member @D.H. Parks via the creative common license)